Catholic J.D. Vance takes the side of Donald Trump against Pope Leon XVI, whom the president has described as “weak and incompetent in foreign policy matters”. In an interview with Fox News, the American vice president declared that “in some cases, it would be preferable for the Vatican to stick to moral issues, internal affairs of the Catholic Church”. “And let the President of the United States dictate American public policy,” Vance added. Finally, Vance concluded: “When I disagree, I disagree. It doesn’t bother me too much. I think it’s natural. I am sure it will happen again, and it’s not a big deal that it has already happened.”
Yesterday, the American president launched a frontal attack on the pope. “Pope Leon is lax with regard to crime and catastrophic in foreign policy matters,” Trump declared. “If I weren’t in the White House, Leon wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
“I am not afraid of the Trump administration, I speak of the gospel, I will continue to loudly denounce war,” responded Leon XIV. “I have no intention of engaging in a debate with him.”
In a message sent on the occasion of the plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the pope warned today: “Democracy remains healthy only when rooted in moral law and a true vision of the human person. Without this foundation, it risks becoming a majority tyranny or a mask for the domination of economic and technological elites.”
“The fundamental principles governing the exercise of authority within nations must also guide the international order – a truth that is particularly important to keep in mind at a time when strategic rivalries and shifting alliances are reshaping the landscape of global relations. We must remember,” Leone writes, “that a just and stable international order cannot be based on a simple balance of power or on purely technocratic logic. The concentration of technological, economic, and military powers in a few hands threatens both the democratic participation of peoples and international harmony.”
In his message, Leone also highlights that “justice and moral strength are essential for clear decision-making and the implementation of decisions. Temperance is also essential to the legitimate use of authority, as true temperance checks excessive pride and acts as a barrier against abuse of power.”
