Vice President JD Vance was heckled 10 minutes into a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia on Tuesday, April 15 – before he criticised Pope Leo. In an apparent defence of the US’s action in the Middle East and comparison of the military’s action to that during WWII, Mr Vance questioned: “How can you say God was never on the side of those who wield the sword?
“Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated Holocaust camps? … I certainly think the answer is yes.” At this point, he’s interrupted by a member of the audience who shouts, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!”
The US vice president responds, saying he agrees with the heckler: “I agree. Jesus Christ certainly does not support genocide.” Minutes later, someone says, “You’re killing children! You’re bombing children!”
He once again expressed sympathy with the heckler, saying, “I recognise that young voters do not love the policy we have in the Middle East. I understand.”
Mr Vance, a Catholic, then turned his attention to Pope Leo amid Donald Trump’s ongoing feud with the leader of the Church. He bizarrely suggested the Holy Father should stay in his lane and “be careful” when it comes to discussing religion.
He said: “I think it’s very, very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”
The VP reiterated this point in an interview with Fox News, in which he urged the Pope to “stick to matters of what’s going on” in the Church.
He said: “It would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what’s going on in the Catholic church and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.”
He wrote on Truth Social: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.
“Thank you for your attention to this matter. AMERICA IS BACK!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
