The controversy between Mr. Trump and the Pope continues with Mr. Vance and the bishops’ opinions
President Donald Trump continued his feud with Pope Leo in a post on Truth Social, calling Iran’s possession of a nuclear bomb “absolutely unacceptable.”
As the feud between the Vatican and the White House continues to escalate, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) also appears to be siding with President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
As reported by Politico and The Hill, Johnson said in comments to reporters at Parliament House that Pope Leo XIV should “expect some kind of political reaction” to his comments.
“The pope and religious leaders can say whatever they want, but when you step into the political realm, I think you should expect some kind of political response, and I think the pope has received some of that,” Johnson said. “I’m not one to criticize clergy or religious leaders. We defend free speech, and we certainly defend the right to the free exercise of religion.”
Johnson’s comments come amid heightened tensions between the White House and the Vatican in recent weeks following the outbreak of the Iran war.
Tensions rise between the White House and the Vatican
The latest clash between the White House and the Vatican erupted after the Pope said President Trump’s threat to wipe out “an entire civilization” in Iran was “unacceptable.”
“As everyone knows, today there are threats against the entire Iranian people, and this is truly unacceptable,” he said.
President Trump later accused the Pope of being “terrible on foreign policy” and “weak on crime.”
“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican. Unfortunately, I don’t agree with the idea that Leo is weak on crime and weak on nuclear weapons,” Trump said in an April 12 post on Truth Social.
President Trump has refused to apologize to Leo, but Vance warned the pope about his recent comments.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism and often describes himself as deeply religious, warned Catholic church leaders to be “careful” when talking about theology in a speech at the Turning Point USA rally in Georgia on April 14.
“I think it’s very important for the pope to be careful when he speaks about theological issues,” Vance said.
USA TODAY’s Bart Jansen, Zac Anderson and Phillip M. Bailey contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact us at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow us at X @fern_cerv_.
