Vice President JD Vance addressed his differing opinions with Pope Leo XIV on immigration in a New York Times (NYT) interview published Wednesday.
Vance, a 2019 convert to Catholicism, highlighted the task of balancing the doctrines of his faith with his position as the Vice President.
“There are obligations that we have to people who in some ways are fleeing violence, or at least fleeing poverty. I also have a very sacred obligation, I think, to enforce the laws and to promote the common good of my own country, defined as the people with the legal right to be here,” he told NYT columnist Ross Douthat.
Specifically on the issue of immigration, Vance said he considers the Vatican’s position but notes that he needs to uphold America’s laws.
“Yes, we respect the right of a country to enforce its borders, you also have to respect the rights of migrants, the dignity of migrants, when you think about questions like deportation and so forth. And so you have to be able to hold two ideas in your head at the same time.”
Pope Leo XIV, in his previous roles as a bishop and cardinal, has sometimes been critical of Trump’s immigration policy.
Earlier this year, then-Cardinal Robert Prevost apparently shared a post on X that linked to a Catholic Standard article, according to U.S. News & World Report.
The article criticized the administration’s “campaign of aggressive threats and highly visible operations of questionable legality that go far beyond mere immigration ‘enforcement.’”
However, His Holiness has expressed a nuanced perspective on global migration.
“It’s a huge problem, and it’s a problem worldwide, not only in this country. There’s got to be a way both to solve the problem, but also to treat people with respect,” he previously said of the global migration crisis, according to a video.
Vance and fellow Catholic Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo Monday.
The trio discussed international issues, and the Pope expressed hope “that humanitarian and international law be respected in conflict areas and that a negotiated solution be reached,” according to a statement from the Holy See Press Office.
When Douthat pressed Vance on potential rifts between the Trump administration’s policies and Catholic doctrine, Vance emphasized he’s a representative of America before anything.
“On the world stage, I’m not there as JD Vance, a Catholic parishioner. I’m there as the Vice President of the United States,” Vance said.
Vance pointed to his refusal to kneel and kiss the Pope’s ring, a gesture of respect to the Father of the Catholic Church.
“The protocol is that American presidents and vice presidents do not bow before foreign leaders and do not kiss any rings,” he told Douthat.
Other Catholic presidents — including John F. Kennedy and Joe Biden — also did not kiss the Pope’s ring, according to the AP.
“Some of the protocols about how I respond to the Holy Father were much different than how I might respond to the Holy Father, or how you might respond to the Holy Father purely in your capacity as a citizen,” Vance said.
He further elucidated his dialogue with church leaders and said he held a different opinion on migration. (RELATED: Bishop Says Catholic Teaching Does Not Support ‘Open Border Policy’)
“I’ve had a lot of good, respectful conversations, including with cardinals who very strongly disagree with my views on migration,” he said, reiterating that he has a commitment to enforce America’s laws.
“There are obligations that we have to people who in some ways are fleeing violence, or at least fleeing poverty. I also have a very sacred obligation, I think, to enforce the laws and to promote the common good of my own country, defined as the people with the legal right to be here.”
He also noted the role his faith plays in his views on economics.
“One of the criticisms that I get from the right is that I am insufficiently committed to the capital-M market,” he said.
“I am a capitalist. I believe the market economy is the best way of provisioning goods and services and coordinating people across a very complex society,” Vance continued.
“I think one of the things that I take from my Christian principles and Catholic social teachings — specifically whether you agree with the specific policies of our administration — is the market is a tool, but it is not the purpose of American politics,” he added.
The previous Pontifex, Pope Francis, criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
