Vice President JD Vance has taken a firm position on immigration, even if it means opposing the views of the recently elected Pope. He stated that it’s not always feasible for Americans to align with the Pope on every topic.
Vance voiced his fears for “social cohesion” in the US after Pope Leo fired off tweets criticizing the VP’s political views.
In a conversation with the New York Times’ Ross Douthat, Vance opened up about how he’s balanced his position as VP with his Catholic faith.
He said that, while Pope Leo is indeed a “shepherd” for the global church, he still has a duty to maintain law and order in America.
Vance criticized the Pope’s more progressive views on immigration, emphasizing his goal of fostering greater unity among Americans.
He fears that unfettered immigration can divide communities and limit access to jobs and benefits offered to citizens.
“The point that I’ve tried to make is I think a lot about this question of social cohesion in the United States,” he explained.
“I believe that those concerned with the ‘common good’ often fail to recognize just how disruptive immigration has been at the scale and speed we’ve experienced in recent years,” he argued.
“I really do think that social solidarity is destroyed when you have too much migration too quickly.”
Vance went on to praise President Donald Trump’s border crackdown and said that the administration is working overtime to stop the flow of illegal immigration.
He stressed that he respects everyone who flocks to American soil after fleeing violence or poverty, but maintained his responsibility to US citizens.
“I 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 said.
Vance’s thinly veiled hit came after faithfuls across the globe were shocked when scrolling through Pope Leo’s X feed when he was first elected.
The Holy Father, who is the first American Pope in the history of the church, kept up an active internet presence and appeared to share his truth thoughts on Donald Trump’s presidency.
One of his latest reposts on X was a critique of Trump’s immigration crackdown from Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo.
In the post, the writer quoted, “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”
A few posts before this, Pope Leo, whose birth name is Robert Prevost, shared a series of articles questioning some of Vance’s political statements.
One headline published in the National Catholic Reporter read, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for other.”
The article was penned after Vance told Fox News, “We should love our family first, then our neighbors, then love our community, then our country, and only then consider the interests of the rest of the world.”
FRANCIS’ PROTEGE
Though Pope Leo made history by being the first American to ever hold the powerful post, his election wasn’t surprising to those working in the Vatican.
In 2023, Prevost had been asked to move to the church’s headquarters and work in an elite position where he vetted potential cardinals.
He was close with Pope Francis, who also called for wealthier countries to accept immigrants with open arms.
In one piece of writing, the pope said before his death, “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups.”
