WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Vice President JD Vance said he was "surprised" by Pope Francis' criticism of the Trump administration's immigration policy, but said he is praying for the pontiff's recovery amid his hospitalization.
Vance, who recently found himself at odds with the Catholic Church's leaders on issues including migration and the theological concept of the "ordo amoris," made his remarks during the Feb. 28 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, during which he took a conciliatory tone.
"While yes, I was certainly surprised when he criticized our immigration policy in the way that he has, I also know that the pope – I believe that the pope – is fundamentally a person who cares about the flock of Christians under his leadership, and he's a man who cares about the spiritual direction of the faith," Vance said.
In a January interview, Vance questioned the motives of the U.S. bishops' criticism of some of Trump's immigration policies, suggesting their objection to the suspension of a federal refugee resettlement program had more to do with "their bottom line." But outside audits of the bishops' work with refugees show the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops does not profit from that work, and in fact has spent the church's funds to cover what the government would not.
Vance also recently argued the Catholic theological concept of the "ordo amoris" (the order of love or charity) backs the Trump administration's policy on immigration restrictions and enforcement; however, Pope Francis appeared to rebuke that argument in a Feb. 10 letter to the U.S. bishops praising their defense of migrants and calling the Trump administration's initiation of mass deportation "a major crisis" damaging the human dignity of many vulnerable people.
In that letter, Pope Francis said that "the true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the 'Good Samaritan' ... by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception." He also declared it was incompatible with "a rightly formed conscience" to equate some migrants' illegal status itself with criminality.
At the prayer breakfast, Vance cast these public exchanges with "spiritual leaders" as an unnecessary social media controversy and said they should not treat each other like "social media influencers."
"My goal here is not to litigate with him or any other clergy member about who's right and who's wrong," Vance said, adding that "it's not in the best interest of any of us again to treat the religious leaders of our faith as just another social media influencer, and I think, frankly, that goes in both ways, if I could be so bold."
According to the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, "Lumen Gentium," Catholics are obliged to respect their bishops "as witnesses to divine and Catholic truth," and in matters of faith and morals, "the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a religious assent." The council also emphasizes this holds true in a special way for the pope's authentic magisterium and judgements even when he is not speaking "ex cathedra."
Vance also said Pope Francis' 2020 "urbi et orbi" prayer for the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of inspiration for him then and now, even reading from an excerpt of the pope's comments at that event.
"That is how I will always remember the Holy Father," Vance said, "as a man who could speak the truth, the faith, in a very profound way at a moment of great crisis."
Vance also led those in attendance in prayer for the pontiff's recovery.
Elsewhere in his comments, Vance praised President Donald Trump as "an incredibly good president for Catholics in the United States of America."
Trump, Vance said, has "a foreign policy oriented towards peace."
But he also acknowledged, "I'm sure that there are people in this room who agree or disagree with some of our views on foreign policy, on any number of issues."
There is ongoing friction between church leaders and Trump over some of the president's first actions in his second term on issues including rescinding a long-standing policy generally preventing immigration arrests at houses of worship, schools, and other sensitive locations; revoking refugee resettlement contracts; and efforts to expand in vitro fertilization. But the bishops have praised other actions on issues in line with Catholic teaching including education and gender policy.
"The one thing that I will promise you is that you're always going to have an open door with me and with the president," Vance said.
Vance also said he was the "first Catholic convert" to be vice president. Vance is just the second Catholic to hold that office, preceded only by former President Joe Biden.
"I recognize very much that I am a baby Catholic," Vance said. "There are things about the faith that I don't know. And so I try to be humble as best I can when I talk about the faith in public, because, of course, I'm not always going to get it right, and I don't want my inadequacies in describing our faith to fall back on the faith itself. And so if you ever hear me pontificating about the Catholic faith, please recognize it comes from a place of deep belief, but it also comes from a place of not always knowing everything all the time."
At their 20th anniversary event, the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast organizers recognized Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., with its Christifideles Laici Award, named for St. John Paul II's apostolic exhortation for the laity.
The longtime Catholic lawmaker and human rights advocate pointed to religious persecution in places like Nigeria, Nicaragua and China as issues that should be key priorities for the U.S. on the world stage, and reducing abortion.
"Even though at times we get tired and grow weary – I know I do – none of us has the luxury of growing weary," Smith said. "The existential threats to life and human dignity today have entered a new phase that absolutely begs our time, our talent and our intervention."
Smith also advocated for PEPFAR, the U.S. government’s global effort to combat HIV/AIDS, a program he has long supported, but argued the Biden administration "hijacked" the program with abortion advocacy.
"I was all in – and still am all in – for PEPFAR, but not when you double-hat it and say, 'Oh, we're also going to push the abortion issue and change laws all over the world,'" Smith said.
The future of PEPFAR remains unclear amid a broader pause on foreign aid implemented by the Trump administration.
Earlier in the event, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., delivered an invocation and thanked those in attendance for their prayers for Pope Francis during his hospitalization.
"Please know the spiritual closeness of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. He cares for the people of this country and he values our unity with him in faith and in hope," Cardinal Pierre said.
