Vice President JD Vance defended the U.S. military actions against Iran during remarks at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia on April 14, 2026, directly challenging recent comments from Pope Leo. The pope had posted on April 10 that God does not bless any conflict and that disciples of Christ are never on the side of those who wield the sword or drop bombs, arguing that military action fails to create space for peace.
God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) April 10, 2026
Vance, a practicing Catholic, pushed back by invoking just war theory and historical parallels from World War II. He questioned the absolute nature of the pope’s statement while agreeing that Jesus Christ does not support genocide.
“How can you say that God is 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 and liberated those innocent people from those who had survived the Holocaust? I certainly think the answer is yes,” Vance said.
Vance: How can you say that God was never on the side of those who wield the sword…
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 14, 2026
Audience member: Jesus doesn’t support genocide. pic.twitter.com/ypaiyr295z
The vice president’s comments came in the context of the current operation against Iran with U.S. strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader and over 40 other Iranian leaders and officials, actions that have drawn sharp criticism from the pontiff. Vance noted a long Christian tradition of just war theory, cautioning that theological statements on such matters require careful anchoring in truth.
He also responded to an audience interruption regarding Gaza, highlighting the Trump administration’s role in securing a peace agreement there and increased humanitarian aid compared to the prior administration. Vance contrasted this with what he described as the previous catastrophe in the region under Biden.
President Donald Trump had similarly criticized Pope Leo on April 12, calling him weak on crime and foreign policy, particularly regarding Iran and nuclear weapons. The exchange underscores ongoing tensions between the administration’s defense posture in the Middle East and calls for pacifism from Vatican leadership.