After the Heated Drama, Vance Steps Up and Pours It All Out

Vice President JD Vance led a prayer for Pope Francis at the 20th National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, a moment of unity amid recent tensions over immigration policy. Despite the pope’s criticism of the Trump administration’s stance on illegal immigration, Vance emphasized his respect for the pontiff and his leadership.

“Every day since I heard of Pope Francis’s illness, I say a prayer for the Holy Father,” Vance told the audience, drawing applause. He acknowledged his surprise at the pope’s remarks but reiterated his belief that Francis deeply cares for his followers.

Earlier this month, Pope Francis denounced the administration’s strict immigration enforcement, warning it would “end badly.” His comments prompted a sharp response from “border czar” Tom Homan, who suggested the pope should focus on internal church matters instead. “The Pope won’t fix the Catholic Church,” Homan said. “I’m saying this as a lifelong Catholic… You ought to fix the Catholic Church and concentrate on his work and leave border enforcement to us.”

Meanwhile, Pope Francis remains in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital recovering from pneumonia, sparking a global wave of support.

“If the Holy Father can hear us, I hope he knows that there are thousands of faithful Catholics in this room and millions of faithful Catholics in this country who are praying for him as he weathers his particular storm,” Vance said, reinforcing the message of solidarity.

During his address, Vance also touched on his friction with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which criticized the administration’s immigration policies. He had previously suggested the Church was concerned about its financial interests, a claim the bishops’ group denied, stating it spent more on migrant services than it received in funding.

Acknowledging the tension, Vance remarked, “Sometimes bishops don’t like what I say,” prompting laughter from the audience. He added that disagreements were natural, but his priority was to express his perspective on faith and public service.

“My goal is to maybe articulate [the] way that I think about being a Christian in public life when you also have religious leaders in public life who have a spiritual duty to speak on the issues of the day,” he explained.

Vance struck a conciliatory tone, presenting himself as a Catholic convert navigating faith and governance. He cautioned against being consumed by online debates involving church leaders, advocating for a more measured approach.

“Sometimes we should let this stuff play out a little bit and try to live our faith as best we can, under the dictates of our faith and under the dictates of our spiritual leaders, but not hold them to the standards of social media influencers,” he said.

Reaffirming the administration’s commitment to religious communities, Vance assured attendees that the Trump White House would maintain an “open door” policy.

The vice president lightened the mood with a personal anecdote about his 7-year-old son Ewan’s recent baptism, describing it as one of his proudest moments as a father. He shared how his interfaith marriage shaped their family’s approach to religious traditions.

“But as many of you know, I am part of an interfaith marriage. My wife, though she comes to church with us almost every single Sunday, she is not Catholic herself,” he said.

Explaining their compromise, he continued, “And so the bargain that we have struck is that we will raise our kids Catholic, but we will let them choose the moment that they want to ultimately become baptized. And if that’s terrible sacrilege, blame the Dominicans because they’re the ones who came up with this scheme.”

His humorous remark drew laughter from the crowd, rounding out an address that balanced faith, politics, and personal reflection.