Speaker Johnson defends Trump, Vance critique of pope

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday said he was taken aback by Pope Leo XIV’s Palm Sunday statement that God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war. Just war theory was an established Christian doctrine, he said. There was a time for every purpose under heaven, Johnson added, quoting Ecclesiastes 3:1. Johnson respected the pope, but thought the pontiff should consider that many lives potentially had been saved by taking away the power of a terrorist regime, he said.

Johnson also said that he thought President Trump and Vice President Vance’s recent criticisms of the pope reflected the high stakes of the Iran war. Since the pope waded into political waters, he should have expected a political response, the speaker said.

The pope on Monday said he was not a politician and was simply proclaiming the message of the gospel, one of peace. He planned to continue speaking against war, he said. Vance, a Catholic, on Tuesday referenced just war theory and said the pontiff should take care when talking about matters of theology. Trump previously said he didn’t want a pope who would let Iran have a nuclear weapon or who would criticize a president for carrying out his job.

Trump also had posted to social media an image of himself in ancient-style robes resembling classical portrayals of Jesus. Amid widespread criticism, he removed the image and said it had been a mistake.

Who else weighed in on the controversy on Wednesday? Patrick Kelly, CEO of the Knights of Columbus, said the pope was a spiritual authority, not a politician, and it was his responsibility to call for peace. The organization is a men’s Catholic charity and financial group with more than 2 million members.

However, Kelly acknowledged that nations had the right to safeguard their people in a just and peace-seeking way, and Catholics could faithfully debate policy decisions. He urged Catholics and members of his organization to listen respectfully to the pope’s position and to turn away from conflict in public discourse.

Dig deeper: Read Liz Lykins’ report on the back-and-forth between Trump and the pope.