US Vice-President JD Vance has revealed that he made a conscious decision not to kiss the papal ring of Pope Leo XIV when he met the new pontiff, due to his political role for the United States and despite being a convert to Catholicism.
His comments come in an interviewon the “Interesting Times” podcast hosted by Ross Douthat, the conservative columnist at the New York Times, and which occurred while the two men were in Rome for Pope Leo XIV’s official inauguration Mass on 18 May.
In the interview, Vance also opens up about how his Catholic Faith informs his political views and how he squares his religious beliefs with his strict views on immigration enforcement, reportsthe Catholic News Agency (CNA).
