The vice president of the United States has said that it would be “best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality” as tensions between Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV continue to draw public attention.

Speaking in an interview on Fox News on April 13, JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, acknowledged that disagreements between the Holy See and Washington were to be expected, but suggested a clearer distinction of roles.

“I certainly think that in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality,” he said. “To stick to matters of, you know, what’s going on in the Catholic Church and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.”

The remarks follow a series of public exchanges in which President Trump criticised the Pope in unusually direct terms. Writing on Truth Social on April 12, the president described Leo XIV as “WEAK on Crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy”, adding: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” He also objected to criticism of American military actions, stating: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela.”

In the same post, the president suggested that the pontiff’s election had been politically motivated. “He wasn’t on any list to be pope. He was only put there because of the Church, because he was an American,” Trump wrote. “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.” He later added that he did not “want a Pope who criticises the president of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, in a landslide, to do.”

The Pope responded the following day while speaking to journalists during a flight to Algeria. He dismissed the criticism and reaffirmed his intention to continue speaking on global issues. “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do,” he said. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the Church in the world today.”

Referring to ongoing conflicts, including the war involving the United States and Israel against Iran, the Pope added: “Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”

In his Fox News interview, Vice President Vance sought to play down the significance of the dispute. “We’re going to have disagreements, Brett, from time to time,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing, actually, that the Pope is advocating for the things that he cares about. But we’re always going to have disagreements on matters of public policy.” He emphasised that “the immigration policy of the United States is set by Donald Trump”, adding that divergence with the Vatican on such questions was “a totally reasonable thing and isn’t particularly newsworthy”.

Pressed on whether the Pope’s interventions could harm the Church, as the president had suggested, Vance reiterated the primacy of elected authority in temporal matters. “The president has the prerogative to set American foreign policy. He’s got the prerogative to set American immigration policy. He has to look out for the interests of the United States of America,” he said. “That inevitably means that when the Vatican comments on issues of public policy, sometimes there’s going to be agreement, of course, and sometimes there’s going to be disagreement.”

The vice president also addressed controversy surrounding an image shared by the president on social media depicting himself in a Christ-like pose. Vance described it as humorous in intent. “I think the president was posting a joke,” he said, adding that it was withdrawn after “he recognised that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humour in that case.” The president subsequently said he had intended the image to portray himself “as a doctor saving people”.

JD Vance, who was received into the Catholic Church in 2019, has spoken publicly about the influence of his faith on his political outlook and is due to publish a memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, this summer recounting his conversion.

For the time being, both sides appear content to acknowledge the divergence. “When they’re in conflict, they’re in conflict,” Vance said. “I don’t worry about it too much … I’m sure it’ll happen in the future.”

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