JD Vance already seems to be gathering favors from the American Pope. Following his visit to the Vatican, the Vice President has urged Pope Leo to come forth with “moral leadership” given the current AI advancement. Vance’s appeal for help has left people confused.
JD Vance and the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio recently visited the Pope’s inaugural mass. The duo met up with the new Pope to discuss the topics of significance in an attempt to build a working relationship with the Vatican.
The peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and the violence in the Gaza Strip were discussed during the closed-door meeting. Vance revealed how the Vatican has “expressed a desire” to cooperate in solving these problems.
The Vice President of the United States was also heard mentioning how the Pope has an “incredible amount” of capacity to “convene and influence” in these matters that affect countries across the world. Soon after this statement, the 40-year-old asked the Pope to provide “moral leadership.”
Vance used X to send a very public message to the Pope, which left people confused as to what the politician exactly wanted the leader of the Catholic church to do. Taylor Van Kirk, who serves as the Vice President’s Press Secretary, posted the video to her X account.
This weekend, I led the US Delegation to Rome and met with Pope Leo XIV, as well as many other Church and international leaders.
I’m grateful to Pope Leo for the opportunity to meet with him, and I pray the Holy Spirit guides him with wisdom and fortitude during his papacy. pic.twitter.com/YMJ8P9EEZF
— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) May 20, 2025
“Part of this arms race component is if we take a pause and the PRC (People’s Republic of China) doesn’t take a pause, then we find ourselves — you know, we are all sort of enslaved to PRC-mediated AI,” Vance was heard saying in the clip.
He went on to add that the Pope’s intervention in the matter is the most “profound and positive” thing that he can do for the world right now. “The American government is not equipped to provide moral leadership,” the 40-year-old was heard saying.
Vance added that the superpower cannot provide “full-scale” moral leadership, considering the changes that AI advancement will bring. “I think the church is, this is the sort of thing the church is very good at, and it is what the institution was built for in many ways,” the Vice President noted in the clip.
Pope Leo XIV will unite all Christians pic.twitter.com/6XvstvtNyM
— cassie 🇻🇦 (@CatholicCassie) May 22, 2025
He went on to note how his “hope” is that the Pope plays a “very positive role” during this time. Vance also added that one of his “prayers” is that the Papacy recognises the “great challenge” in the world and acts on it. “I think such great opportunity for him and the institution he leads,” he concluded.
The Vice President’s message to the Pope left netizens extremely confused. “The thing that the church SHOULD be very good at is spreading God’s word, not AI’s word. But that ship has sailed, I’m afraid,” one user wrote. Another simply added, “I don’t get this.” The Vice President hasn’t provided any explanation post causing widespread confusion with the cryptic message.
Scroll below to see pictures of Pope Leo and JD Vance.
