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Cardinal Prevost shared a text against Jd Vance on X: ‘Jesus does not ask us to make love rankings’

Last February, the new US Pope Leo XIV had published an editorial critical of the US Vice President. Now Vance publicly congratulates, but the report remains to be watched

In the months leading up to his election, the then Cardinal Francis Prevost – now Pope Leo XIV – had attracted attention for an unusual gesture: the sharing on X, Elon Musk’s social networking site, of an editorial by the National Catholic Reporter entitled ‘Jd Vance is wrong: Jesus does not ask us to rank our love for others’. A gesture that takes on particular relevance today, given the papal office now held by Prevost.

Vance’s statements and the reaction of the Catholic press

At the beginning of February, during an interview with Fox News, US Vice President Jd Vance had said: ‘There is a Christian concept that you love your family, then you love your neighbour, then you love your community, then you love your fellow citizens, and finally you give priority to the rest of the world. Much of the extreme left has completely turned this concept upside down’. His words provoked harsh reactions, even from Christian circles, for a vision considered hierarchical and utilitarian of Christian love.

The relaunch of the future Pope and the reactions

The future Pope Leo XIV had taken a position by agreeing with the editorial that contradicted that reading of Scripture. The piece, widely circulated in American progressive Catholic circles, criticised Vance for a view that would depart from the Gospel message of universal and inclusive love. The Guardian also recently recalled the episode, noting how the pontiff’s gesture highlights a possible critical distance from some figures in the Trump administration.

Vance’s official congratulations to Leo XIV

Today, 8 May 2025, Jd Vance nevertheless wished to publicly congratulate Leo XIV on his election to the papal throne on X: ‘I am sure that millions of American Catholics and other Christians will be praying for his successful work in leading the Church. May God bless him!’ An institutional message, but one that comes in a context charged with political and religious significance.

A relationship to watch carefully

The Pope’s gesture, even though it occurred before his election, represents a clear stance on an ethical and political issue. In the light of his previous criticism, the future dynamic between Leo XIV and the American political leadership – Vance in primis – remains one of the fronts to watch in the new course of the pontificate.

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