Pope Leo XIV Publicly Rebukes JD Vance and Trump on Social Media, Breaking Decades of Vatican Silence on U.S. Politics

In an unprecedented turn for the global Catholic Church, newly elected Pope Leo XIV — the first American to hold the papacy — has sparked global conversation just days into his tenure by publicly criticizing both U.S. Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump on social media. While popes have often made veiled references to political trends or injustices, rarely has a pontiff so directly and publicly confronted specific political leaders by name, much less in the United States.

But Leo XIV’s digital trail, particularly his activity on the social platform X (formerly Twitter), reveals a bold history of engaging with American politics, most notably through posts challenging anti-immigration rhetoric and what he appears to view as moral inconsistencies in conservative Catholic leadership.

Born in Chicago and known previously as Cardinal Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV was elevated to the papacy on Thursday following the passing of Pope Francis. His election marked a turning point for the Vatican — not only symbolically, as the first American pope, but also strategically, given his past willingness to speak out on hot-button political issues in the U.S.

Despite the expected diplomatic messages that typically accompany a papal inauguration, Leo XIV’s ascension was already underlined by a growing tension between Vatican values and recent American political rhetoric.

President Trump issued a brief statement congratulating the new pope, calling his election “such an honor for our country.” Yet the goodwill was quickly overshadowed by Trump’s decision to post an AI-generated image of himself dressed in papal regalia during the mourning period for Pope Francis. The image, widely circulated online, was deemed by many at the Vatican as an act of political vanity at a moment meant for reverence.

Even former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi condemned the gesture, calling it “indecent interference” in sacred ecclesiastical matters. For many observers, the meme wasn't just tasteless — it was a calculated act of image-making at the expense of solemnity and tradition.

While Trump’s digital bravado may not have surprised anyone, what did was the re-emergence of the man now known as Pope Leo XIV on the same platform. Prior to his election, Cardinal Prevost had maintained a relatively quiet online presence, largely resharing Catholic publications and updates.

But his commentary, especially on immigration, steadily built over the past decade and painted a portrait of a leader deeply attuned to humanitarian issues and unafraid to voice dissent when moral lines were crossed. 

His criticism of Trump’s anti-immigration stance began as early as 2015, when he reposted a Washington Post column by Cardinal Timothy Dolan condemning Trump's rhetoric as "problematic" for American Catholics. In 2016, he amplified the voice of Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, who warned about the climate of fear spreading through immigrant communities, especially among children afraid of their parents being deported at any moment.

These concerns did not subside. In 2017, months into Trump's first term, Cardinal Prevost again broke from Vatican diplomatic tradition, reposting messages from Sister Helen Prejean and the California bishops blasting Trump’s plan to repeal DACA, warning it would embolden racism and nativism. In fact, one of his last public posts before his papal elevation was a retweet from April 14 this year, highlighting an article by Washington-area Bishop Evelio Menjivar — born in El Salvador — decrying the Trump administration’s refusal to return a wrongfully deported Maryland man.

The quote Leo XIV chose to share asked starkly, “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?” In the eyes of many, it was a question not only for politicians, but for fellow clergymen as well.

Yet it is Leo’s recent commentary on Vice President JD Vance that reveals how personally he engages with theological disputes turned political. Vance, a prominent conservative convert to Catholicism and one of the most visible Catholic voices in American politics, became the subject of Leo’s digital critique in February.

In a Fox News interview defending Trump’s immigration approach, Vance referred to the concept of "ordo amoris" — the traditional Catholic hierarchy of love — to argue that Americans must prioritize their own families and citizens before considering the needs of outsiders. Days later, Leo shared a Catholic article directly rebutting Vance’s position. The piece was titled, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”

The sharing was unmistakable in its intent — a sitting cardinal publicly calling out a sitting vice president for what he believed was a distortion of Christian doctrine.

Vance, undeterred, responded online by telling critics to “just google ‘ordo amoris,’” and doubled down on his belief that a hierarchy of love is “common sense.” But ten days later, Leo again posted, this time sharing a Jesuit article connecting Pope Francis’s writings to the immigration debate, implicitly rebutting Vance’s prioritization model. The message was clear: in matters of compassion, the Church sees no border.

This theological dispute carried added weight in light of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ decision last month to end decades of collaboration with the federal government on refugee and migrant services. The bishops attributed the move to the Trump administration’s abrupt cessation of funding — a decision they called “heartbreaking.”

Though Leo XIV was not yet pope, he had long signaled through his social media activity a deep concern for how American political choices were corroding the Church’s ability to serve the vulnerable.

Pope Leo XIV’s history on X also includes retweets of Catholic commentary critiquing Clinton-era liberalism, such as one post-election piece quoting Democrats who blamed Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss on ignoring pro-life Catholics. This balance — criticizing both the left and the right when they diverge from Catholic moral principles — reflects Leo’s broader vision of the Church as a global moral authority unaligned with any party.

Still, it is his sustained criticism of Trump and Vance that has garnered the most attention, not just because of the content but because of the medium. Social media has never been the favored pulpit of popes. Pope Francis used it sparingly and with carefully curated spiritual messages. Pope Benedict XVI rarely engaged at all.

But Leo XIV, even before donning the papal white, demonstrated a willingness to meet his audience where they are — online — and to use that platform not only for evangelism but for advocacy.

As the Vatican prepares to navigate an increasingly polarized geopolitical landscape, Leo XIV’s online history offers a rare window into the kind of leadership he may pursue. His unapologetic defense of migrants, his theological pushback against political distortions of Catholic doctrine, and his refusal to remain neutral in the face of moral crises all suggest a papacy that will be more vocal, more confrontational, and more digital than any that came before.

In Washington, some analysts are already bracing for renewed tension between the Vatican and the White House. With JD Vance continuing to take a hard line on border security and Trump seeking a return to power in 2028, Leo XIV may soon find himself not only the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics, but also a thorn in the side of U.S. policymakers who invoke religion to justify hardline policies.

But for millions of faithful — especially immigrants and the marginalized — he may prove to be exactly the pope they hoped for: one who sees love not as something to rank, but to extend without reservation.