'Should expect political response': Mike Johnson backs Trump, Vance's criticism of Pope

House Speaker Mike Johnson expanded the Trump administration's dispute with the Vatican on Wednesday, stating that Pope Leo XIV should anticipate "some political response" to his public criticism of the U.S.A's current policy. "A religious leader can say anything they want, but obviously if you wade into political waters, you should expect some political response," Johnson told reporters. "I think the Pope has received some of that."

The Speaker's comments come a day after he said that he had advised President Donald Trump to take down an AI-generated image of himself that many have criticized for its religious undertones. But Johnson's latest statement aligns the Republican legislative leadership with the executive branch's criticism of the Vatican. Trump has called the American-born pontiff "weak" and "terrible for foreign policy," while Vice President J.D. Vance said the Pope should be "careful" when discussing national security. 

President Trump's dispute with Pope Leo arises from the pontiff's strong opposition to the U.S.'s military strategy in the Middle East and his humanitarian criticism of domestic immigration enforcement. Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born Pope, recently described war as "atrocious" and cautioned against a "delusion of omnipotence." "Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life," Pope Leo had said during an evening prayer in St Peter's Basilica last week.

When asked about the President's Truth Social post, Pope Leo said that he does not fear the Trump administration. "I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel," the Pope told reporters. Later, he doubled down on his anti-war stance, saying that God does not support the wicked or the arrogant. In a post on X, Pope Leo wrote, "God's heart is with the little ones and the humble, and with them He builds up His Kingdom of love and peace day by day. Wherever there is love and service, God is there."

While Democratic lawmakers and a section of faith leaders have denounced the President's criticism of the Vatican, Trump has not backed down from targeting the Pope. In a separate Truth Social post, "Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable." Defending the President, Johnson said, "Frankly, I was taken a bit aback by him (Pope Leo) saying something about 'those who engage in war, Jesus doesn't hear their prayers' or something. There's something called the 'just war' doctrine."