JD Vance was repeatedly heckled while speaking at a TPUSA event in Athens, Georgia, on Tuesday, April 14. The Vice President was discussing Pope Leo XIV. His recent remarks on the Donald Trump administration when the incident occurred.
JD Vance heckled by crowd while speaking about Pope Leo
At one point during the Tuesday Turning Point USA event, JD Vance pointedly noted that the Pope should “be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” The statement appeared to be a response to the pontiff’s April 10 X post. He said, “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
He added, “Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace.” It “comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.”
Continuing his comment on the Pope at TPUSA, Vance said, “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis?” He continued, “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated Holocaust camps and liberated those, those innocent people, from you know … those who had survived the Holocaust? I certainly think the answer is ‘Yes.’”
Moments later, someone from the crowd interrupted Vance, shouting, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” The VP said that he agreed with the statement before resuming his speech. He went on to say that he likes it when Pope Leo shares his thoughts on “matters of war and peace.” He added, “Because I think that, at the very least, it invites a conversation.”
Vance then stated, “Now we can, of course, have disagreements about whether this or that conflict is just. But I think that it’s important, in the same way that it’s important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy.” He added, “It’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” At this point, the heckler shouted again. But Vance asserted, “Hey, random dude screaming, I told you I’d respond to your point!”
Originally written by Namrata Ghosh on Mandatory.
This story originally appeared on Realitytea
