Pope Leo XIV addresses journalists during a flight heading to Yaounde, Cameroon, on the third day of an 11-day journey to Africa, on April 15, 2026. | Guglielmo Mangiapane/AFP via Getty Images

The White House cannot stop fighting with the pope.

On Tuesday night, Vice President JD Vance — who converted to Catholicism in 2019 — accused Pope Leo XIV of not understanding the Church’s stance on war , saying it was “very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” Later in the evening, President Donald Trump continued to berate the pope for not supporting his strikes on Iran.

Key takeaways

The White House has carried on its feuding with Pope Leo XIV into a fourth day.

It’s not the first time Trump or Vance have argued with a pope, but this time feels different?

For at least three reasons, Leo is turning out to be a much tougher foil for Trump to fight or bully: He has strong conservative support, is speaking up over a divisive issue, and is better at speaking about…