JD Vance made remarks on the name choice of Pope Leo during a press briefing at the White House. He also spoke about how the pope’s comments on artificial intelligence could impact people and society. He found it interesting that the pope’s name honors Pope Leo XIII, who spearheaded the Industrial Revolution that happened across the world.
JD Vance talks about Pope Leo’s name
During the press briefing, JD Vance said that he finds it “fascinating” that Leo XIV pays tribute to Leo XIII, who led the Catholic Church from 1878 to 1903. During his tenure, the world was undergoing a massive shift in industry. He further stated, “Of course, that industrial transformation, according to a lot of people, led to the rise of fascism and communism in Europe.”
Vance further explained why Pope Leo may have chosen the name and how it carries a similar significance to the one it held during the Industrial Revolution. “[He] chose that name to maybe apply Christian social teaching in a new era with a new technological innovation in the same way that the industrial revolution was the technological innovation of its time,” he explained.
Recently, things have been a bit heated between the Vatican and the White House. As Donald Trump and Pope Leo’s back-and-forth, harsh public exchanges continue. Their feud started when Pope Leo made comments about the US administration’s handling of the Iran war. Recently, the president accused the pope of “endangering Catholics” and being “fine” with Iran having nuclear weapons.
Pope Leo later addressed the criticism, stressing how his comments were interpreted wrongly. He said, “Should anyone want to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, they should do so with the truth. For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there’s no doubt about it. So I simply hope to be listened to for the value of God’s word” (via The Washington Post)
Originally written by Shazmeen Navrange on Mandatory.
