A heckler shouted “Jesus Christ does not support genocide” at Vice President JD Vance while he discussing Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday.
Speaking at a TurningPoint USA event at the University of Georgia, Vance said: “I like that the pope is an advocate for peace I think that’s certainly one of his roles. On the other hand, how can you say that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword?”
He added: “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated Holocaust camps and liberated those innocent people? I certainly think the answer is yes.”
A man in the audience then yelled: “Jesus Christ does not support genocide.”
Vance addressed him directly, saying: “And I agree, Jesus Christ certainly does not support genocide…. I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”
He added: “Hey, random dude screaming I told you I’d respond to your point, I just want to respond to this question first.”
It comes after President Donald Trump was involved in a feud with the Pope, writing on Truth Social that he was “weak on crime, and terrible on foreign policy.”
He added that the Pope should be “thankful,” and that he was “only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
This is a developing story. More to follow.
