Does the Ohio senator’s loyalty to Trump compromise his fidelity to the Catholic Church?
Donald Trump has chosen Ohio senator J.D. Vance to be his running mate in the 2024 election.
Vance recently converted to Catholicism, and this could be another key reason why he was picked. When the most recently proposed GOP platform did not name abortion as a priority, a number of Catholics on X, formerly Twitter, were upset. Trump and others in Republican leadership appear to be softening their position on abortion—perhaps because, since the repeal of Roe, voters keep rejecting further statewide restrictions on abortion. But this could lead to less enthusiasm for Trump on the part of right-wing traditionalist Catholics.
Vance has some work to do if he is going to tout his Catholic credentials. The bishops and various Catholic thought leaders have spoken out against the pro-choice views of Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi—both prominent Catholic politicians—but Vance’s anti-immigrant views place him in a position of dissent from core moral and social teachings going back to the foundations of Christianity. And non-Catholics as well as Catholics should be concerned about Vance’s alignment with an ideology that Pope Francis has called a threat to democracy.
Catholic voters in the United States are accustomed to hearing criticisms of liberal and progressive politicians who sometimes support policies that are not in line with church teachings. But even if Catholics don’t hear the same kind of warnings about Vance’s views, it’s still important to assess them in light of the church’s teachings, and not just on abortion. Catholic morality encompasses an array of interlocking issues, and, as Pope Francis has reiterated repeatedly, immigration, care for the environment, and the responsibility to meet the needs of the poor and marginalized are urgent and serious concerns.
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Jason L. Miller is a faith based advocate, organizer, and activist based in Washington, D.C. Rebecca Bratten Weiss is the digital editor at U.S. Catholic.
With thanks to U.S. Catholic, a publication of the Claretian Missionaries, a Roman Catholic religious community of priests and brothers dedicated to the mission of living and spreading the gospel of Jesus.
