JD Vance\u2019s remarks on Pope Leo XIV\u2019s name choice didn\u2019t land quite as he\u2019d possibly hoped on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a White House briefing about the potential influence of the pope\u2019s upcoming encyclical on artificial intelligence, the vice president pointed to the significance of Robert Francis Prevost \u2014 the first U.S.-born head of the Roman Catholic Church \u2014 choosing the name Leo XIV.<\/p>\n
Life: These Catholics Have A Lot Of Feelings About JD Vance’s Pope-splaining Comments<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things I always found fascinating about Pope Leo is that he chose the name Leo XIV, which of course is recollecting Leo XIII,\u201d Vance said, noting that Leo XIII, who was pope from 1878 to 1903, led during \u201ca period of incredible industrial transformation in the entire world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, that industrial transformation, according to a lot of people, led to the rise of fascism and communism in Europe,\u201d Vance added, suggesting the current pope, who has criticized the Trump administration over its Iran war and anti-immigration crackdown, \u201cchose 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Critics on social media thought Vance\u2019s highlighting of the link between social upheaval and authoritarianism was ironic, given how Donald Trump and his MAGA allies are often accused of the latter.<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t make the point he thinks he made,\u201d one wrote.<\/p>\n Politics: John Thune Fires Back At JD Vance After Pope Comments<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSo, so close to getting it,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n A third asked: \u201cHe doesn\u2019t see the irony, does he?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRead the room JD. It\u2019s about the rise of fascism right here,\u201d a fourth wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cSo Cardinal Prevost recognized the dangers looming on the horizon and chose a papal name to harken back to a previous pope who fought those same dangers? What an awesome pope we have!\u201d said a fifth.<\/p>\n Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related…<\/p>\n