Michael Brooks
US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, has clashed with the Catholic Church over his views on immigration and abortion. In 2019, Vance was baptized Catholic, which he says provided him with the spiritual fulfillment he couldn't find in his Yale education or career success. His conversion to Catholicism has also influenced his political worldview, aligning him with a Catholic intellectual movement known as postliberalism. Despite his faith, Vance has sparred with Catholic leaders, arguing that the church has not been a good partner in common-sense immigration enforcement. He has also faced criticism from conservative Catholics for his association with postliberalism, which has historical connections to authoritarian regimes. As the first Catholic convert to serve as Vice President, Vance's relationship with the Catholic Church and Pope Leo XIV will be closely watched.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of conversion to Catholicism | 2019 |
| Date of birth | 1984 (39 years old in 2024) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Political views | Conservative Christian, populist, postliberal |
| Religious views before conversion | Protestant, Pentecostal, Evangelical Christian, Atheist |
| Reason for conversion | Spiritual fulfillment, political conversion, worldview |
| Relationship with Pope Francis | Strained due to clashes over immigration policies |
| Relationship with Catholic Church | Battled with the church over faith-based service to immigrants and refugees |
| Influence of Catholicism on views | Helped shape his political worldview and put him in touch with postliberalism |
| Influence on public image | Faith-based conservatism |
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What You'll Learn
J.D. Vance's Catholic conversion
J.D. Vance, the US Vice President, is a Catholic convert. He was baptized Catholic in August 2019. His conversion story is detailed in his 2016 memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy", and a 6,777-word essay he wrote about his conversion for the Easter 2020 issue of the Catholic magazine, "The Lamp".
Vance, who comes from a long line of culturally Protestant Scots-Irish Americans from Appalachia, had a chaotic childhood. He writes about his mother's abuse of prescription drugs and a string of boyfriends and husbands. He also had problems with anger, which affected his relationship with his girlfriend, Usha, whom he married in 2014. Usha, the daughter of immigrants from India, is Hindu, and Vance felt hesitant about joining the Catholic Church because he wasn't Catholic when they married.
Vance writes that he had a negative impression of Catholicism when he was younger. He thought Catholics worshipped Mary and rejected the legitimacy of Scripture. He also associated Catholicism with majesty and formality, which did not appeal to his family. However, he admired his Catholic uncle and, over time, began to see Catholicism as the closest expression of his family's kind of Christianity. He was drawn to its obsession with virtue, sympathy for the poor and meek, and protection of children and families. He also appreciated its historical continuity with the Church Fathers and Christ Himself.
Vance's conversion to Catholicism has influenced his political worldview and brought him into contact with a Catholic intellectual movement known as postliberalism. He has been criticized for keeping company with postliberals, who are associated with right-wing authoritarian regimes. However, Vance has downplayed the impact of his Catholicism on policymaking.
Vance has clashed with the Catholic Church over immigration policies and the Church's service to immigrants and refugees. He has also sparred with Pope Francis, who has criticized his theology and position on immigration. Despite this, Vance attended Pope Leo XIV's inauguration mass, becoming the first Catholic convert to serve as Vice President.
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J.D. Vance's Catholic beliefs
J.D. Vance, the US Vice President, is a Catholic convert. He was baptized Catholic in August 2019 and has since then been vocal about his Catholic beliefs.
Vance has written extensively about his life in faith in his mega-selling memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy", and in a 6,777-word essay he wrote about his conversion for the Easter 2020 issue of The Lamp, a Catholic magazine. In his writings, he describes how a drug-using teenager with anger problems, family problems, school problems, and doubts about God became an accomplished, successful family man excited about being a Catholic. He also mentions that he comes from a long line of culturally Protestant Scots-Irish Americans from Appalachia.
Vance's journey to Catholicism was not without its challenges. Even before he started going to a Pentecostal church, he had certain ideas about Catholicism that he didn't like. He thought Catholics worshipped Mary and rejected the legitimacy of Scripture. However, through conversations with Catholic figures and his own studies, he began to see Catholicism as the closest expression of his grandmother's kind of Christianity: obsessed with virtue, sympathetic to the meek and poor, and protective of children and families.
Vance's Catholic beliefs have influenced his political worldview and put him in close touch with a Catholic intellectual movement known as postliberalism. He has also clashed with Pope Francis over the Trump administration's immigration policies and sparred with the Catholic Church over its criticism of the administration's refugee resettlement and immigration policies. Despite these differences, Vance continues to brandish his Catholicism as a banner, making his faith a component of his public image and political appeal.
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J.D. Vance's Catholic influences
J.D. Vance, the US Vice President, is a Catholic who has clashed with Pope Francis over the Trump administration’s immigration policies. He was baptized Catholic in August 2019, and his conversion to Catholicism has helped shape his political worldview.
Vance has written extensively about his life in faith, in a mega-selling memoir and a long essay that describes how a drug-using teenager with anger problems, family problems, and doubts about God became a successful family man excited about being a Catholic. He has also written about his journey from Evangelical Christianity to atheism via Richard Dawkins, and finally to Catholicism.
Vance's Catholicism has been influenced by a Catholic intellectual movement known as postliberalism. Some critics view this movement as having reactionary or authoritarian leanings. However, Vance has tried to downplay his Catholicism's impact on policymaking.
Vance's Catholic influences also include his uncle, whom he liked and respected, and his grandmother, who had a deep but de-institutionalized faith. Despite her unfamiliarity with the liturgy and foreign pope, Vance saw Catholicism as the closest expression of her kind of Christianity. He also mentions the influence of Dominican friars, one of whom he studied with during a more serious period.
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J.D. Vance's Catholic critics
J.D. Vance, the US Vice President, has received criticism from Catholic leaders for his controversial political views, particularly those concerning immigration. In an interview with CBS News' "Face the Nation", Vance criticised the Catholic Church, arguing that it has "not been a good partner in common-sense immigration enforcement". This statement was in response to a comment made by Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, who criticised President Trump's executive orders on immigration. Bishop Seitz stated that the orders were intended to "eviscerate humanitarian protections enshrined in federal law and undermine due process, subjecting vulnerable families and children to grave danger".
Vance's attendance at a Good Friday service at the Vatican also sparked controversy, with some interpreting it as a calculated strategy to broaden his political appeal rather than a genuine display of personal faith.
Vance has also faced criticism from traditionalist Catholics for his theology and position on immigration. Pope Francis publicly chastised him for his views, and a now-deleted social media account associated with the Pope also contained direct criticism of Vance.
Vance's conversion to Catholicism in 2019 has been well-documented, with the politician writing extensively about his faith journey in both a memoir and a lengthy essay. Despite this, some pro-lifers have questioned whether he remains committed to their cause.
Vance has acknowledged that his Catholic faith influences his political views, stating that he makes "prudential judgments informed very much by the Church's teachings". However, he also believes that an American vice president cannot simply "do everything the Holy Father tells me to do" due to their obligation to serve the interests of the American people.
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J.D. Vance's Catholic political views
J.D. Vance, the Vice President of the United States, is a Catholic who has publicly clashed with Pope Francis over the Trump administration's immigration policies. He was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church in August 2019, having previously identified as an atheist and an Evangelical Christian.
Vance's political views are considered conservative and right-wing populist. He opposes abortion, same-sex marriage, and gun control. He has also taken natalist positions, expressing his belief that childlessness is linked to sociopathy. He has stated that his Catholic faith and social teachings have influenced his political views. For example, he has cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which acknowledges "the right of a country to enforce its borders" while also respecting "the dignity of migrants". However, he has been criticized by Pope Francis for supporting the deportation of migrants, to which Vance responded by evoking the traditional concept of "ordo amoris" in Catholic theology, which he interprets as loving his own nationals more than foreigners.
Vance's participation in a Good Friday service at the Vatican has been scrutinized as a calculated strategy to broaden his political appeal, leveraging religious symbolism for partisan gain. He has been characterized as an ideologue of 'post-liberal' Catholicism, brandishing his faith as a banner in the cultural war.
Vance's journey to Catholicism is detailed in his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy" and a 6,777-word essay he wrote about his conversion for the Easter 2020 issue of the Catholic magazine, "The Lamp". In the essay, he describes how he came to see Catholicism as "the closest expression of her kind of Christianity: obsessed with virtue, but cognizant of the fact that virtue is formed in the context of a broader community". He also expressed his desire for Catholicism to help him care less about professional prestige and foster forgiveness.
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Frequently asked questions
JD Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019.
Before converting to Catholicism, Vance was an Evangelical Christian and then an atheist.
No, Vance disliked the Catholic Church when he was a child. He thought he knew certain things about Catholicism, which he didn't like. He also had a grandmother who disliked "organised religion".
Yes, his conversion to Catholicism helped shape his political worldview. It also put him in close touch with a Catholic intellectual movement known as postliberalism.
