Johnson Backs Trump in Feud with Pope Over Iran War Comments
House Speaker Mike Johnson has entered the escalating diplomatic feud between the White House and the Vatican, firmly aligning himself with President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in their criticism of Pope Leo XIV. Johnson stated he was 'taken a little bit aback' by the Pope's recent comments, which centered on the Iran war and were characterized by some as a simplistic 'war is bad' stance. In his response, Johnson suggested that Pope Leo XIV should have anticipated a political counterattack. 'If you're going to comment on political matters, you should expect some political response,' Johnson advised, a stance that was met with significant criticism online and described by some commentators as 'cringing.' Despite wading into the theological dispute, the Speaker claimed he did not want to engage in a direct theological debate with the pontiff. Instead, Johnson framed his defense of Trump around the principles of free speech and the 'just war theory,' a doctrine that outlines conditions under which war is morally permissible. This alignment places Johnson firmly within a chorus of MAGA-affiliated Christians and conservative figures, including Fox News host Sean Hannity, who have rallied behind the President against the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. The incident marks a significant moment of tension between the U.S. political establishment and the Vatican.
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In his own response on Tuesday, Johnson continued to back up the president, who criticized Pope Leo again in another post that day. House Speaker Mike Johnson lectured about the 'just war theory' when asked about Trump's feud with Pope Leo over the Iran war.
All this started when Pope Leo took a ridiculous “war is bad” stance and found himself facing off against U.S. figures like Vance, President Donald Trump, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and even Fox News host Sean Hannity, who recently asked of the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion ...
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