Vice President J.D. Vance stated at a gathering of Catholics on Friday that the U.S. "foreign misadventures" have sometimes led to "the eradication of historical Christian communities" worldwide.
Speaking at the 20th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Vance remarked, “We have turned a new page in Washington, D.C. and we are going to take advantage of the opportunity that God has given us.”
He noted that President Trump, although not a Catholic himself, has been “an incredibly good president for Catholics in the United States of America.”
Vance praised Trump's domestic policies on religious liberty and abortion, contrasting them with those of the Biden administration. He asserted that Trump's foreign policy aligns most closely with “Christian social teaching and with the Catholic faith.”
Proclaiming that “more than any president of my lifetime, President Trump has pursued a path of peace,” Vance emphasized the importance of recognizing how foreign policy can impact the ability of people around the world to practice their faith.
Highlighting that Christians are often the most persecuted religious group globally, he stated, “The Trump administration promises you whether it's here at home with our own citizens or all over the world, we will be the biggest defenders of religious liberty and the rights of conscience.”
He added that "It's not enough simply to protect the rights of conscience, to pursue funding opportunities and grant-making opportunities to protect the rights of people to engage in religious conscience."
Vance noted that “the biggest impediments to religious liberty have not come through malice from the United States government but have actually come through carelessness.”
He lamented that “in the United States of America sometimes, it is our foreign misadventures that lead to the eradication of historical Christian communities all over the world,” expressing that such “foreign misadventures” are what he is “most ashamed about.”
Discussing Trump's call for peace in regions like Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East, Vance said, “we, of course, have to recognize that as a policy-oriented towards saving lives and carrying out one of Christ's most important commandments.” He emphasized the need to treat this policy as “an effort to protect the religious liberty of Christians,” noting that over the past 40 years, it has often been historical Christian communities that bear the brunt of failed U.S. foreign policy.
Vance pledged, “We will always listen to people of faith and people of conscience in the United States of America,” promising to do so “even and especially maybe when you disagree with us.”
Identifying himself as the first convert to Catholicism to serve as vice president, he also described himself as a “baby Catholic.” He disclosed, “I learned the hard way as a Catholic” that “grace is very much a process that God works in us over time.” Calling himself “as imperfect a Christian as any person in this room,” he affirmed, “God is transforming me every single day.”
