Vice President JD Vance said Saturday he was "grateful" after Pope Leo XIV sought to ease tensions with President Donald Trump and indicated he had no interest in engaging in a public dispute.

The pontiff said earlier Saturday that coverage of remarks he made during a recent trip to Africa had created "a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects." He added that the speech in question had been prepared weeks before any response from Trump, pushing back on suggestions it was directed at the president.

Vance, who is Catholic and met Pope Leo at the Vatican in 2025, welcomed the pontiffs latest comments. Earlier in the week, Vance had suggested the pope should "be careful" when weighing in on theological and political matters, underscoring the tensions that had emerged.

"While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen the reality is often much more complicated," Vance said.

"Pope Leo preaches the gospel , as he should, and that will inevitably mean he offers his opinions on the moral issues of the day. The president and the entire administration work to apply those moral principles in a messy world. He will be in our prayers, and I hope that we'll be in his."

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a Turning Point USA event at Akins Ford Arena at the Classic Center on April 14, 2026 in Athens, Georgia. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

There appeared to be tension after Pope Leo delivered remarks in Cameroon in which he criticized those who " manipulate religion " for political and military gain.

"Jesus told us, blessed are the peacemakers. But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth," Pope Leo said.

The words were interpreted by some as tied to the Trump administrations stance on the conflict with Iran , helping to spark a broader dispute between the White House and the Vatican.

A split image shows Pope Leo XIV, left, and President Donald Trump, right, amid a public dispute over immigration policy and the conflict involving Iran. (Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images; Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The pope also criticized rhetoric surrounding the conflict , at one point calling comments about potentially targeting Irans "whole civilization" "truly unacceptable." Trump responded by calling the pontiff "WEAK on crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."

The disagreement unfolded over several days, with senior administration officials defending the president and offering their own criticism of the popes remarks, further amplifying the clash.

Pope Leo XIV answers journalists' questions during his flight from Yaounde, Cameroon, to Luanda, Angola, on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Luca Zennaro/Pool Photo via AP)

Despite the escalating perceived tension, the pope said Saturday that it was "not in my interest at all" to debate the president and emphasized that he would continue preaching a message centered on peace, justice and brotherhood.

"Much of what has been written since then has been commentary on commentary trying to interpret what has been said," the pope said.

副总统J·D·万斯周六表示，在教皇利奥十四世试图缓和与唐纳德·特朗普总统的紧张关系，并表明无意参与公开争执后，他对此表示“感激”。

教皇于上周六早些时候表示，媒体对其近期非洲之行言论的报道形成了"某种并非在所有方面都准确的叙事"。他补充说，相关演讲早在特朗普作出任何回应前数周就已准备完毕，驳斥了该演讲针对美国总统的说法。

身为天主教徒的万斯曾于2025年在梵蒂冈会见教皇利奥，他对教皇的最新表态表示欢迎。本周早些时候，万斯曾建议教皇在介入神学和政治事务时应"谨慎行事"，这凸显出双方已出现的紧张关系。

万斯表示：“尽管媒体不断渲染冲突——确实，真实的意见分歧曾经发生并将继续发生——但现实往往要复杂得多。”

教皇利奥（参考《新华社人名翻译规范》）传播福音乃分内之事，这也必然意味着他会对当今的道德议题发表见解。总统及其整个行政团队则致力于在这个纷乱的世界中践行这些道德准则。我们将为他祈祷，也希望能得到他的祝福。

教宗利奥在喀麦隆发表讲话，批评那些为政治和军事利益而"操纵宗教"的人士后，现场气氛似乎变得紧张起来。

教宗利奥表示："耶稣曾告诫我们，缔造和平的人有福了。但那些为谋取军事、经济或政治利益而操纵宗教、亵渎上帝之名，将神圣之物拖入黑暗与污秽的人，必将招致灾祸。"

一些人认为，这些言论与特朗普政府对伊朗冲突的立场有关，从而引发了白宫与梵蒂冈之间更广泛的争议。

教皇还批评了围绕这场冲突的言论，并一度将有关可能针对伊朗"整个文明"的言论称为"完全不可接受"。特朗普对此回应称教皇"在犯罪问题上软弱，在外交政策上糟糕透顶"。

这场分歧持续数日，政府高级官员为总统辩护，并对教皇的言论提出批评，进一步激化了冲突。

尽管外界认为紧张局势不断升级，但教皇于周六表示，与总统辩论"完全不符合我的意愿"，并强调他将继续宣扬以和平、正义和博爱为核心的信息。

教皇表示：“此后的大部分著述都是对已有评论的再解读，试图阐释先前言论的含义。”