At a White House briefing on an encyclical’s potential influence on artificial intelligence, Vice President JD Vance spent part of his remarks on the significance of Pope Leo XIV’s papal name—connecting it to Pope Leo XIII’s industrial-era upheaval and what Va
JD Vance didn’t start his Tuesday remarks with artificial intelligence. He started with a name.
At a White House briefing about the potential influence of Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming encyclical on artificial intelligence. the vice president pointed to what he described as the significance of Pope Leo XIV—who was formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. the first U.S.-born head of the Roman Catholic Church—choosing the papal name Leo XIV.
“One 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. ” Vance said during the briefing. He added that Leo XIII. who served as pope from 1878 to 1903. led “during a period of incredible industrial transformation in the entire world.”.
Vance then drew a straight line from that transformation to European politics. “Of course. that industrial transformation. according to a lot of people. led to the rise of fascism and communism in Europe. ” he said. From there, he suggested that the current pope chose the name as a kind of thematic signal.
Vance argued that Pope Leo XIV may have selected “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.”
It didn’t take long for critics to collide with the framing.
On social media. many users zeroed in on the apparent contradiction between the authoritarianism Vance invoked from European history and the political movement Vance’s boss. Donald Trump. leads. Several posts treated the comparison as an ironic mismatch. pointing to the allegations that Trump and his MAGA allies have increasingly been associated with fascism.
“Didn’t make the point he thinks he made,” one user wrote.
“So, so close to getting it,” another added.
A third asked bluntly: “He doesn’t see the irony, does he?”
Others suggested Vance simply missed the room. “Read the room JD. It’s about the rise of fascism right here,” one post said.
Some defended the pope’s choice of name while still keeping the attack aimed at Vance. “So 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!” a user wrote.
But even that praise came packaged with sharper implications. “Is JD Vance saying that Trump is leading us further into fascism? Wow,” one person asked.
Another asked: “Is the JD the fascist in this scenario? What an astute point!”
Not everyone focused on the ideological math. One post framed it more personally: “Every time Vance opens his mouth, he inserts a foot.”
Michael Steele, posting on Tuesday as well, told Vance, “I know you don’t have much else to do, but please stop talking about the Pope. You are not making your job prospects better.”
Kimberly also targeted the vice president’s approach, writing: “Every time Vance opens his mouth, he inserts a foot.”
Another critic argued the historical comparison didn’t land: “Pope Leo XIII actively opposed communism and nihilism, viewing them as destructive ideologies, and defended workers’ rights. JD Vance didn’t make the point he thinks he made.”
Others turned the argument toward the present-day stakes. “Is it fascinating because now the fascism is coming from the US?” one user wrote.
And still others tried to make the moment about the public conversation itself. “Is it about the rise of fascism right here,” one post read, echoing the criticism that Vance’s historical framing sounded disconnected from the political accusations swirling around American power.
Vance’s remarks also included a political backdrop that critics connected to the moment. The vice president said the pope has criticized the Trump administration over its Iran war and anti-immigration crackdown. while using the pope’s name choice as a bridge to Christian social teaching and technological change.
That bridge is what critics seemed to refuse to cross.
When Vance returned to the theme—industrial transformation as a technological inflection point. and authoritarianism as a possible political byproduct—many social media users argued the analogy was backwards. or at least badly timed. The uproar wasn’t about whether Leo XIV’s history is interesting. It was about whether Vance’s use of it felt appropriate. especially for a briefing that was ostensibly centered on an encyclical’s possible impact on artificial intelligence.
By Tuesday night, the pope’s name had become the story—less for what it signals religiously, and more for how Vance chose to frame the present day’s political anxieties through the lens of the past.
JD Vance Pope Leo XIV Leo XIII White House briefing artificial intelligence encyclical Robert Francis Prevost U.S.-born pope Trump administration Iran war anti-immigration crackdown social media backlash
So he just… started talking about Pope names instead of AI? lol.
I don’t get the point. Like, how does Leo XIV have anything to do with AI? Sounds like word salad to me. Also fascism/communism jump was kinda wild.
Wait, isn’t Pope Leo XIII the one that fought like in the 1800s? And now they’re saying Leo XIV picked the name to signal “authoritarian” stuff?? That feels like a reach. Next they’ll blame the papal name on Trump’s followers or something.
This is the problem with politicians, they can’t just talk about AI without dragging religion and European history into it. Leo XIV was Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, cool, but fascism and communism?? That’s not a straight line, that’s just people on the internet trying to connect dots. And critics “colliding” like it’s some debate stage… idk.