The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has rallied behind Pope Leo XIV after U.S. Vice-President James David ‘JD’ Vance publicly criticised the pontiff’s comments condemning war.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Bishop James Massa, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, said the pope’s remarks were from the Church’s years long teaching on war.

He stressed that Catholic doctrine permits war only in self defence and only after every peaceful option has failed.

“For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war,” Mr Massa said in the statement.

According to Mr Massa, when Pope Leo speaks “as supreme pastor of the universal Church,” he is not sharing a personal opinion but “preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ”.

The bishops’ response followed comments Mr Vance made to an audience at the University of Georgia, on Tuesday where he argued that the pope’s condemnation of those who “wielded the sword” overlooked cases such as the Allied liberation of France during World War II.

“Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? I certainly think the answer is yes,” Mr Vance said. “In the same way that it’s important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”

Mr Vance’s criticism came from the pope’s recent condemnation of war on April 10, where he said, “God does not bless any conflict”, arguing that true peace can only come through dialogue, and coexistence among people.

“Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs,” he said.

The pope also expressed concerns saying “no cause can justify the shedding of innocent blood”, especially that of children and families, noting there is lack of resources because of an unjust distribution of wealth.