Vice President JD Vance released his memoir Communion this week, tracing his faith journey and relationship with Christianity. The book aims to define his beliefs, outline the role of religion in public life, and hint at policies under a potential President Vance. For Americans questioning how Vance reconciles his Christian faith with serving President Donald Trump, the memoir offers revealing insights into his internal conflicts and the broader right-wing movement.
Vance's Faith Journey and Internal Contradictions
Vance's conversion story follows a familiar arc for many young male converts: feeling lost and betrayed by the establishment, then seeking purpose in the Catholic Church. Raised in an evangelical Protestant environment, he converted to a politically conservative American Catholicism. Vance frames his journey as intellectual, discovering the 'true' church while his wife, Usha Vance, noted that 'church does' work for him when therapy did not.
However, a key contradiction emerges: Vance criticizes individualism and secularism that replaced organized religion, yet his faith discussion remains profoundly individualistic—focusing on being a good father, husband, and understanding doctrine, while neglecting communal 'fruit' the church calls for. He acknowledges this disconnect when moving to Cincinnati in 2018, wondering how to 'build a culture of virtue' but admits it was 'largely an intellectual exercise.'
Selective Engagement with Catholic Social Teaching
Vance explores Catholic social teaching, citing Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum on workers' rights and economic justice. Yet he fails to engage with progressive church teachings on climate change, migration, and war—issues championed by Popes Francis and Leo XIV, who have clashed with Trump. Instead, Vance uses the concept of human dignity to justify his economic vision without addressing actual policies or their outcomes.
According to the memoir, Vance remains 'most comfortable engaging with the intellectual elements of the faith' and stays 'humble about how little I know.' But in practice, he actively defends Trump's immigration agenda, arguing it is morally permissible and criticizing Vatican skepticism. He dismisses the U.S. Catholic bishops' 2025 statement against mass deportations, calling immigration policy 'thorny' and requiring 'trade-offs.'
Avoiding Accountability for Trump Administration Actions
Vance's book goes light on his actual works in the Trump administration, including defending a war in Iran that killed at least 1,000 civilians, cuts to the social safety net, and harsh immigration enforcement. He blames baby boomers, woke elites, and liberals for societal ills, but not Trump. The memoir does not mention violence by ICE agents, migrant deaths in detention, or the administration's overreach.
When pressed on The View, Vance admitted enforcement is 'messy' and called himself a 'bad Catholic' needing grace. Yet he refuses to acknowledge any Christian errors in his service to Trump. The book's central irony is that Vance uses the biblical verse 'by their fruits ye shall know them' as a test for others but fails to apply it to his own political actions.
The Unresolved Trump Question
Vance writes little about Trump, who is irreligious and clashes with Catholic leaders. The memoir avoids discussing Pope Leo XIV's 2026 criticism of Trump and Vance. Instead, Vance dismisses unified statements from U.S. Catholic bishops, questioning their objections to deportation policies. He co-leads an administration attacking refugees and immigrants—precisely those the Catholic Church is committed to helping.
Vance's ambition may be overriding his faith. He wants to lead a Christian revival while backing a president whose works are un-Christian in effect. The book does not make the case that supporting MAGA yields good fruit; rather, it shows a leader punching down on the powerless. As the biblical warning goes: 'Beware of false prophets... by their fruits ye shall know them.' The irony is stark.
