Five faith facts about Trump’s VP pick, JD Vance

July 16, 2024

With the announcement that former president Trump has picked Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) as his vice presidential running mate, there is increased interest in Vance’s background.

Religion News has compiled five relevant facts about Vance’s faith:

Vance is an adult convert to Catholicism

Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019 and baptized and confirmed at St. Gertrude Priory in Cincinnati, Ohio by Dominican friar Rev. Henry Stephan. Vance chose St. Augustine as his patron saint. If elected, he would be the second Catholic Vice President in U.S. history after Joe Biden.

Vance is tied to ‘Catholic integralism,’ an ideology that seeks Christian influence over society

Religion News says Vance is connected to ‘Catholic Integralism’ which promotes using a soft power approach to making Christian influence felt in society. Those familiar with the ideology say it is about using one’s influence in noble and appropriate ways. Vance has not shared his thoughts on Catholic Integralism.

Vance’s wife, Usha, is not Christian and was raised in a Hindu household

Vance is married to Usha Chilukuri Vance who was raised in a Hindu household. Usha was once a clerk for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as well as Brett Kavanaugh before he became a Justice. When the couple was married in 2014, they held two ceremonies, including one where they were blessed by a Hindu pundit.

Vance thinks Christianity is an ‘answer’ to existential questions about American identity

Vance says he sees Christianity “informing” both American life and American identity. Vance has said, “We’re a multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious democracy that’s heavily exposed to the economic forces of globalization, and I think that we have not yet figured out how to harmonize that with some basic sense of what it means to be an American in the 21st century. I happen to think that the Christian faith is a good way of helping provide an answer to that question.”

His statements about abortion and immigration may trigger blowback from some Catholics

Vance told NBC’s “Meet the Press” earlier this month that he supports keeping the prescription drug mifepristone “accessible” since the drug is used not only in early term abortions but also to treat high blood pressure in some adults. That statement brought accusations of Vance’s principles being for sale. Vance has also taken heat for calling for mass deportations of “every single person who invaded our country illegally.” Some have taken that statement to be in opposition to the obligation in the Catholic Catechism to “welcome the foreigner.”

Photo: top, Credit: AP Photo/J.Scott Applewhite