It's been a little over a year since the first ever American became pope.
And it's been about a year and a half since the second
ever Catholic vice president of the United States was sworn into office.
Pope Leo and J.D.
Vance aren't officially beefing, but there's definitely tension.
The pope spoke out against the Iran war.
God does not bless any conflict.
Anyone who is a disciple of Christ is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword.
And today dropped bombs.
And J.D. Vance clapped back, saying, When the Pope says God is never on the side of those who wield the sword,
there is more than a thousand-year tradition of just war theory, okay?
What followed was a not-insignificant contingent of Catholics
and non-Catholics alike, saying Pope Leo should excommunicate J.D.
Vance.
It's probably not going to happen, but the Chicago Pope just kicked a bunch of conservatives out of the Catholic Church.
This is a thing he does now on Today Explained from Box.
Support for To Explain comes from BetterHelp.
While we talk about mental health more openly now, that doesn't make asking for help easy.
BetterHelp's 2026 State of Stigma report surveyed 2,000 Americans and revealed that 85% of those polled
believe getting support is wise, yet 74% of those polled say society discourages people from doing so.