J.D. Vance: A Catholic giving hope to Ukrainian Orthodox
In the United States, there has been a U-turn from liberal globalism toward support for Christianity and traditional values. This shift is personified by Vice President J.D. Vance.
Over the past few months, the world’s attention has been focused on the new U.S. administration, one of its most prominent figures being Vice President J.D. Vance. His words and actions clearly indicate that he is not merely declaring his support for Christian values – he is actively working to turn those declarations into reality. Furthermore, Vance has repeatedly spoken out in defense of Christians in general and Ukrainian believers in particular. For this reason, the stance of the U.S. vice president is of key significance not only for Americans but also for Ukraine’s Orthodox faithful, whose lives and religious practices are currently under pressure from the state and forces seeking to destroy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).
Vance as a Christian
Vance’s journey from an ordinary politician to a defender of traditional values was not an easy one. In 2019, he made the decision to convert to Catholicism – a turning point that radically changed his worldview. From that moment on, he began advocating for the idea that society should be founded on Christian principles. In his essay How I Joined the Resistance, he wrote that every individual bears personal responsibility for their actions, and at the same time, society must create conditions that support families and believers.
Later, he incorporated these ideas into his political agenda, reinforcing them with a commitment to protecting traditional Christian values. Vance believes that in today’s world, large corporations and globalist forces prioritize profit over human relationships, morality, and conscience. In his view, the state should protect the family, care for its citizens, and uphold moral values. He argues that policies aimed at dividing society lead to the loss of moral compass. He criticizes the promotion of LGBT ideology, government intrusion into private life, the erosion of democracy (as demonstrated in his scathing speech at the European Parliament), and corporate dominance – all of which, in his view, serve to dismantle traditional foundations.
These issues, he argues, threaten the core ideals of Christianity. For Vance, it is not only economic and political change that matters but also a return to a social order in which faith and family occupy a central place. That is why his critique of the globalist agenda resonates not only with Christians but also with those who see globalism as a threat to traditional values in general.
Since becoming vice president, J.D. Vance has made several statements that leave no doubt that his personal faith in God aligns with his political role. In fact, he has made it clear that his faith will be a defining factor in his policies.
For example, he has stated that he doesn't worry about “whether we are going to have earthly rewards.” “We worry about whether we're doing right by God Almighty above. That's what I try to do and that's how I try to run my life in public,” he said in February 2025.
Moreover, he openly declares his belief in Christ’s resurrection, is unafraid to speak about the Christian understanding of death, and believes that the U.S. should be a society “where my children can grow up to be virtuous young people, to be good young Christians.” Of course, such rhetoric could easily be dismissed as mere political posturing – something Ukrainians have become all too familiar with.
However, first, the statements we cited were made after Vance became vice president. And second, the actions of the Trump administration – banning gender-based projects, shutting down all LGBT campaigns, supporting traditional values, and participating in anti-abortion marches – indicate that Vance’s words about his Christian faith should be taken very seriously. Especially considering that, within the new administration, Vance’s rhetoric is far from an exception.
Just recall Marco Rubio appearing on national television with an Ash Wednesday cross on his forehead or White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wearing a large cross necklace during her TV appearances. These acts are so unusual within today’s “tolerant-globalist agenda” that they instill fear in those who have spent years working to eradicate Christianity. And their fear is well-founded – because all that effort may soon come to complete failure. Naturally, this is why they are trying with all their might to attack not only President Trump but also every member of his team, with Vance being one of their primary targets.
Vance and the war in Ukraine
It should be noted that Vance is a consistent and sincere advocate for ending the war in Ukraine. He believes that Trump’s peace efforts are in line with Christ’s greatest commandment. As a Christian, he finds the rhetoric of continuing the war – and thus prolonging death and destruction – unacceptable. He also does not understand why the Ukrainian government is not focused on initiating peace negotiations. This was clearly evident during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Vance’s stance has not been well received by certain Ukrainians who fled the war to the U.S. and are now organizing protests demanding that the war be prolonged and even escalated. Recently, some of these individuals physically confronted Vance and his young daughter outside their home, demanding that he “answer” for his words about the necessity of peace in Ukraine.
However, it seems that neither these protesters nor Vance’s other critics fully understand who he is. During the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on February 28, Vance described himself as a “newly converted Catholic” and an “imperfect Christian”, emphasizing that he tries “to be as humble as possible” when speaking about his faith publicly. In other words, Vance is not a populist – he is a pragmatist who will do whatever is necessary to achieve his goals, as long as those goals align with his conscience and his understanding of God’s Law.
Vance and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC)
It is safe to say that this approach applies not only to Russia’s war against Ukraine but also to the “war” that the Ukrainian state is waging against its own people in the form of its persecution of the UOC. As early as April 2024, Vance spoke in the U.S. Senate about the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the government’s attempts to pass laws banning it. He warned that if the war led to the destruction of Ukraine’s Christian community, it would be a disgrace.
“It is our disgrace that we did not see this coming. It is our disgrace that we did nothing. It is our disgrace that we refuse to use the billions of dollars we are sending to Ukraine as leverage to ensure and guarantee religious freedom,” the now-vice president said a year ago. These words, spoken when he was still a senator from Ohio, were noticed not only by other politicians but also by the American public at large.
Robert Amsterdam, the attorney representing the UOC, said in a widely discussed interview with prominent journalist Tucker Carlson: “One senator had the courage to speak up, and that man, God bless him, is now the Vice President of the United States. He was the only one. And I will always be indebted to him because he took seriously the destruction of Christ’s children. He was outraged that our government allowed it.”
Judging by what we know about Vance so far, it is unlikely that his outrage over the actions of the Ukrainian authorities has subsided. And it is even less likely that he will allow the persecution of the UOC to continue unchecked.
Conclusion
For the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the protection of traditional values, freedom of speech, and religious liberty is not just a slogan – it is a matter of survival. Given the ongoing pressure on religious communities and believers, Vance’s advocacy for Christianity provides some hope that this pressure will come to an end.
If Vance continues to insist that state policy should respect the interests of religious communities and support – rather than hinder – freedom of religion, then Ukraine’s violations of believers’ rights may come to an end.
Of course, achieving this will take time, and the road ahead will be long and difficult. But America knows how to persuade Ukrainian politicians. And if we remember Vance’s words that “you cannot call those who seize churches the good guys”, then the end of this road may turn out to be very bleak for those who currently believe themselves to be untouchable.
