(ZENIT News / Washington, DC, 20.07.2024).- On the first day of the Republican National Convention, former President Donald Trump announced that Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio will be his running mate in his attempt to return to the White House. Vance, known for his career as a “venture capitalist,” and author of the acclaimed “Hillbilly Elegy” memoirs (taken to Netflix with the title “Hillbilly: A Rural Elegy”), joined the Senate in 2022 and has had a trajectory marked by his conversion to Catholicism.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in St. Gertrude’s Priory in 2019, was raised in a non-practicing Christian environment. He went through a phase of atheism before finding his way to Catholicism. His conversion was influenced by individuals close to him and his reflection on the truth of Catholicism. Despite his recent support of the legality of mifepristone, also known as RU-486, an abortifacient pill, which has generated tensions with the Republican Party’s religious base, Vance remains firm in his beliefs.
Married to Usha Chilukuri Vance, a woman of Hindu faith, J.D. Vance shares in an inter-religious family dynamic. Usha, who fully supports her husband’s conversion, has highlighted the positive influence of her Hindu faith in her life, and of the Catholic faith in that of her husband. The couple met in Yale University’s Law School. They celebrated two marriage ceremonies, one of which included Hindu blessings. Usha has worked for two of the current Catholic Judges of the Supreme Court of the United States.
However, the leftist press associates J.D. Vance with Catholic fundamentalism, a current that the progressive media states seeks Christian influence in the public sphere through “soft power.” Although Vance has avoided direct comments on this movement, his participation in events linked to the “New Right” and his speech on the role of Christianity in American identity, highlight his focus on the integration of faith in public life.
J.D. Vance’s opinions on topics such as abortion and immigration, have elicited mixed reactions. His support of access to mifepristone and his calls for massive deportations have generated criticisms and posed questions on his coherence with the Pope’s speech in favour of migration. The Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States , which advocates the legalization and citizenship of illegal immigrants, also contrasts with Vance’s strict position on immigration.
Vance could become the second Catholic Vice-President of the United States after Joe Biden; his path is full of challenges.
