Axar.az presents an article, "On Heresy and Chutzpah" by John Samuel Tieman.

When it comes to religion, I've got two rules. #1, you don't argue theology with the pope. #2, you don't get into a Bible-quoting contest with any Baptist anywhere, anytime.

But about #1:

In a lengthy post, President Trump tore into the pontiff’s criticism of America's war with Iran. Shortly after that, on Truth Social. Trump also shared a picture that shows him as Jesus.

I'm continually struck by the administration's seventh-grade understanding of religion. It's an ignorance that displays itself as political amateurishness. Here's an example. Our gung-ho “Secretary Of War”, Pete Hegseth, often quotes the Bible. Not long ago, he thought he was quoting Ezekiel. He was actually quoting Samuel L. Jackson in “Pulp Fiction”.

And now comes J. D. Vance. Our vice president cautioned Pope Leo XIV on “matters of theology.” The pope said this. “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.” The vice president lectured the pope on Just War Theory. “So number one, when the pope says that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword, there is a thousand-year– more than a thousand-year tradition of just war theory, OK? … I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology… “.

Please see Rule # 1 above:

J. D. Vance is a well-educated man. He has a bachelor's degree in political science from Ohio State and a law degree from Yale. You'd think he'd have a certain respect for expertise. You'd think that he'd respect the fact that Leo holds an M. Div. and a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Leo also holds a doctorate in canon law from Rome's Pontifical University Of St. Thomas, the “Angelicum”. (Interestingly, his B. S., from Villanova, is in mathematics.) Did I mention that Leo is the pope? Note also that Leo is an Augustinian. He served two consecutive terms as Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine. I dwell on his Augustinian background because it was St. Augustine who formulated some of the earliest principles of Just War Theory, arguing that war can only be justified when based upon a morality embedded in righteous purposes and waged under proper authority. Virtually all subsequent iterations of Just War Theory are variations upon St. Augustine's groundbreaking work.

Oh, yeah, and did I forget to mention that the pope is an American citizen? On that basis alone, he gets his say on America's wars.

So, Mr. Vice President, dude – where do you get the chutzpah?

Chutzpah is one word. There's also another word no one likes. I'm not talking about “blasphemy”. No, I'm talking about the word “heresy”. Blasphemy can be defined as a lack of reverence, indeed contempt, for God and the sacred. We've gone well past blasphemy. According to the Catholic catechism, “Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth … ” For example, an obstinate adherence to white Christian nationalism. Or adoring a man who poses as God. Or undermining the validity of fundamental Christian dogma, in this case, Just War Theory. Or denying the primacy of conscience, insisting that everyone must believe what you believe. “Heresy” is an ugly word. But speak it we must.

I, too, am no theologian. I'm an historian. But I am also Jesuit-educated, meaning I know enough to ask the right questions. And I know enough to know that from here on I defer to the experts.