In his new memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, US Vice-President JD Vance details his conversion from atheism to Roman Catholicism. Vance, who was baptised and received first communion in 2019, describes his spiritual journey from the casual Christianity of his grandmother to the Pentecostalism of his father, and ultimately to orthodox Catholicism.
Vance’s conversion places him among a notable number of observant Catholics in the leadership of the American right. Despite Catholicism being a minority faith in the historically Protestant country, it has long influenced American conservatism, with figures like William F Buckley Jr and six of the nine current US Supreme Court justices identifying as Catholic.
The vice-president has become a prominent advocate for a revitalised conservative Catholicism that has sometimes clashed with the Vatican. He has publicly disagreed with Pope Francis over immigration policy and criticised Pope Leo’s anti-war stances, creating tension between his loyalty to Donald Trump and his new faith.
Vance’s memoir argues for a Catholic-influenced third way that is neither strictly right-wing nor left-wing, which he believes could address America’s political, economic and cultural decline. The book arrives at a time when some US Catholic parishes report a boom in new converts, often young adults disillusioned by modern life, though overall membership continues to decline.
As a probable 2028 presidential candidate, Vance would be only the third Catholic president and the first Republican to hold the office. His memoir offers insight into how his faith shapes his politics and what his conversion means for the Catholic Church in America.
