2026年6月15日10:30:08.384 UTC / 美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）
- 副总统JD·万斯的新书记录了他的天主教皈依历程，并将其与自身的政治转变联系起来。
- 这本书出版之际，天主教在美国正迎来某种程度的复兴，皈依人数有所增加。
- 万斯这本以信仰为核心的回忆录问世之时，他正在为可能参加2028年总统竞选进行布局。
本文由AI生成摘要，并经CNN编辑审核。
2016年JD·万斯出版畅销书《乡下人的悲歌》时，他已经远离了童年时期的基督教信仰——这是全国范围内有组织宗教参与度普遍下降的一个缩影，彼时的教堂上座率比过去几十年都要低。
如今，身为副总统且很可能是2028年总统候选人的万斯，已是一名虔诚的天主教徒。他在周二出版的第二本书《圣餐》中记录了自己的皈依经历。这本书上架之时，美国天主教正经历一场显著的复兴：从某些衡量标准来看，这是近年以来前所未有的局面。
美国本土出身的教皇首次执掌梵蒂冈，这在教会历史上尚属首次。尽管天主教仍面临长期的人口结构困境，但皈依人数正激增，一些教区报告的皈依人数达到了历史新高。Z世代信徒涌入教堂的情况，为这个拥有2000年历史的宗教注入了新的活力，甚至连长期以来一直在为持续衰退做准备的天主教领袖们都感到意外。
这场复兴在政治右翼群体中引发了特别的共鸣。前特朗普顾问史蒂夫·班农、右翼网红杰克·波索比克、反多元化、公平与包容活动家克里斯托弗·鲁弗，以及播客主持人迈克尔·诺尔斯和马修·沃尔什等知名保守派人士都纷纷皈依天主教。这个新兴右翼派系正在打造一种与长期主导共和党政治的福音派新教截然不同的政治与精神身份认同。
CNN获得了《圣餐》的样书，这本书是万斯加入这一日益壮大的群体的标志性作品。在书中，万斯将自己的信仰与政治转变——从唐纳德·特朗普的怀疑论者到特朗普的副总统——以及他对当下社会和经济辩论的观点联系起来。基于这一视角，万斯主张优先发展家庭而非国内生产总值、限制移民、拒绝全民基本收入，并通过改善产妇和幼儿的生活条件来减少堕胎行为。
“我的政治演变是建立在我看待世界的方式发生更为根本性变化的基础之上的，”他写道。“我曾审视我们的精英机构，发现它们在思想和精神上都已崩溃。那么，我最终也会拒绝它们的政治主张，这有什么好奇怪的吗？”
凯文·罗伯茨是传统基金会主席，该基金会是推动特朗普第二任期议程的极具影响力的保守派智库。他表示，让美国权势最盛的民选天主教官员公开谈论自己的信仰，应该会鼓励更多官员效仿。
“我们生活在这样一个时代：对许多美国人来说，在公共场合谈论信仰不仅不合时宜，甚至还会遭到排斥，”身为天主教徒的罗伯茨说道。“这相当了不起，因为很多领导人出于各种原因都不愿这么做。这是一个非常积极的举动，不仅对他本人和保守派运动有利，对整个国家也是如此，因为民众都在期待领导人展现透明与真诚。”
与此同时，有关万斯政治未来的质疑也越来越不容忽视。在任副总统几乎从未在任期内出版书籍——上一位这么做的副总统乔治·H·W·布什后来参选了总统，圣路易斯大学宪法学教授乔尔·戈德斯坦说道，他是美国顶尖的副总统问题专家之一。
但万斯面临着一个不同寻常的困境：他必须忠诚地担任特朗普的副手，同时还要在紧凑的时间范围内树立起自己作为共和党未来领袖的形象。特朗普受宪法限制无法竞选第三个任期，但他几乎没有兴趣指定接班人，有时还私下提及国务卿马可·卢比奥作为替代人选。
戈德斯坦认为，这本关于信仰的书让万斯能够在不与仍在效力的特朗普产生分歧的前提下，走出特朗普的阴影。
“就参选总统面临的挑战之一而言，就是当你一直作为二号人物时，会被视为只是副手，而这本书为他提供了一个看似独立的舞台，”他说道。
万斯的密友否认这本书旨在引发更多有关其总统抱负的猜测。一位副总统的盟友告诉CNN，万斯在推进这本书之前已经征得白宫领导层的同意，特朗普核心圈子对此反应积极。白宫和万斯的办公室均未回应置评请求。
万斯本人也淡化了出书时机的刻意性，称他在完成第一本回忆录后不久就开始创作这本书。2024年万斯在参议院任职期间提交的财务披露文件显示，他在2017年就与哈珀柯林斯出版社签订了撰写第二本书的协议（他的办公室未解释为何此前的披露文件未提及该协议）。2020年，他在天主教杂志《灯》上发表了6700字的文章，讲述自己从背弃基督教到成为无神论者再到受洗的转变。他还将已故保守派活动家查理·柯克归功于激励他更公开地谈论自己的信仰。
尽管《圣餐》展望了死后世界，但在288页的篇幅中几乎看不到摆在万斯面前的近期决策痕迹，也几乎没有提及他作为副总统在特朗普白宫任职的经历。
相反，在解释本书的创作目的时，万斯写道：“我是一名基督徒，我成为基督徒是因为我相信耶稣基督的教义是真实的。但我并非一直这么认为，通过分享我的人生历程，或许能帮助其他人——天主教徒、新教徒或其他信仰者——寻求与上帝和解。”
宣传这本书的造势活动已经展开，包括在福克斯新闻、《CBS周日早间》和《观点》节目亮相——后者是白宫 hopeful 们的常规试镜场。该书上架时，还将与加州州长加文·纽瑟姆、新泽西州参议员科里·布克和前副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯等民主党 aspirant 出版的作品同台销售。
万斯在选题上也面临竞争。宾夕法尼亚州州长乔希·夏皮罗在宣传自己的新书时，经常谈到自己的犹太信仰。另一位来自肯塔基州州长安迪·贝希尔——同样是民主党人且可能参加2028年总统竞选——的作品预计将于今年晚些时候出版。与万斯一样，他的新书《去行此道：我们如何治愈一个破碎的国家》也将以其基督教信仰为核心。
特里·席林是美国原则项目的创始人，该组织是一个主张共和党领导人积极参与文化战争的社会保守派倡导团体。他已经对万斯接替特朗普的前景充满热情。同样是天主教徒的席林表示，他预计万斯的新书将让他阐述自己与仍在共和党政治中拥有重要影响力的福音派共和党人之间的共同点。
这与约翰·F·肯尼迪在1960年总统竞选期间应对人们对其天主教信仰质疑时采取的策略截然不同。肯尼迪在向新教牧师发表的演讲中宣称“政教分离是绝对的”，并表示他作为总统的决策不会受到教会的影响。第二位天主教总统乔·拜登则更公开地谈论自己的信仰，但也在宗教相关问题上遭遇了紧张局面，尤其是在堕胎问题上。
“他没有像肯尼迪那样说‘我不会成为一个天主教总统’，而是说‘如果我当选总统，我的天主教信仰将如何指导我的总统任期’，”席林说道。
民调显示，天主教徒正朝着更保守的方向靠拢，与福音派信徒的立场越来越一致。根据CNN出口民调，特朗普在2024年赢得了59%的天主教选民支持，这是至少自1972年以来任何共和党总统候选人获得的最高支持率。华盛顿大学宗教与政治中心的政治学家瑞安·伯奇表示，新皈依的信徒、新近被任命的神父和修女似乎比土生土长的教徒和年长的神职人员要保守得多。
“这个机构正变得越来越保守，越来越倾向共和党，而万斯正是教会未来走向的体现，”伯奇说道。
这股新的保守天主教浪潮越来越怀疑梵蒂冈的政治动向，先是在教皇方济各任内，如今则是在教皇利奥十四世任内。特朗普政府与天主教领袖之间也曾出现过摩擦，尤其是在移民问题上。特朗普曾称教皇利奥“在犯罪问题上软弱”且“外交政策糟糕”，引发教皇回应称“我不怕特朗普政府”。
在这场交锋中，万斯建议梵蒂冈“坚守道德议题”。
2025年，万斯援引被称为“爱的秩序”的中世纪天主教神学理论为特朗普的移民政策辩护，此举引发了一些教会领袖的审视。万斯将该教义解释为：“你先爱你的家人，然后爱你的邻居，接着爱你的社区，再然后爱你本国的同胞。在那之后，你才能将注意力放在世界其他地方。”教皇方济各后来在写给美国主教的信中驳斥了万斯的解读。
最近，万斯对利奥教皇关于人工智能对人类构成风险的警告作出了积极回应。
华盛顿与梵蒂冈之间的紧张关系凸显出人们越来越意识到天主教会在美国政治中的重要性。天主教选民组织“天主教投票”主席凯尔西·莱因哈特表示，该组织的政治分支已经在规划如何在2028年发挥该宗教日益增长的影响力，届时可能会有一批天主教总统候选人参选。
除万斯外，卢比奥也是天主教徒，佛罗里达州州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯也是在天主教家庭中长大的。在民主党方面，纽瑟姆和众议员亚历山大·奥卡西奥-科特兹都自称是天主教徒，卫生与公众服务部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪也是如此，他的政治野心早已是公开的秘密。
“如果天主教徒不参与其中，他们就会成为被算计的对象，”莱因哈特说道。“人们逐渐意识到，天主教选民的投票结果对这个国家具有决定性作用。”
但伯奇指出，人们对天主教 renewed 兴趣的背后，掩盖了该宗教在美国日渐式微的整体趋势。他指出，皈依人数的回升比近年来有所增加，但仍处于历史低位，仅占美国人口的约1.5%。与此同时，天主教每年为约50万名婴儿施洗——这一数字远低于1960年代的130万——而且离开教会的人数远多于加入的人数。
伯奇表示，现实情况是，万斯的书以及他的政治未来，都正面对着一个仍在衰退的信仰群体。
“天主教正处于一个高光时刻，这一点无可否认，”伯奇说道。“氛围是积极的。但宏观层面的趋势却是下行的。”
CNN的阿莱娜·特里尼为本报道贡献了内容。
Vance’s new book puts his Catholic faith at the center of his story — and his political future
2026-06-15T10:30:08.384Z / CNN
- Vice President JD Vance’s new book chronicles his Catholic conversion and connects it to his political transformation.
- The book arrives as Catholicism experiences something of a resurgence in America, with conversions increasing.
- Vance’s faith-centered memoir comes as he positions for a potential 2028 presidential run.
AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.
When JD Vance published his best-selling book “Hillbilly Elegy” in 2016, he had drifted away from the Christian faith of his childhood — a familiar story amid a broader national retreat from organized religion that had left church pews emptier than in previous decades.
Now, Vance as vice president — and likely 2028 presidential contender — is a practicing Catholic, a conversion he has chronicled in his second book, “Communion,” publishing Tuesday. And it’s landing on bookshelves amid a remarkable turnaround: Catholicism is, by some measures, experiencing a resurgence in the United States unlike anything in recent memory.
An American-born pope presides over the Vatican the first time in the church’s history. While Catholicism still faces long-term demographic struggles, conversions are surging, with some dioceses reporting record highs. Accounts of Gen Z converts filling church pews have injected new energy into the 2,000-year-old religion and have surprised even Catholic leaders who had long braced for continued decline.
The revival has found particular resonance on the political right. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon; right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec; anti-diversity, equity and inclusion activist Christopher Rufo; and podcasters Michael Knowles and Matthew Walsh are among the prominent conservatives who have embraced their Catholic faith — a faction of the new right building a political and spiritual identity distinct from the evangelical Protestantism that has long dominated Republican politics.
“Communion,” a copy of which was obtained by CNN, is Vance’s entry into that growing canon. In it, Vance connects his faith to his political transformation — from Donald Trump skeptic to Trump’s vice president — and to his views on the prevailing social and economic debates. Through this lens, Vance argues for prioritizing families over gross domestic product, limiting migration, rejecting universal basic income, and discouraging abortions by improving conditions for new mothers and young children.
“My political evolution was downstream of the much more fundamental change in how I saw the world,” he writes. “I had looked inside our elite institutions and found them intellectually and spiritually broken. Was it any surprise that I would eventually reject their politics as well?”
Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation — the influential conservative think tank behind much of Trump’s second-term agenda — said having the most powerful elected Catholic in the country speak openly about his faith should embolden more officials to do the same.
“We live in a time that for some Americans, it’s not only unfashionable but unacceptable that many of us talk about faith in public,” said Roberts, himself a Catholic. “It’s rather remarkable because so many leaders are uncomfortable doing that for whatever reason. It’s a very positive move, not just for him and the conservative movement but for the country because what people are looking for is transparency and authenticity from their leaders.”
The book also arrives as questions about Vance’s political future are increasingly difficult to ignore. Sitting vice presidents almost never publish books while in office — and the last one who did, George H.W. Bush, went on run for president, noted Joel Goldstein, a constitutional law professor at Saint Louis University and one of the country’s foremost experts on the vice presidency.
But Vance faces an unusual bind: He must serve loyally as Trump’s No. 2 while establishing himself as the future of the party on a compressed timeline. Trump is constitutionally barred from a third term but has shown little interest in anointing a successor — and has at times privately floated Secretary of State Marco Rubio as an alternative.
A book about faith, Goldstein argued, allows Vance to step out from Trump’s shadow without risking divisions with the man he still serves.
“To the extent one of the challenges of running for president is being perceived as a No. 1 when you have been acting as a No 2, this gives him a stage where he’s seemingly independent,” he said.
Those close to Vance deny the book is meant to stir more speculation about his presidential ambitions. One ally of the vice president’s told CNN that Vance cleared the book by White House leadership before moving forward and that the reception from Trump’s inner circle was positive. Neither the White House nor Vance’s office responded to requests for comment.
Vance has downplayed the timing, too, saying he began working on the book not long after he finished his first memoir. A 2024 financial disclosure form from his time in the Senate shows Vance had a deal with HarperCollins to write a second book in 2017 (his office didn’t say why previous disclosures did not note this agreement). In 2020, he published 6,700 words in The Lamp, a Catholic magazine, on his transformation from lapsed Christian to atheist to his baptism. He has also credited the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk for inspiring him to speak out more about his faith.
While “Communion”looks ahead to life after death, there’s little trace of the near-term decision looming over Vance in the text’s 288 pages. Nor is there much account of his experience as vice president, operating inside Trump’s White House.
Rather, in explaining the purpose of the book, Vance writes: “I’m a Christian, and I became a Christian because I believe that Jesus Christ’s teachings are true. But I didn’t always think that, and by sharing my journey I might be helpful to others—Catholic, protestant, or otherwise—who are seeking reconciliation with God.”
A publicity blitz to support the book is already underway, with stops on Fox News, “CBS Sunday Morning” and “The View,” a regular testing ground for White House hopefuls. The book will also sell in stores alongside published works from aspiring Democratic politicians such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Vance also has competition in his choice of topic. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has spoken often about his Jewish faith while promoting his own book. Another entry, from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear — also a Democrat and potential 2028 contender — is expected later this year. Like Vance, his book, “Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal a Broken Country,” will center on his Christian beliefs.
Terry Schilling, the founder of American Principles Project, a socially conservative advocacy group that has urged Republican leaders to lean into culture wars, is already enthusiastic about the prospect of Vance succeeding Trump. Schilling, also a Catholic, said he anticipates Vance’s new book will allow him to lay out the commonalities between himself and evangelical Republicans, who remain an influential voting bloc in GOP politics.
It’s a much different approach from the one famously taken by John F. Kennedy when he confronted questions about his Catholic faith during his 1960 presidential campaign. Kennedy declared in an address to Protestant ministers that “the separation of church and state is absolute” and that his decisions as president would not be influenced by the church. The second Catholic president, Joe Biden, was more open about his faith but navigated other tensions with his religion, especially over his views on abortion.
“Rather than doing the JFK thing and saying, ‘I’m not going to be a Catholic president,’ he’s saying, ‘If I’m elected president, here is how my Catholic faith will inform my presidency,’” Schilling said.
Polling shows that Catholics are moving in the direction of those who identify as evangelicals by becoming more conservative. Trump won 59% of Catholics in 2024, according to CNN exit polls, higher than any Republican presidential nominee since at least 1972. New converts and recently ordained priests and nuns also appear to be considerably more conservative than those born into the religion and older clergy, said Ryan Burge, a political scientist at the Washington University Center on Religion and Politics.
“It’s an institution that’s becoming increasingly conservative, increasingly Republican, and Vance embodies where the church is headed,” Burge said.
This new wave of conservative Catholics has grown increasingly skeptical of the political movements by the Vatican, first under Pope Francis and now Pope Leo XIV. There has been friction at times, too, between Trump’s White House and the Catholic leaders, particularly over immigration. Trump has referred to Pope Leo as “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy,” sparking the pontiff to respond that he had “no fear of the Trump administration.”
Amid the back-and-forth, Vance advised the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality.”
In 2025, Vance also drew scrutiny from some church leaders when he cited a medieval Catholic theology known as “ordo amoris” in justifying Trump’s immigration crackdown. Vance explained the doctrine as: “You love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country. And then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.” Pope Francis later pushed back against Vance’s interpretation in a letter to US bishops.
More recently, Vance responded positively to Pope Leo’s warnings about the risk of artificial intelligence to humanity.
The tension between Washington and the Vatican underscores the growing awareness around the Catholic Church’s importance in American politics. Kelsey Reinhardt, the president of Catholic Votes, an organization that mobilizes voters of the faith, said her group’s political arm is already planning how to wield the religion’s growing influence in 2028, when there could be a slate of Catholic presidential contenders.
In addition to Vance, Rubio is also Catholic, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was raised in the faith as well. On the Democratic side, Newsom and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez identify as Catholic, and so does Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose political ambitions remain an open secret.
“If Catholics aren’t at the table, they’re on the menu,” Reinhardt said. “People are waking up to the realization that the Catholic vote is determinative of this nation.”
But the renewed interest in Catholicism masks broader trends that show the religion is losing ground in America, Burge said. The uptick in converts, he noted, is more than recent years but still historically low and just a small fraction of Americans, about 1.5%. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church is baptizing about 500,000 babies a year — down from 1.3 million in the 1960s — and far more people are leaving than joining, Burge said.
The reality, Burge said, is that Vance’s book — and his political future — are confronting a faith still in decline.
“Catholicism is having a moment. There’s no way to deny that,” Burge said. “The vibes are up. But the macro level trends are down.”
CNN’s Alayna Treene contributed to this report.