As US Vice President JD Vance tours India this week with his wife Usha and their three children, public curiosity around the couple's religious backgrounds has grown. From a temple visit in New Delhi to a recent tribute to Pope Francis, Vance’s personal expressions of faith have come under renewed spotlight—particularly as he and Usha represent a rare interfaith dynamic at the highest levels of American public life.
On Easter Sunday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, Vance posted a heartfelt message mourning the passing of Pope Francis, calling him a “beloved shepherd.” Just a day later, he was seen with his family at the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple , where their children—Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel—were dressed in traditional Indian clothing: kurta-pyjamas for the boys and a colourful Anarkali for their sister. The family also visited a handicrafts emporium and is set to travel across Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra as part of the vice president’s four-day India itinerary.
In a post shared on X, Vance wrote: “Thank you all so much for your hospitality and kindness in welcoming me and my family to this beautiful place. It is a great credit to India that you built a beautiful temple with precision and care. Our kids, in particular, loved it. God bless.”
But the warm optics have also prompted a deeper question: what faith does JD Vance actually follow? And what about his wife, Usha Vance?
JD Vance: A Catholic Convert
Though raised in a loosely Christian household, JD Vance was not baptised as a child and did not affiliate with any denomination. That changed in 2019, when he was formally baptised into the Catholic Church at St. Gertrude Priory, a Dominican parish in Cincinnati. He chose St. Augustine as his patron saint—a nod to his intellectual approach to theology and faith.
“I became persuaded over time that Catholicism was true,” Vance told The American Conservative. “I was raised Christian, but never had a super-strong attachment to any denomination... I started out with a clean slate.”
Vance’s conversion placed him within a long tradition of Catholic American leaders, including President Joe Biden and John F. Kennedy. He has since described his faith as central to his worldview and public values.
Usha Vance: Proudly Hindu
Usha Vance (née Chilukuri), a Yale-educated lawyer and the first Indian American Second Lady of the United States, comes from a deeply spiritual Hindu background. Her family practises Hinduism with devotion, and Usha has remained closely connected to those traditions throughout her life.
When she married JD in Kentucky in 2014, the couple held both a civil ceremony and a traditional Hindu wedding officiated by a pundit. According to The New York Times, this dual celebration reflected the interfaith harmony at the heart of their relationship.
JD Vance has often credited Usha with helping him reconnect with faith during their time at Yale Law School, describing her religious grounding as a key influence in his own spiritual journey.
An Interfaith Portrait in the Global Arena
As JD Vance continues his India visit, his family offers a quiet but powerful symbol of the increasingly multicultural and multifaith fabric of American leadership. The sight of their children in Indian attire at a Hindu temple, shortly after their father paid tribute to a Catholic pope, encapsulates the blending of traditions that defines their home life.
So is JD Vance Christian or Hindu?
He is Catholic. His wife, Usha, is Hindu. And together, they represent a new face of American diplomacy—one that embodies both tradition and diversity, belief and respect.
On Easter Sunday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, Vance posted a heartfelt message mourning the passing of Pope Francis, calling him a “beloved shepherd.” Just a day later, he was seen with his family at the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple , where their children—Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel—were dressed in traditional Indian clothing: kurta-pyjamas for the boys and a colourful Anarkali for their sister. The family also visited a handicrafts emporium and is set to travel across Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra as part of the vice president’s four-day India itinerary.
In a post shared on X, Vance wrote: “Thank you all so much for your hospitality and kindness in welcoming me and my family to this beautiful place. It is a great credit to India that you built a beautiful temple with precision and care. Our kids, in particular, loved it. God bless.”
The U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance & their children visited Swaminarayan Akshardham in Delhi—their first stop in India—experiencing its majestic art, architecture & timeless values of faith, family & harmony. pic.twitter.com/QdBxByanHg
— Swaminarayan Akshardham - New Delhi (@DelhiAkshardham) April 21, 2025
But the warm optics have also prompted a deeper question: what faith does JD Vance actually follow? And what about his wife, Usha Vance?
JD Vance: A Catholic Convert
Though raised in a loosely Christian household, JD Vance was not baptised as a child and did not affiliate with any denomination. That changed in 2019, when he was formally baptised into the Catholic Church at St. Gertrude Priory, a Dominican parish in Cincinnati. He chose St. Augustine as his patron saint—a nod to his intellectual approach to theology and faith.
“I became persuaded over time that Catholicism was true,” Vance told The American Conservative. “I was raised Christian, but never had a super-strong attachment to any denomination... I started out with a clean slate.”
Vance’s conversion placed him within a long tradition of Catholic American leaders, including President Joe Biden and John F. Kennedy. He has since described his faith as central to his worldview and public values.
Usha Vance: Proudly Hindu
Usha Vance (née Chilukuri), a Yale-educated lawyer and the first Indian American Second Lady of the United States, comes from a deeply spiritual Hindu background. Her family practises Hinduism with devotion, and Usha has remained closely connected to those traditions throughout her life.
When she married JD in Kentucky in 2014, the couple held both a civil ceremony and a traditional Hindu wedding officiated by a pundit. According to The New York Times, this dual celebration reflected the interfaith harmony at the heart of their relationship.
JD Vance has often credited Usha with helping him reconnect with faith during their time at Yale Law School, describing her religious grounding as a key influence in his own spiritual journey.
An Interfaith Portrait in the Global Arena
As JD Vance continues his India visit, his family offers a quiet but powerful symbol of the increasingly multicultural and multifaith fabric of American leadership. The sight of their children in Indian attire at a Hindu temple, shortly after their father paid tribute to a Catholic pope, encapsulates the blending of traditions that defines their home life.
So is JD Vance Christian or Hindu?
He is Catholic. His wife, Usha, is Hindu. And together, they represent a new face of American diplomacy—one that embodies both tradition and diversity, belief and respect.
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