Vance is an adult convert to Catholicism who has drawn criticism for his, shall we say unorthodox ideas about the Catholic faith. Catholics believe the pope is infallible, but Vance sure seemed to question the ideas held dear by Pope Francis on a regular basis.

Cardinal Roger Mahony has repeatedly apologized for his handling of clerical sexual abuse in Los Angeles. In 2013, internal church records revealed that he and his vicar for clergy failed to remove priests accused of abuse and cooperate with law enforcement in the 1980s.