ICER REACTS TO RECENT STATEMENT BY J.D. VANCE REGARDING UFOs AND ALIENS

April 30th 2026

By Victor Viggiani, ICER Chairman of the General Assembly

Recent comments by Vice President JD Vance suggesting that unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) may be “demons” rather than extraterrestrial or natural phenomena warrant careful scrutiny.

Public officials are, of course, entitled to their personal religious beliefs. However, framing UAPs in explicitly supernatural or theological terms introduces a category error into what is fundamentally a matter of scientific investigation and national security. To date, there is no credible empirical evidence supporting the claim that such phenomena are demonic in origin. By contrast, ongoing inquiry by defense agencies and scientific bodies treats UAPs as unidentified—requiring further observation, data collection, and analysis.

It is also worth noting that even within the Catholic intellectual tradition often associated with Mr. Vance, there is no doctrinal basis for equating extraterrestrial life with demonic entities. 

On the contrary, scholars such as Guy Consolmagno of the Vatican Observatory and Father Jose Funes of the Pontifical Academy of Science have emphasized that the possibility of intelligent non-human life is compatible with Christian theology. Such perspectives reflect a broader tradition of engagement with science that is open, rather than dogmatic, in its approach to the unknown.

When high-ranking policymakers advance speculative fear-based explanations rooted in supernatural belief, it risks blurring the distinction between personal worldview and evidence-based public reasoning. This is particularly concerning in areas—such as aerospace security—where public trust depends on transparency, rigor, and intellectual discipline.

Serious questions about UAPs deserve serious answers. Elevating unsupported theological interpretations in place of empirical inquiry does not advance understanding; it risks diminishing the credibility of institutions tasked with investigating these phenomena.

ICER encourages a continued commitment to evidence-based analysis, interdisciplinary research, and responsible public communication on matters of scientific uncertainty and national importance.