Latest news with #CatholicsforCatholics
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
5 things to know about Trump, Pope views on wealth, values and why MAGA worries
The American president and the American pope both have their eyes fixed on the late 19th century, but they seem to be drawing very different, if not clashing, lessons. President Donald Trump has recently waxed nostalgically about the period from 1870 to 1913 in defending his imposition of across-the-board tariffs. Cardinal Robert Prevost, in choosing the papal name Pope Leo XIV, follows in the footsteps of Leo XIII who set forth the concept of Catholic social teaching in 1891. While theologians point out the two views are not necessarily contradictory, some in the MAGA-verse were ringing alarms louder than the tolling bells in St. Peter's Square after white smoke heralded the selection of a new pontiff on Thursday. Firebrand Lara Loomer denounced Prevost as "pro-open borders" and Catholics for Catholics President John Yep said he viewed Prevost's election with "great concern." Here are five things to know. Trump speaks of the era as one in which America was at its "richest." Certainly a clique of industrialists and others profited mightily from the country's industrial boom at the time. This was the so-called Gilded Age in U.S. history, in which Manhattan's richest families, such as the Vanderbilts, Astors and Morgans, built palatial estates in Newport, Rhode Island. But for the vast majority of America, life was a very different experience. Many moved to urban centers in search of work and found jobs in factories where the hours were long and the wages minimal. Labor unrest ensued, sometimes turning violent. Immigrants and others working in factories lived in squalor. "It was not uniformly a period of strong growth. The analogies to the 1890s are extremely weak," said Edward Alden at the Council on Foreign Relations in an April interview. "If you're learning lessons from that era, they are going to be the wrong ones for sure." The Progressive Era of American politics ushered in safety protocols, a 40-hour week, anti-child-labor laws and many other workplace reforms. In calling for broad duties on imports, Trump has extolled the nearly 50 years that spanned the last centuries of the past millennium. "You know, years ago, 1870 to 1913, we didn't have an income tax. What we had is tariffs," Trump said in one speech. "And the tariff system made so much money. It was when we were the richest — from 1870 to 1913. … It was when we were the richest." The president has often alluded to wealth, telling Americans he will make them more affluent than ever. He has said he will usher a "golden era" and even redecorated the Oval Office with gold trimmings. 'You see the new and improved Oval Office,' Trump said to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during their May 6 meeting. 'As it becomes more and more beautiful with love — you know we handle it with great love — and 24-karat gold, that always helps too.' As pope, Leo XIV has not mentioned the era nor drawn lessons from it, but has alluded to faith and wealth. In his first homily as pontiff on May 9, Leo XIV cited from the Gospel of Matthew a conversation between Jesus and the disciples in Caesarea Philippi, a place the pontiff said was marked by "luxurious palaces" but "also a place of cruel power plays and the scene of betrayals and infidelity." There, Jesus was a "completely insignificant person," the pope noted, and once this 'world' saw him as a source of irritation, it opted to "eliminate Him." Others there saw Jesus, Leo XIV said, as a courageous "upright man," similar to other great prophets, but at the moment of "danger," they turned away and abandoned him in disappointment. "What is striking about these two attitudes is their relevance today," the pope concluded. "Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power or pleasure." Sister Maryanne Stevens said the choice of Leo has several messages. Stevens noted Leo I, also called Leo the Great, worked for peace and kept Attila the Hun from entering Italy. The most recent Leo, the 13th, was the founder of modern Catholic social teachings. Leo XIII's encyclical "Rerum Novarem" critiqued the excesses of socialism and capitalism. During his 25-year papacy, from 1878 to 1903, the pontiff exhorted people to "come together guided by values" and preached "solidarity between the classes," said Stevens, a theologian and the retired president of the College in St. Mary in Omaha, Nebraska. According to her, Leo XIII spoke out against "exploitation" of workers by capitalist industrialists but did not agree the "state should take over everything," either. Rather, she said the pontiff recognized the dignity of the human person and called on the broader community to safeguard the rights of people, particular those most vulnerable. She said Leo XIII wrote there is dignity to every human person and extolled the dignity of work. Stevens said the pontiff pressed capitalists to provide safe environments and healthy environments and create just wages. "There was a tremendous amount, at the time, of social inequality and exploitation of people and they were problems that had to be faced by both the Church and the state," she said. "That was one of his basic points." Stevens cautioned against commentary suggesting Leo XIV chose the name in order to send a message to the president. "I'm not prepared to suggest that Leo chose that name so as to respond to Trump," she said. Trump's supporters point out the president won election in 2024 by waging a campaign for blue-collar and other workers forgotten and left behind by U.S. free trade and neglectful manufacturing policies in the past 40 years. He vowed, during the campaign, to end taxation of tips and overtime for wage employment. But once in office, the Trump administration has sought to slash federal spending, including numerous safety net programs for the poorest Americans and the elderly. The White House has also delivered on Trump's harsh rhetoric toward immigrants with equally harsh deportations. Some in the MAGA-verse were decidedly unhappy over Prevost's immigration tweets, some of which rebuked Trump and Vice President JD Vance's views. Loomer, a failed congressional candidate in Palm Beach County, wrote on X that the new pontiff "supports illegal aliens and open borders." Yep said in an interview with Charlie Kirk of the far-right youth group Turning Point USA that he harbored "great concern" because Leo XIV had "an ambiguous scorecard on same sex blessings." In a statement to The Palm Beach Post, Yep reiterated his belief there is "justifiable apprehension" for what the new papacy will bring due to prior postings on social media. But Yep also said other "praiseworthy actions" by Prevost, such as his emphasis on the "defense of babies in the womb," offer hope. "We pray that he will work well with the Trump Administration as well as ending immediately the Francis era Secret Accord between the Vatican and the Chinese Communist Party signed in 2018," Yep wrote. "Catholics above all should be praying for this man as undertakes a tremendous responsibility as head of 1.4 billion people." Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@ Help support our journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump, Leo XIV cast gaze on Gilded Age but draw different lessons
Boston Globe
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
A US-born Pope emerges as a potential contrast to Trump on the world stage
Pope Leo XIV concelebrated Mass with the College of Cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican the day after his election as the 267th pontiff. Uncredited/Associated Press Advertisement There are indications that the first American pontiff disapproves of some of the Trump administration's hard-line stances. A social media account under his name 'We have this powerful moral voice that is going to be able to potentially confront the other most powerful American voice,' said Charlie Sykes, an anti-Trump conservative who is Catholic. 'Donald Trump bestrides the world as the ugly American, and now we have another prominent American who is able to confront him.' Advertisement Sykes said Leo's advocacy on behalf of migrants, in particular, could challenge Trump, who has pursued an aggressive campaign to deport them as quickly as possible. 'Part of Donald Trump's appeal is that he is the great champion of Christendom, and now he's going to have to explain that to a fellow American who is the pope,' Sykes said. 'There are very few, if any, figures that have the platform and the voice of the Holy See.' John Prevost, 'I know he's not happy with what's going on with immigration,' he said. 'I know that for a fact. How far he'll go with it is only one's guess, but he won't just sit back. I don't think he'll be the silent one.' Still, Vatican analysts say Leo is more reserved than his predecessor, and while they expect him to continue to defend migrants and the poor, some do not expect him to do so in as outspoken a manner as Pope Francis. Trump and his supporters have also found aspects of the new pope's background that excite them, including his ardent anti-abortion advocacy and his opposition to a government plan in Peru to add teachings on gender in schools. Mackenzie Magas and Kaylee Mellentine, from Missouri, posed for a photo with a newspaper showing the new Pope Leo XIV on the front page, in front of the St. Peter Basilica on Friday. Markus Schreiber/Associated Press 'He's said and done some mixed things in the past,' said John Yep, CEO of Catholics for Catholics, a group that supports Trump. 'Let's see how he does. I don't want to rush to judgments right off the bat.' Advertisement In the hours since Leo's selection, the president has had only praise for the church's new leader. Trump and Vice President JD Vance congratulated him in posts on social media and celebrated his American heritage. 'The president made his reaction to Pope Leo's announcement yesterday very clear,' Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters Friday when asked about the pope's comments. 'He's very proud to have an American pope.' It is unclear if either Trump or Vance had been aware of Leo's criticism of their policies, but some of the president's most strident supporters have registered their displeasure. 'He is anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, pro-open Borders, and a total Marxist like Pope Francis,' Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who has persuaded Trump to fire some of his aides for not being loyal enough, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a former House speaker and a devout Catholic, praised Leo's commitment to the poor and said she hoped he could unite American Catholics across partisan divides. 'His values-based vision for the church is quite different from what we're seeing from some leaders, if you call them that, in our country, but I don't expect him to be engaged in a political debate with the president of the United States,' she said in an interview. Even though Leo is an American by birth, he has spent most of his adult life outside the country, and now as the head of state of another nation, it remains to be seen what relationship he will have with the United States. Francis, who hailed from Argentina, never returned to his place of birth after becoming the church's leader. Advertisement American cardinals said at a news conference Friday that Leo's American identity was not a factor in his selection. When he was announced, the Vatican made no mention of his U.S. nationality, instead introducing him as the second pope from the Americas. Newly elected Pope Leo XIV (center) leaves after concelebrating his first Mass with the College of Cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel. Uncredited/Associated Press Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C., said the conclave was not seen as a 'continuation of the American election.' The cardinals' selection of an American pope Indeed, some spectators gathered in St. Peter's Square on Thursday were bewildered when his identity emerged. 'Un Americano?' several muttered in Italian. 'I am surprised and disappointed,' said Adam Mocarski, 31, from Poland. Some analysts have posited that the cardinals selected Leo precisely because of Trump. The president agitated many Catholics, even some of his allies, when he posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope after Francis died. 'The president might well be right to claim credit for the selection, at least in part, given the photo he posted on social media,' said Rocco Palmo, a Catholic church analyst. 'The choice of Leo is the cardinals' way of saying, 'This is our process, and we decide what is Catholic, not the White House.'' Advertisement This article originally appeared in .
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As the conclave for naming a new pope begins, is it time for a cardinal from Florida?
As the sacred practice of naming a new pope to replace Pope Francis is beginning in Vatican City, the question arises: Is it time a pope names a cardinal from Florida? To faithful and secular observers alike, naming a Sunshine State cardinal may seem like a no-brainer "yes." Florida is the third-largest in U.S. population and is the home of President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi. It is also the ideological center of the wealthiest and most powerful country on the planet. So, assigning a senior clergy member to speak on behalf of the Holy See and the pontiff would appear to be meritorious. "That does need to be examined," said John Yep, president and CEO of Catholics for Catholics, an organization closely aligned with Trump's policies. "As far as Florida, that could be something to look at because of its size and importance." Political power not enough to influence Catholic cardinal choice? Currently, cardinals lead U.S. Catholic archdioceses in major cities like Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and Newark. They are among 252 cardinals, 21 of whom Pope Francis named in December. Besides casting votes to elect a pope, the members of the College of Cardinals act as close confidants to the pontiff. They participate in papal consistories that act on matters of significance to the church and are appointed to oversee the Curia, the church's administrative bureaucracy. The roles, therefore, give them a far more prominent bully pulpit back home. Bethesda-by-the-Sea flower guild members make hundreds of palm crosses in preparation for Palm Sunday services Friday March 22, 2024 in Palm Beach. The considerations in naming a cardinal, however, are far more complex and nuanced than Florida's supersized standing in American politics. Rather, they are rooted in the millennium-plus-old church's global interests and vantage points as well as the incumbent pope's preferences. On that landscape, Florida, with its bellwether power ranking in America, appears much humbler. The United States accounts for only 4% of the world's Catholics, a figure further dwarfed by the growth in the "global south" — Africa, Latin America and Asia. "It is not time for the Vatican to name a cardinal from Florida," Bryan T. Froehle, professor of sociology and religious studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University, wrote in an email. "There are plenty of cardinals in the USA, which is just a small bit of the world Catholic population." A 'lot of moving parts' in deciding where cardinals are assigned There are numerous other factors, too, as sheer demographics and influence are not enough. Vatican-watchers point out archdioceses in Los Angeles (the largest in America), Paris and Milan are not represented by cardinals. Michael Sean Winters, author and journalist at the National Catholic Reporter, notes that the selection of a cardinal is often more about a specific person and how they fit a particular archdiocese's needs. "The thing about a cardinal is that it is personal. You are chosen as an honor to the man," he said, adding that in the past decade, the "number one" priority has been choosing "somebody who is a good pastor." Winters said an example is Cardinal Robert McElroy, the former bishop of San Diego, who late last year was assigned by Pope Francis to lead the archdiocese in the nation's capital. He said McElroy is viewed as "the outstanding intellectual in the U.S. hierarchy," all the more important in an archdiocese with three Catholic universities, including Georgetown University. Winters added McElroy's appointment also made "sense for a variety of reasons," including his acumen with fiscal and budgetary matters. Cardinal Daniel Nicholas DiNardo of Steubenville, Ohio As for Florida, Winters said the assignment of a cardinal "is not impossible." He noted that Pope Benedict XVI named Cardinal Daniel DiNardo in 2007 to the Galveston-Houston archdiocese based on reasons similar to the case for Florida — the Texas region was growing fast and the state had emerged as a power player. Whether that is replicated in Florida, however, will first depend on the naming of new bishops across the state to replace those who are on the cusp of retirement — specifically, Winters said, a new archbishop in Miami, the sole Florida archdiocese. Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Archdiocese of Maimi "It's not impossible, but it will depend on who that person that gets named there," Winters said. "There are a lot of moving parts." The man currently shepherding the state's largest concentration of Catholic churches and parishioners said it's not his call. "That's above my pay grade," said Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami. Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@ Help support our journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Pope conclave: Time for Florida Catholic cardinal in Trump home state?
Boston Globe
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
After tensions with pope, Vance, a Catholic convert, to visit Vatican
Advertisement The vice president arrives at a time when senior Vatican officials are alarmed by the administration's 'America First' nationalism, its campaign against migrants — a leading cause of Francis's — and its cuts in foreign aid that Catholic charities have called a 'catastrophic' blow to their ability to assist millions across the globe. But the trip also comes amid deep divisions in the American Catholic Church, with the pope and the administration appearing to be on opposite sides. Nowhere was that more evident than at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., on March 19, when Bishop Joseph E. Strickland — a vocal Francis critic who was removed from his post by the Vatican — was invited to lead an event sponsored by the pro-Trump group Catholics for Catholics. Trump, Strickland, and Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, all appear on the homepage of the group's website, while Francis does not. Advertisement In a message distributed to dozens of conservative Catholic priests in attendance, the Texas bishop again called out the pope, this time for allegedly refusing to 'reject the siren call of sodomy,' an apparent reference to Francis's LGBTQ+ outreach. 'There's no doubt that some of these critics mean to diminish the authority of the pope, to water down his teachings and claim that they have on their side a pure, correct, rigorous Christianity,' one senior Vatican official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said of the conservative Catholics in the administration's orbit. The official added, however, that it was in the Vatican's interest to hold pragmatic talks with Vance. 'Of course that's all there,' he said of the tensions. 'But I'd say that won't really affect the climate. I think content will be key, more than the company one keeps.' Vatican insiders say the Holy See will seek to engage Vance cordially, both as a relatively new Catholic — he converted in 2019 — and a representative of an American administration with which the Vatican seeks to engage on key diplomatic points. The Holy See, like the White House, is advocating for a cease-fire in Ukraine. Francis also sees an end to the war in the Gaza Strip as urgent. The Vatican is expected to raise both topics with Vance. 'The truth is that Pope Francis will welcome this visit,' said Victor Gaetan, author of 'God's Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy, and America's Armageddon.' 'One of the reasons is because Vance is a recent convert. But there are also points of convergence' between the Vatican and the Trump administration. Advertisement The timing is admittedly complicated. Francis is convalescing after a bout with pneumonia that nearly cost him his life. Vance is arriving during the Vatican's busiest and holiest of days, the lead-up to Easter Sunday. But observers say they will be surprised if some sort of meeting is not arranged, and it is not unusual for papal audiences to be announced after the fact. One possibility, Vatican watchers say, is some sort of encounter or blessing before, during, or after Easter Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday. Should no meeting materialize, it will be hard to blame the pope's health. He met briefly last week with Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla, and on Thursday, visited a prison. Despite doctors' orders to rest, Francis has also made several public appearances in recent weeks. 'Since the end of the medical emergency, the pope has been meeting many people — those he wants to meet, he'll meet. If he does not receive [Vance], that will be a choice,' said Massimo Faggioli, a Catholic theologian at Villanova University. On the eve of Trump's inauguration in January, Francis called the president's plan for the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants a 'disgrace,' in an echo of the antipathy that defined the pontiff's ties with the first Trump administration. That month, Francis elevated a liberal lion, Cardinal Robert McElroy, to head the Archdiocese of Washington. McElroy has fiercely called out the administration's migrant crackdown, describing it as a 'war of fear and terror.' And this week, concerned by Trump's moves to slash government and cut taxes, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a policy statement saying 'tax cuts that largely favor wealthier persons should not be made possible through cuts to healthcare and food for families struggling to make ends meet.' Advertisement Vance being able to schedule a visit to the Vatican over Holy Week may have been an opportunity too good to pass up. The primary focus of his diplomatic agenda over the next week, according to those familiar with his travel, is a visit to India, a key ally as the United States seeks to restructure global trade and lead a coalition against China. India is also the country of origin of his wife's parents and a place Vance has never visited. But the vice president stopping in Italy on the way, and the visit coinciding with Easter, is effectively a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the Catholic convert. He will visit with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Friday, just a day after she meets with Vance and Trump at the White House, as the president engages with various world leaders on trade and his administration's global tariffs. Vance's Italy visit, as a result, is less about pursuing urgent diplomatic priorities and is instead a way to highlight the vice president's faith — despite his bouts of friction with top church leaders. Calling it 'pretty significant' that Vance will be in Rome over Easter, a senior White House official said his presence there will complement the Trump team's other plans throughout Holy Week, which include holding two Christian prayer and worship events at the White House. Catholic leaders anticipating the meeting say they do not expect the vice president to engage in confrontation or criticism when he meets with Vatican officials. Advertisement The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor at large of America magazine, noted 'a tension between one's political views and one's religious views' for many in elected office, 'and that seems to be the case' with Vance. Martin, a leading advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church, has also publicly criticized Vance and Trump's deportation initiatives. 'I would hope that Vice President Vance is open to hearing the fullness of Catholic teaching on refugees and migrants, the poor and those in need,' Martin said of the upcoming Vatican meeting.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Who speaks for the Catholic Church in the US?
At first glance, the answer to the question of who speaks for the Catholic Church in the United States seems obvious: the Pope. When it comes to divinely revealed dogmas concerning faith and morals, the word of the Pope is infallible. But apart from the inner counsels of the church, the Pope is an important voice. With a 78 percent favorable rating among American Catholics — a number most politicians would envy — the Pope's public declarations on political issues also carry weight. Yet the question of who speaks for American Catholics has become a battle for control of the microphone. Mathew Schmalz, a religious studies professor at the College of the Holy Cross, told me in an interview that the Catholic Church is 'highly polarized,' thus, intensifying the struggle over who speaks for it. In a separate interview with me, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) described how the political polarization among Catholics deepened in 2021, when the U.S. Catholic bishops 'pitched their theological tent with the Republicans. And they used it to attack Joe Biden on the abortion issue.' Since then, the chasm has only widened. Referring to President Trump's policy of deporting millions of immigrants, Pope Francis bluntly told the U.S. Catholic bishops: 'The true common good is promoted when society and government, with creativity and strict respect for the rights of all … welcomes, protects, promotes and integrates the most fragile, unprotected and vulnerable.' Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, took issue with the Pope, citing a centuries-old Catholic teaching known as 'ordo amoris,' meaning 'order of love.' In an interview with Fox News, Vance said: '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 immediately clapped back: 'Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups. The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the Good Samaritan, that is by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.' The cacophony of Catholic voices either in support of or opposition to Francis or Trump are numerous. Catholics for Catholics is a pro-Trump organization that promises to restore the true Catholic faith to the public square. Meanwhile, Catholics for the Common Good generally supports Democrats and advocates for social justice and equity issues. When asked who speaks for the American Catholic Church, Steven P. Millies, director of the Bernardin Center and professor of Public Theology at Catholic Theological Union, told me: 'Well, it's not JD Vance. It should be Pope Francis, but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case either.' According to Millies, the title of spokesperson is 'up for grabs.' And a contest for the microphone has been long in the making. An obvious contender should be the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Shortly after Trump took office this year, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the conference, called Trump's immigration policies 'deeply troubling,' saying they will have 'negative consequences, many of which will harm the most vulnerable among us.' But Broglio speaks for a divided conference. Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, writes: 'Allowing violent gangs, individuals with serious criminal histories, dealers of lethal illegal drugs, human traffickers and those who pose threats to our national security to enter our country and harm U.S. citizens is a serious dereliction of duty by our elected leaders. I commend President Trump and those in his administration for addressing this serious, national threat.' Cardinal Robert McElroy, the newly installed Archbishop of Washington, D.C., decries a war of 'fear and terror' being waged on undocumented immigrants. At his March 11, installation, McElroy lamented the 'divisions of race, gender, ideology and nationality' where 'the poor and the migrant are daily dispossessed, and the dignity of the unborn is denied.' Cardinal McElroy is poised to be a leading Catholic spokesperson. As the only political scientist ever to lead an archdiocese, he is, as Steven Millies told me, 'made for the job.' In an interview with me, Mathew Schmaltz described McElroy's mandate is to be a 'prophetic voice' for the Catholic Church, especially on matters of social justice. Still, the battle over who speaks for the U.S. Catholic Church continues. For example, Bishop Robert Barron has 1 million YouTube subscribers. In 2022, his Word on Fire ministry raised $11.4 million. Barron aligns himself with Trump and Vance, calling Vance's citation of the ordo amoris 'refreshing.' Another competitor is the Eternal Word Television Network. Its 11 networks broadcast in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week to more than 435 million television households in more than 160 countries. In 2022, the network raised $89.5 million. During the Francis papacy, EWTN became a major voice of dissent. Raymond Arroyo's EWTN program, 'The World Over' became a focal point for papal criticism. In 2021, Francis criticized media attacks on his pontificate as 'the work of the devil,' a comment many thought directed at EWTN. As 88-year-old Pope Francis recovers from pneumonia, and Catholics wrestle with the legacy of this dynamic papacy, the battle for the Catholic microphone continues. Political polarization, which has touched nearly every department of life, including matters of faith, shows no sign of disappearing. And as Catholics choose sides, their ears are often attuned to those who reflect their views while shutting out the voices of others whom they frequently demean as heretics. John Kenneth White is a professor emeritus at The Catholic University of America. His latest book is titled 'Grand Old Unraveling: The Republican Party, Donald Trump, and the Rise of Authoritarianism.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
