ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA — Bishop Michael Burbidge is aware that a good percentage of the 432,700 Catholics in his flock are politically important.
“One of the first shocks I experienced when I became the Bishop of Arlington was being in this office and looking out and seeing the Capitol and the Washington Monument from my window,” Burbidge told The Daily Wire in a recent interview. “There are some heavy hitters here who are influencing our country&#8217;s politics.”
For about two years, those heavy hitters included Vice President JD Vance, who, as a first-term senator from Ohio, settled his family in Northern Virginia. Vance’s Catholicism has been a central part of his identity since his <a href="https://www.theamericanconservative.com/j-d-vance-becomes-catholic/">2019 baptism</a> — back when he was still just “the author of ‘Hillbilly Elegy’” and a promising young man.
Vance, who tells the story of his faith journey in a forthcoming book, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/communion-j-d-vance?variant=45116963192866">“Communion,”</a> may have broken the land speed record for transition from catechumen to prominent Catholic. By the time Donald Trump asked him to join the presidential ticket, he was one of the most well-known American Catholics, second only to the man he and Trump were running to succeed.
Once in office, Vance became the locus for Catholic critiques of the Trump administration’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pope-leo-addresses-narrative-suggesting-he-and-trump-are-at-war">foreign policy</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hours-before-zelensky-meeting-vance-praises-trump-for-pursuing-a-path-of-peace">immigration crackdown</a> — which earned the White House rebukes from Pope Francis and now Pope Leo XIV, whose elevation to the Throne of St. Peter moved Vance a few notches down the list of prominent American Catholics.
Burbidge knows all of this. He’s met Vance, he says, but hasn&#8217;t had a formal meeting with him since he became vice president. And Burbidge realizes the vice president has a particular challenge before him, not just as a Catholic leader, but one with a countryman in Rome. But the bishop — who <a href="https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/2025/01/31/a-pastoral-statement-on-the-catholic-imperative-of-upholding-human-dignity-and-the-common-good-in-american-immigration-law/">encouraged</a> Trump and Vance in January 2025 to “develop a national immigration policy that reflects the Catholic commitment to human dignity and the common good” — stressed that Vance has all the tools he needs to navigate choppy theological-political waters.
“We have a mandate to be not only citizens, but to be faithful citizens,” Burbidge says. “You can&#8217;t separate what you know to be true and what you profess to believe into your life as a politician. And will you have to pay a price for that sometimes? Of course you will. Will you maybe be rejected by others? Of course you will. But there&#8217;s no other path.”
“This is what&#8217;s so great about being Catholic,” the bishop adds. “There&#8217;s a consistency of the gospel of life and the truth.”
“Now, does this become more challenging for a politician? I&#8217;m sure it does. But you can&#8217;t be one person here and another person here.”
A Philadelphia native ordained in 1984, Burbidge began his episcopal journey as the auxiliary bishop of his hometown in 2002. Named bishop of Raleigh in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI, he held that post for a decade before Pope Francis named him the fourth bishop of Arlington. It’s a role to which Burbidge — a polished speaker unafraid to preach the “gospel of life” to all manner of politicians — seems uniquely suited.
“It really doesn&#8217;t matter who&#8217;s in office,” Burbidge says when asked how he’s navigated the transition from President Joe Biden, a Catholic who flouted the Church’s teaching on abortion, to Trump and Vance, whose paeans to the faith have not kept them out of the fray.
“It&#8217;s always going to be a challenge, because [the Catholic Church is] so beautiful, the way we teach the gospel of life. It confuses people that we can be on this side or that side, but the truth of the gospel, what we&#8217;re teaching doesn&#8217;t change because of who&#8217;s in office.”
The bishop certainly practices what he’s preaching here. Burbidge issued his statement on immigration less than two weeks after Inauguration Day, reminding the Trump team of the Church’s stance before it had finished unpacking.
Burbidge had plenty of practice dealing with politicians by this point. From 2022 to 2024, he chaired the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Pro-Life Activities Committee. In that role, he <a href="https://catholicvote.org/bishop-of-arlington-calls-president-biden-to-repent/">chastised Biden</a> for “causing great scandal when he announces both his faith and his pro-abortion position publicly,” calling on the president to “repent.”
Still, Burbidge goes out of his way to stress that his role is no different than that of other bishops. He does not tell his priests to preach to the powerful in the pews and thinks there “should be no effort at all” for priests to do that.
For all that’s happening in the American church, Burbidge is most excited about the things that get bishops excited: seven ordinations this year and 12 in 2025; 39 active seminarians; mass attendance rebounding to pre-COVID numbers; 27 George Mason students brought into the church this Easter alone, the work of just one campus priest.
“We have so many young adults who are fully engaged in the life of the church,” Burbidge says. “We are very, very blessed with vocations … and we have so many beautiful holy families, holy marriages, from which vocations so often come.”
With a flourishing diocese and rising levels of religiosity among young Americans, Burbidge is optimistic about the future of the country and the church. And he sees even more reason for hope in Pope Leo, whom he praises for “the serenity and the simplicity and the joy” he has projected in his first year as pontiff.
“I think it was a blessing, a gift, that he knows the United States,” Burbidge says. “He&#8217;s lived here, he&#8217;s from here. He speaks the language. He gets us, and I think he understands us, in our politics and our culture and things like that.”
One might say it’s providential, the ascension of an American pope at the dawn of a very Catholic age in American politics. Abortion and immigration, the twin issues of our time, make it clear that Catholic social teaching does not cleave easily along party lines. And yet, the days of Catholics sidestepping politics seem to be over.
The Republican nominee for president in 2028 will almost certainly be Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both Catholics. And at least two Democratic frontrunners — California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — are proximately Catholic as well. Our nation’s next presidential election may not just be a referendum on competing political systems, but competing conceptions of Catholicism.
Regardless of whether that happens, American Catholics will certainly be glad to have one of their own leading the church in the coming years. But perhaps they’ll also look to a prelate just two years younger than Pope Leo, another son of a great American city whose ordination came almost two years to the day of the Holy Father’s.
“As a bishop, I have to have full responsibility for every soul entrusted to me,” Burbidge says. “And therefore, I have to speak truth and love, and love involves speaking the truth.”
“So, I think that if you&#8217;re a Catholic and you&#8217;re running for office, your bishop&#8217;s going to be talking to you.”

Arlington Bishop dedicates Mass to victims of Las Vegas shooting

JD Vance’s Bishop Wants Catholic Politicians To Do What’s Right

Catholic Church

JD Vance

Marco Rubio

Pope Leo

Washington D.C.

Lego has unveiled a massive new model of Barcelona&#8217;s iconic Sagrada Familia basilica, a release timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the death of its chief architect, Antoni Gaudí. 
The set contains 12,060 pieces, making it the largest Lego set ever released, according to the company.
“The new set captures the evolving story of Barcelona’s most iconic landmark, with the building steps mirroring the basilica’s actual construction sequence,” Lego <a href="https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2026/june/lego-architecture-sagrada-fam-lia-set-unveiled">said</a> in the statement. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Lego Architecture Sagrada Familia revealed!
12060 pieces / $799.99 / £649.99 / 1st a November 2026<a href="https://x.com/hashtag/Lego?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Lego</a> <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/Legonews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Legonews</a> <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/Legoleaks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Legoleaks</a> <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/architecture?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#architecture</a> <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/SagradaFam%C3%ADlia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SagradaFamília</a> <a href="https://t.co/t3HrbmSP0s">pic.twitter.com/t3HrbmSP0s</a>
— Brick Built Blogs (@BlogsBrick) <a href="https://x.com/BlogsBrick/status/2062520774313840830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“The build begins with the foundational Apse and Crypt, moves through Gaudí’s original Nativity façade and the dramatic Passion façade, before rising into the grand naves, Western Sacristy and six iconic towers. The final stage brings the model together with the Eastern Sacristy and the Glory façade.”
The release comes as the real Sagrada Familia approaches a major milestone of its own.
Construction on the basilica began more than 140 years ago and has continued ever since. According to <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/06/04/gaudis-sagrada-familia-finally-shakes-off-its-incompletable-tag-as-pope-prepares-to-inaugurate-tallest-and-final-tower">The Art Newspape</a>r, Pope Leo XIV is expected to bless the newly completed Tower of Jesus on June 10, the centennial of Gaudí&#8217;s death.
&#8220;The inauguration marks the symbolic completion of the church, though work is expected to continue for another decade,” according to the outlet.
The Sagrada Familia is the latest religious landmark to receive the Lego treatment. In 2024, the company released a model of Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of the world&#8217;s most renowned Catholic landmarks, during the reconstruction of the famous Paris church. The move signaled a willingness to create sets based on prominent religious sites.
The new set was designed by Rok Žgalin Kobe, who has also worked on Lego versions of the Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Trevi Fountain, and other architectural icons. 

The Sagrada Familia Lego set is available for preorder for $799.99 and is scheduled for release on November 1.
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Barcelona, Sagrada Familia

A Catholic Work Of Architecture Is Set To Become Largest Lego Set Ever

Catholic

Catholicism

Catholics

Lego

Notre Dame

Notre Dame Cathedral

Spain

Toys

Secretary of State Marco Rubio held face-to-face meetings with Pope Leo on Thursday as President Donald Trump remains critical of the pope&#8217;s position on the Iran war.
In Vatican City, Rubio, America&#8217;s top diplomat and a Roman Catholic, met with Pope Leo and Holy See Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to discuss issues such as the Middle East. A State Department official told The Daily Wire that &#8220;today&#8217;s conversations were friendly and constructive.&#8221;
&#8220;Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to discuss the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,&#8221; State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/05/secretary-rubios-meeting-with-pope-leo-xiv/">said</a>. &#8220;The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity.&#8221;<iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/RMTDsb9XI826a85Kic7O02MfT7Hx9DR6r?metadata-video-content-type=short&amp;metadata-video-id=5affd718-0d57-4cf0-b89e-ca7ee6e24961&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Rubio%20makes%20peace%20with%20Pope%20Leo%20XIV%20inside%20the%20Vatican&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fshorts%2F30318a23-322c-4ce8-9a57-6eb3e88036e3.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The Holy See “exceeded expectations” in their welcoming of Secretary Rubio to the Vatican, a source familiar with the protocol told The Daily Wire, demonstrating “strong U.S.-Holy See ties.”
The Holy See also arranged for Rubio’s motorcade to enter through the Arch of Bells, which is usually reserved for the head of state or head of government — a special mark of respect for Rubio. The Vatican also sent the Prefect of the Papal Household, Archbishop Peter Rajik, to greet Rubio as the secretary of State arrived in the San Damaso Courtyard. Rubio was greeted by the full Swiss Honorary Guard who welcomed his delegation, the source familiar shared.
During the meeting, Rubio also discussed the United States&#8217; work with the Catholic Church and Caritas in Cuba with the Holy See leadership, according to the State Department official.
The meeting follows recent clashes between President Trump and the pope, whose outspoken criticism of the war against the Islamic Republic of Iran has drawn sharp rebukes from the president.
Ahead of Rubio&#8217;s meeting, Trump sent a &#8220;simple&#8221; message to the leader of the Catholic Church.
&#8220;As far as the Pope is concerned, it&#8217;s very simple. Whether I make him happy or I don&#8217;t make him happy: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/CatholicVote/status/2052108392060133721?s=20">Trump said</a>. &#8220;And he seemed to be saying that they can, and I say, they cannot.&#8221;
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🚨 President Trump shares a &#8220;simple&#8221; message for Pope Leo ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with the pontiff.
&#8220;As far as the Pope is concerned, it&#8217;s very simple. Whether I make him happy or I don&#8217;t make him happy: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/WfHKQZAMcJ">pic.twitter.com/WfHKQZAMcJ</a>
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) <a href="https://twitter.com/CatholicVote/status/2052108392060133721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKqngLaiqsE">interview</a> with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, the commander-in-chief said the pontiff&#8217;s position endangers Catholics.
“I think he&#8217;s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people, but I guess if it&#8217;s up to the Pope, he thinks it&#8217;s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,&#8221; Trump asserted.
The American-born pope rejected that criticism, saying the mission of the church is to preach the Gospel of peace. 
“If someone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let him do so truthfully,&#8221; Leo said, <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-05/pope-leo-xiv-castel-gandolfo-press-nuclear-weapons.html">according to a Catholic news outlet</a>. &#8220;For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt on that point.&#8221; 
Last month, Trump launched a broadside against the Pope, following a Sunday-night “<a href="https://x.com/60Minutes/status/2043471794074448140?s=20">60 Minutes</a>” episode featuring prominent American cardinals who offered several critiques of the Trump administration. 
Hours later, Trump slammed the Pope as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116394704213456431">Trump said on Truth Social</a>. “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
In a <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2043498719270637656?s=20">gaggle with reporters</a>, the president piled on.
“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess,” Trump said at Joint Base Andrews. “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person.”
Pope Leo has not backed away from his criticism, though he has insisted he does not seek a political confrontation with the White House.
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do,” Leo told <a href="https://x.com/catholicourtney/status/2043619307993665935?s=20">reporters aboard the papal plane</a>. “We are not politicians. We don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
In response to a personal attack by President Donald Trump the night before, Pope Leo told journalists on the papal plane to Algeria:
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what… <a href="https://t.co/zV6FuacGSM">pic.twitter.com/zV6FuacGSM</a>
— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) <a href="https://twitter.com/catholicourtney/status/2043619307993665935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
Thursday&#8217;s meeting between Rubio and Pope Leo suggests both sides may be looking to find common ground and shift towards private diplomacy over public attacks.
&#8220;We share with the Catholic Church a concern about the destruction of religious liberty, the persecution of Christian minorities, and also, you know, the challenges that are being faced by Christians in Africa,&#8221; Rubio said at a recent White House press briefing. &#8220;So the trip is really not tied to anything other than the fact that it would be normal for us to engage with them.&#8221;

How Rubio Is Smoothing Things Over With The Pope

Donald Trump

Iran

Vatican

A former FBI official who oversaw the agency&#8217;s production of an infamous memo targeting “Radical Traditional Catholics” joked about how it would make good fodder for a memoir, according to emails viewed by The Daily Wire. 
Stanley Meador, who now works in Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger&#8217;s administration, ran the FBI’s Richmond field office when it produced an <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fbi-anti-catholic-memo.pdf">internal memo</a> attempting to link traditional Catholic beliefs to criminal activity. After backlash to the memo, Meador downplayed it and suggested that one of the agents who produced it include it in their memoirs, according to emails released by the Justice Department. 
“No apology needed [redacted],” he wrote on July 7, 2023. “I’m glad you are on the team and thankful for your commitment. Keep that head up, this too shall pass. Will make for a great chapter in your memoirs some day!”
<div id="attachment_1086743" style="width: 1601px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1086743" class="size-full wp-image-1086743" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-2.05.35-PM.png" alt="" width="1591" height="495" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-2.05.35-PM.png 1591w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-2.05.35-PM-300x93.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-2.05.35-PM-1024x319.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-2.05.35-PM-768x239.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-2.05.35-PM-1536x478.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1591px) 100vw, 1591px" />Justice Department report.</div>
The emails were included in a Justice Department report released Thursday morning on anti-Christian bias from the federal government during the Biden administration. 
The document, referred to as the “Richmond Memo,” relied on the leftist Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), now facing criminal wire fraud charges, to link racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists with what the agency called “radical-traditionalist” Catholic beliefs. The memo was retracted shortly after it was leaked in February 2023, generating outrage from Republican lawmakers and Catholics. 
Meador’s July 7 email came after one of the FBI agents involved in crafting the memo apologized over the document.
“I am terribly sorry for all that everyone has had to endure as a result of this product. Each person negatively impacted is a trusted colleague and/or supervisor whom I deeply respect and admire,” the unidentified FBI employee wrote. “I feel personally responsible as I should have known the potential DT pitfalls and the susceptibility to politicization surrounding this paper better than anyone. Thanks for supporting us and please accept my sincerest apologies.”
Meador, now <a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/cabinet/name-1081469-en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Secretary</a> of Public Safety and Homeland Security in Virginia, was removed from the FBI in June 2025 after serving for over two decades with the agency. 
The Richmond Memo was an FBI product known as a “Domain Perspective,” or an internal threat assessment document. The document argued that the FBI should pursue threat mitigation based on the interest in violent extremists in so-called “radical-traditionalist Catholic (RTC) ideology.” Using SPLC data, the FBI identified nine of these groups.
Other documents included in Thursday&#8217;s Justice Department report showed that intelligence officers inside the FBI expressed concerns about the citation of the SPLC, but were ignored by leadership. 
“This product cites more subjective information from SPLC (a list of hate groups) without examining SPLC’s threshold for determining a hate group or explanation of how that threshold aligns with the FBI’s definition,” one intelligence officer wrote. “This product’s Source Summary Statement does not address factors that would affect the quality and credibility of SPLC as a source for subjective information, such as it previously issuing apologies and retracting its naming of individuals or groups as extremist.”
The DOJ wrote in its anti-Christian bias report that the FBI used “an unsubstantiated claim by the Southern Poverty Law Center that several traditional Catholic churches were ‘hate groups’ — as justification to launch a two-pronged attack against traditional Catholics.”
“FBI Richmond thus assessed that traditional Catholics and racially motivated violent extremists may share ‘common cause’ on issues of ‘abortion rights, immigration, affirmative action, and LGBTQ protections,’” the DOJ wrote Thursday. “In an appendix, the Domain Perspective cited to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s identification of radical traditional Catholics.”
As criticism mounted, former President Joe Biden&#8217;s FBI Director Christopher Wray said the Richmond Memo did &#8220;not reflect FBI standards.”
“We do not conduct investigations based on religious affiliation or practices, full stop,” Wray said. “We have also now ordered our inspection division to take a look at how this happened and try to figure out how we can make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”
In an interview with the task force investigating anti-Christian bias, FBI Director Kash Patel said his team did a deep dive into the Richmond Memo. 
“We came to learn that companies like the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League were out there working with the FBI, giving them false information to generate a memo that allowed law enforcement a [] &#8216;justification&#8217; to go after and attack people of faith,” Patel said. 
The DOJ report also details how the Biden administration targeted pro-life Christians for peaceful protests and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-biden-partnered-with-abortion-activists-to-track-and-imprison-pro-lifers?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=BREAKING%3A+How+Biden+Partnered+With+Abortion+Activists+To+Track+And+Imprison+Pro-Lifers">outlines</a> other Biden-era policies that suppressed Christian expression.
The release of the report comes one day after The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-biden-doj-lawyers-fantasized-about-prosecuting-catholic-nuns-emails-show?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=Exclusive&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Biden+DOJ+Lawyers+Fantasized+About+Prosecuting+Catholic+Nuns%2C+Emails+Show">obtained text messages</a> from Biden-era DOJ prosecutors discussing their desires to target Catholic nuns. One prosecutor said he would &#8220;like to prosecute any nun who still wears the head habit,&#8221; when working on January 6-related cases.

MixCollage-29-Apr-2026-03-15-PM-9949

READ IT: The Internal ‘Joke’ That Followed The Biden-Era FBI Targeting Of Catholics

abigail spanberger

Biden Administration

Christopher Wray

Department of Justice

kash patel

Trump Administration

Virginia

Step aside, Thomas Aquinas. Make room, St. Augustine. There is a new Bible scholar in town, and she didn’t find her calling in a cathedral — she found it in a Reno lounge act and a Disney-funded wardrobe department.
Whoopi Goldberg, a woman whose theological training apparently consists of wearing a polyester habit in two &#8220;Sister Act&#8221; films, has decided that she is the preeminent authority on the &#8220;Bible-Bible.&#8221; Speaking on &#8220;The View&#8221; on Thursday, Goldberg donned her invisible miter to lecture the masses on why the U.S. shouldn&#8217;t deal with Iran, wielding Scripture with the surgical precision of a blindfolded butcher.
Citing the Beatitudes and the command to &#8220;turn the other cheek,&#8221; Goldberg lamented that her own cheeks are &#8220;getting tired&#8221; from all the slapping.
It’s a touching sentiment, truly. One can almost hear the angels weeping — or perhaps that’s just the sound of anyone who has actually read Romans 13 hitting the floor in a dead faint.
Whoopi, ever the humble scholar, warned her audience that they only have a &#8220;half a quote&#8221; and need to &#8220;get into the Bible-Bible&#8221; to truly understand that being a &#8220;peacemaker&#8221; apparently means letting a theocratic regime develop ICBMs.
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Despite Joy Behar&#39;s refusal to apologize for calling Jesus a &quot;narcissist&quot; for saying he was the Messiah, earlier in the week, Whoopi wants to lecture the faithful on the right about the Bible and war. She says you need to learn about &quot;The Bible-Bible&quot;:
GOLDBERG: But Jesus said,… <a href="https://t.co/YmrDUIsqm4">pic.twitter.com/YmrDUIsqm4</a>
&mdash; Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/2044803372809675171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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It’s a bold move for a woman who <a href="https://church4everychild.org/2015/10/20/if-we-value-life-we-dont-get-to-choose-which-lives-we-value/#:~:text=During%20one%20such%20discussion%20on,be%20reading%20the%20same%20Bible.">previously informed</a> the world that &#8220;there’s nothing in the Book that says anything about abortion.&#8221; Apparently, in Whoopi’s version of the &#8220;Bible-Bible,&#8221; God’s intricate knitting together of an unborn child in the womb mentioned in Psalm 139 was just a suggestion, and the &#8220;sword&#8221; the state bears in Romans 13 is actually a pool noodle used for rhythmic gymnastics.
But Goldberg’s expertise doesn’t stop at foreign policy. She’s also been there to fix the Catholic Church’s administrative issues. When Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone dared to enforce Canon 915 by denying Communion to Nancy Pelosi, Whoopi was there to <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/the-view-whoopi-goldberg-nancy-pelosi-communion-video/">set him straight</a>: &#8220;This is not your job, dude!&#8221;
According to the Gospel of Goldberg, the Eucharist isn’t a sacrament requiring a state of grace; it’s a participation trophy for anyone with a &#8220;View&#8221; microphone.
She’s &#8220;schooling&#8221; us, folks. We just don&#8217;t understand the &#8220;Bible-Bible&#8221; like she does. After all, she played a nun twice.
That’s basically two-thirds of a Trinity.

Whoopi Goldberg

Our Lady Of The Perpetual Habit: Whoopi Goldberg ‘Schools’ Us On The ‘Bible-Bible’ And War

Bible

Iran war

In a blistering rebuke of the Catholic Church’s hierarchy, U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan fired back Monday at high-ranking clergy who have criticized the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement and mass deportation policies.
Speaking after several American cardinals echoed the Vatican’s opposition to the administration’s border strategy, Homan — a lifelong Catholic himself — warned the Church to &#8220;stay out of immigration,&#8221; arguing that religious leaders lack a foundational understanding of the &#8220;atrocities&#8221; occurring at the border.
&#8220;I’m not going to speak for the president; I’m speaking for myself,&#8221; Homan said. &#8220;If they wore my shoes for 40 years, and talked to a 9-year-old girl that got raped multiple times, or stood in the back of a tractor-trailer with 19 dead aliens at my feet &#8230; I think their opinion would change.&#8221;
Homan’s comments follow a high-profile &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; <a href="https://www.cathstan.org/voices/in-60-minutes-interview-three-u-s-cardinals-reflect-on-pope-leos-leadership-and-churchs-opposition-to-iran-war-and-mass-deportation?utm_source=chatgpt.com">interview</a> featuring three prominent U.S. cardinals: Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of San Diego, and Joseph Tobin of Newark. During the segment, Cardinal Tobin stood by his previous characterization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a &#8220;lawless organization,&#8221; claiming the agency &#8220;violates guarantees of our Constitution&#8221; to &#8220;terrify people.&#8221;
The religious leaders argued that the administration’s focus on deporting long-term residents has created a climate of fear so pervasive that attendance at Spanish-language Masses has plummeted by 30 percent in some areas. Cardinal McElroy, while conceding that border crossings had grown &#8220;out of control&#8221; under the previous administration, denounced the current &#8220;roundup&#8221; of people who have lived &#8220;good, strong lives&#8221; in the U.S. for years.
&#8220;I would like to know what Catholics feel about this indiscriminate mass deportation,&#8221; Cardinal Cupich added. &#8220;I think that it’s very clear the American people are saying, ‘We really didn’t vote for this.’&#8221;
However, Homan countered that a secure border is the only moral path, claiming President Trump is &#8220;saving thousands of lives&#8221; by putting human traffickers out of business and bankrupting cartels. &#8220;Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime,&#8221; Homan said, welcoming a direct debate with the clergy.
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Border czar Tom Homan, to question on Trump feud with Pope Leo XIV: &quot;I&#39;m speaking for myself, a lifelong Catholic. I wish they&#39;d stay out of immigration…If they understood the atrocities that happen on an open border, I think their opinion would change.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ZKVgKmy96D">pic.twitter.com/ZKVgKmy96D</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2044152154944860585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The friction between the White House and the Church has reached all the way to the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV, who, as Bishop Robert Prevost in 2018, retweeted a social media post that stated, “There is nothing remotely Christian, American, or morally defensible about a policy that takes children away from their parents and warehouses them in cages. This is being carried out in our name and the shame is on us all,” issued a <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2025/documents/20250210-lettera-vescovi-usa.html#:~:text=Letter%20of%20the%20Holy%20Father,of%20America%20(10%20February%202025)">formal letter</a> to U.S. bishops last year in which he stated, “The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.”
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It&#8217;s fascinating to see what social media reveals about a person before they become the Pope.
Before he became Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost was on Twitter trashing Trump, criticizing Vance, calling for open borders, promoting COVID vaccines, endorsing stricter gun… <a href="https://t.co/B60TqSYk7O">pic.twitter.com/B60TqSYk7O</a>
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) <a href="https://twitter.com/KanekoaTheGreat/status/2044123715865325932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Despite the forceful opposition from the pulpit, a majority of Catholic voters supported President Trump in the last election, gravitating toward his promises of national security and border integrity — a mandate Homan insists the administration is duty-bound to fulfill, regardless of the Vatican&#8217;s &#8220;critical judgment.&#8221;

Tom Homan

Homan Torches Catholic Hierarchy Over Opposition To Trump’s Immigration Policy

Illegal Immigration

On April 6, The Free Press ran a <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/why-the-vatican-and-the-white-house">story</a> claiming the Pentagon summoned the Vatican&#8217;s apostolic nuncio to a meeting, and invoked the Avignon Papacy, threatening the Vatican. The <a href="https://x.com/DOWResponse/status/2042300020494418303">Department of War</a>, <a href="https://x.com/BrianBurchUSA/status/2042307511504519366">Ambassador Brian Burch</a>, and the <a href="https://www.ewtnnews.com/vatican/media-narrative-about-nuncio-s-pentagon-meeting-untrue-vatican-says">Vatican</a> all put out statements saying the &#8220;threatening&#8221; meeting story is completely untrue. DNC progressive Catholic operative Christopher Hale, however, spent all week pushing and amplifying the story even after it was shown to be false.
On April 9, Pope Leo XIV <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/pope-leo-xiv-meeting-david-axelrod-obama-advisor/">met with</a> David Axelrod, the former senior advisor to President Obama. Then, on April 10, the Pope made a clearly <a href="https://x.com/Pontifex/status/2042588417578668338">pacifist, anti-war statement</a> aimed at the Trump administration. To cap it all off, CBS aired a &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; episode on Sunday, April 12, with three of the most liberal cardinals in the American Catholic Church who spoke in opposition to the Iran war and against the deportation of illegal aliens. Meanwhile, social media erupted with provocative arguments over who is to blame for America’s moral and spiritual collapse: Catholics or Protestants?
Without a doubt, there is a political operation underway to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pope-leo-responds-after-trump-calls-him-weak?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Pope+Leo+Responds+After+Trump+Calls+Him+%E2%80%98Weak%E2%80%99">set up a confrontation</a> between the Vatican and the United States. The goal is to divide conservative Catholic voters from the Evangelical bloc — an established and battle-tested political tactic, cynical and craven as it may be. This has the fingerprints of the DNC and NGO operatives all over it, and the liberal progressives within the Catholic Church are working in their service.
Non-Catholic Americans need to understand there is a serious intra-Catholic war going on between the liberal progressives within the Church and those who are trying to keep the Church faithful to its 2,000 years of Biblical teaching. This war has been hot since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. Just like the Protestant progressives, the Catholic Church has a large segment of that generation that wants to do to Catholicism what the Protestant progressives have done elsewhere, not only on issues like abortion, sexuality, and women&#8217;s ordination, but in the liberalizing of the entire political and social order. Decades ago Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger fought hard against Communists and Socialists within the Church who were using Marxist ideology to form what is now called Liberation Theology — a politicization of the Gospel. Cardinal Ratzinger knew it posed a threat to the distinction between Church and State.
As a well-assimilated Iraqi Christian immigrant to America, who journeyed through different Protestant denominations until I converted to Catholicism ten years ago, I can say without a doubt that the only reason there is such a strong, faithful, intelligent, fruitful Catholic community in America is because of the kind of nation our Protestant brethren founded in 1776. Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI praised the freedoms created by the American system — this shared, common freedom Founding Fathers built allows both Protestants/Evangelicals and Catholics to grow without the meddling hand of the government.
One can admire the traditions, customs, and observances of the Catholics in Europe, but they are a small community that hold no sway in the public squares of their countries. In spite of what seems to be a recent increase in Catholic converts in France, Catholicism as an institution, like its political counterpart in Europe has become a “polite and orderly caretakers of the West&#8217;s managed decline,” to use Secretary Marco Rubio&#8217;s words.
Some may boast about the Catholic evangelization of South America centuries ago, but Latin America today offers a different picture: societies in moral decline, an anemic Catholic Church losing people to the Pentecostal movement, and corrupt governments unable to provide even basic safety for their citizens.
American Catholicism has a “conservative” segment for two reasons: the faithful presence of our Evangelical and Protestant brethren, which encourages us to remain steadfast in Scriptural teaching, and the blessed miracle of American religious liberty.
European Catholics complain that American Catholics are more American than Catholic, they phrase it in this way because what they cannot tolerate to say is that American Catholics are overall more faithful Christians than European Catholics. And that faithfulness is the wonderful fruit of being in America.
The reason why America has not fully given itself over to the globalist progressive agenda is due primarily to the Evangelicals who have held the line, and their conservative Catholic counterpart who have partnered with them. These two groups have worked hard together in spite of theological differences. The next destructive ideology that needs defeating is the Islamist totalitarianism of the Islamists seeking world domination. Like Pope John Paul II who stood up against Communism, Pope Leo XIV should be working against that ideology, not chastising the only country in the world that has expansive religious freedoms.
Conservative Christians of all stripes need to see this political op for what it is and hold the line, for the good of us all, and for the good of all American citizens.
* * *
Luma Simms is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Vatican Pool Images 2026

The Real Target In This Vatican Drama Isn’t Rome. It’s American Voters.

60 Minutes

David Axelrod

Democratic National Committee

The Vatican

Pope Leo XIV on Monday pledged to continue speaking out against the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, pushing back on President Donald Trump’s scathing Sunday-night attack against the leader of the Catholic Church.
Trump slammed the American-born Pope <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116394704213456431">in a Truth Social post</a>, calling him &#8220;WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.&#8221;
&#8220;I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.&#8221;
In a <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2043498719270637656?s=20">gaggle with reporters</a>, the president piled on.
&#8220;I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess,&#8221; Trump said at Joint Base Andrews. &#8220;I&#8217;m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He&#8217;s a very liberal person.&#8221;
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Reporter: Why did you attack Pope Leo?
Trump: I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess. We don’t like a pope who says it’s ok to have a nuclear weapon. We don’t want a pope that says crime is ok. I am not a fan of Pope Leo. <a href="https://t.co/cj3oh1jSIL">pic.twitter.com/cj3oh1jSIL</a>
— Acyn (@Acyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/2043498719270637656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
Leo, on his way to Algeria to kick off an <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-africa-pope-angola-cameroon-algeria-equatorial-guinea-1420c2425d627d4f3affc67f2a7c4813" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">11-day tour</a> across Africa, pushed back.
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do,&#8221; Leo told reporters aboard the papal plane. &#8220;We are not politicians. We don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker.”
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In response to a personal attack by President Donald Trump the night before, Pope Leo told journalists on the papal plane to Algeria:
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what… <a href="https://t.co/zV6FuacGSM">pic.twitter.com/zV6FuacGSM</a>
— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) <a href="https://twitter.com/catholicourtney/status/2043619307993665935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Leo stressed that his remarks were not intended as attacks but doubled down on his anti-war stance.
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“I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel and inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible,” Leo <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-pope-leo-xiv-02f6b4554ea4b83af02af15987ae1f2d">told The Associated Press</a>. “Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent people have been killed, and I believe someone must stand up and say that there is a better way.&#8221;
Bishop Robert Barron, who serves on the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty, said Trump owes Leo an apology.
&#8220;The statements made by President Trump on Truth Social regarding the Pope were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful,&#8221; Barron said.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The statements made by President Trump on Truth Social regarding the Pope were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful. They don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation. It is the Pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles that govern the…
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/BishopBarron/status/2043646792890261616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
Tensions between the White House and the Vatican have increased in recent weeks. On April 7, Pope Leo rebuked Trump&#8217;s Easter-Sunday threat against the Islamic Republic of Iran as &#8220;truly unacceptable.&#8221;
Leo has also criticized some of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, calling the treatment of migrants in the United States &#8220;<a href="https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/pope-calls-treatment-migrants-us-extremely-disrespectful">extremely disrespectful</a>.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s broadside against the Pope followed a Sunday-night &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/60Minutes/status/2043471794074448140?s=20">60 Minutes</a>&#8221; episode featuring prominent American cardinals, including Cardinal Joseph Tobin, who blasted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a &#8220;lawless organization.&#8221;
“When they have to hide their identities to terrify people, when they can actually violate other guarantees of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, well, I think somebody&#8217;s got to call that out,” Tobin said.
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Cardinal Joseph Tobin criticizes the Trump administration&#8217;s mass deportation campaign.
“When they have to hide their identities to terrify people, when they can actually violate other guarantees of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, well, I think somebody&#8217;s got to call that… <a href="https://t.co/vvLuOLej18">pic.twitter.com/vvLuOLej18</a>
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/2043471794074448140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
Conservative attorney Mike Davis, an ally of the Trump administration who grew up <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/10/19/mike-davis-trump-judges-maga/">attending Catholic schools</a>, called the Cardinal a &#8220;disgrace.&#8221;
&#8220;He’s taking the side of illegals who kidnap, rob, rape, and murder innocent Americans. And smearing the good men and women of federal immigration enforcement,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/mrddmia/status/2043685985419174280?s=20">Davis said.</a> &#8220;Trafficking illegals is a big moneymaker for the Catholic Church.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This cardinal is a disgrace.
He’s taking the side of illegals who kidnap, rob, rape, and murder innocent Americans.
And smearing the good men and women of federal immigration enforcement.
Trafficking illegals is a big moneymaker for the Catholic Church. <a href="https://t.co/KUg4FLrXmX">pic.twitter.com/KUg4FLrXmX</a>
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrddmia/status/2043685985419174280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>

VATICAN-RELIGION-POPE-CONCLAVE

Pope Leo Responds After Trump Calls Him ‘Weak’

Immigration

On Sunday, CBS’s &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; aired an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikjANzvFuks">interview</a> in which influential American Catholic cardinals criticized President Trump for his war against the tyrannical Iranian regime.
&#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; anchor Norah O’Donnell noted that Pope Leo XIV had “issued a rare condemnation of President Trump&#8217;s threat to destroy Iranian civilization,” adding, “The Pope called it ‘truly unacceptable.’ He also took the unusual step of issuing a call to action.”
She pointed out that in a Palm Sunday homily, the Pope appeared to reference the religious language used by War Secretary Pete Hegseth to frame the Iran war, warning that Jesus does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war. She then asked, “Is this a just war?”
Washington, D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy replied bluntly, “No. Under Catholic teaching, this is not a just war. Catholic faith teaches us that there are certain prerequisites for a just war. You can&#8217;t go for a variety of different aims. You have to have a focused aim, which is to restore justice and restore peace. That&#8217;s it.”
“Iran has been the chief exporter of terror. Is there no scenario in which preventing that can be a just war?” O’Donnell pressed.
“It&#8217;s an abominable regime. And it should be removed,” McElroy answered. “But this is a war of choice that we went to, and I think it&#8217;s embedded in a wider moment in the United States that&#8217;s worrying, which is this: We&#8217;re seeing before us the possibility of war after war after war.”
“We&#8217;re dehumanizing the victims of war by turning the suffering of people and the killing of children and our own soldiers into entertainment,” Cardinal Blaise Cupich of Chicago claimed.
“You called it sickening,” O’Donnell interjected.
“It is sickening,” he replied. “To splice together movie cuts with actual bombing and targeting of people for the purposes of entertainment is sickening. This is not who we are. We&#8217;re better than this.”
In March, McElroy, a frequent critic of the president, <a href="applewebdata://E7896B1D-1B6C-41A3-B04C-EA115012CA33/v">stated</a> that the U.S. war against Iran was not a morally legitimate conflict “because our country was not responding to an existing or imminent and objectively verifiable attack by Iran. &#8230; The criterion of right intention is not met in our country’s decision to attack Iran. &#8230; our current war effort does not meet Catholic just war teaching because it is far from clear that the benefits of this war will outweigh the harm which will be done.”

ITALY-VATICAN-US-RELIGION-POPE-PRESSER

Catholic Bishops Echo Pope, Blast Trump For War Against Iran

In recent days, an exchange between Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump has drawn significant attention.
In a late-night Truth Social blitz Sunday, the president branded the pope “WEAK” on crime and “terrible” on foreign policy. Around 40 minutes after his tirade was posted, Trump uploaded an AI-generated image of himself dressed as Jesus. Both posts dropped as Catholics were celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday and Eastern Orthodox Christians were celebrating Easter.
<iframe class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116394704213456431/embed" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><script src="https://truthsocial.com/embed.js" async="async"></script>
Last week, Pope Leo said Trump’s warning that an “entire civilization will die tonight,” in reference to Iran, was “unacceptable.” The pope has also suggested that a “delusion of omnipotence” is fueling the war between the United States and Iran.
“I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA,” the president blasted. “He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!”
Pope Leo responded to Trump’s threats on Monday, telling reporters, “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do.” He added, “I don’t want to get into a debate with Trump.”
Trump later wrote: “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.” He added: “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
Criticism of a pope falls within the bounds of political and public discourse. Depicting oneself as the Lord Jesus Christ, however, enters into territory Christians have consistently regarded as blasphemous.
The backlash has been swift, including from many who would typically be supportive. Here’s a smattering of social media reactions:
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“Honestly how did he think this was a good move?!?”
“He’s absolutely lost it. He’s become everything the left said he was. Makes me wonder if I was just blind to it.”
“He has now confirmed his own defeat- the Lord will not be mocked.”
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
Now, if I may make a personal request.
As one of those Christians who believe what President Trump has posted is blasphemous, I would ask you to pray for him.
And not only for him, but for all blasphemers.
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New media post from Donald J. Trump
(TS: 12 Apr 21:49 ET)​​​‍​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​‌‍​​​​​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍ <a href="https://t.co/uWUoEG1bSQ">pic.twitter.com/uWUoEG1bSQ</a>
— Commentary: Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpTruthOnX/status/2043523798553743595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Trump Visits Church Across From White House That Was Hit by Fire

Christians Are Right To Be Outraged At Trump’s Blasphemous Post

As we approach the holiest day of the year for the Catholic Church, tens of millions will prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Americans across the country are preparing to join the faith I have belonged to since birth.
Converts to the faith have played a crucial role over the last two millennia, from St. Paul’s journey to Damascus, to St. Augustine&#8217;s departure from a life of debauchery that would make Hugh Hefner blush, to G.K. Chesterton, whose writings still speak to millions nearly a century later, to St. Elizabeth Seton, the first American-born saint.
I firmly believe the Catholic Church is the greatest civil institution ever created. Since its founding, the Church has clothed the naked, educated the young, fed the hungry, tended to the sick, and through divine mercy provided the path to salvation for billions of people.
During the darkest times in human history, the Catholic Church was the only institution that separated the West from barbarism. The very fabric of Western civilization is tied to the history of the Church.
While it’s easy for me to wax poetic about a church I have repeatedly fallen in love with over the years — even with all of its shortcomings — other high-profile converts appear to be using their newfound membership in the Catholic faith as nothing more than a political prop.
It is true, the vast majority of new converts join for all the right reasons. But a small, vocal cadre of political influencers are using their catholicism to build social media platforms, feigning purity as an E-girl or, even worse, promoting antisemitism. It is people doing the latter who pose the most credible threat to the integrity of all Catholics and create a widespread erroneous belief that Catholicism has an issue with Jews.
Unlike many branches of Christianity, the Catholic Church does not demand that the faithful be committed Zionists to receive God’s blessing. Many prominent members of the Church have spoken out about the plight of civilians in Gaza. It seems recent converts to the faith understand those teachings but somehow forget that the Church also rejects any form of antisemitism, condemns hostility toward Jews, and upholds the enduring covenant with the Jewish people as God’s chosen people. They have already become cafeteria Catholics, picking and choosing which parts of the teachings they prefer.
Holding nuanced opinions about sensitive subjects in the Middle East, like America&#8217;s relationship with Israel, can be a tough balancing act for anyone. For the Catholic, however, it is completely possible to be a critic of Middle Eastern affairs without being expressly antisemitic. And your new membership in the Catholic faith should not serve as your call to action against the State of Israel.
Yet for some political influencers, their call to the faith doesn&#8217;t seem rooted in deep devotion or hope for eternal salvation. Rather, their main mission seems to be in &#8220;otherizing&#8221; of those who don’t fall into their particular bubble.
Perhaps the gravest sin in all of this is using Christ and the Church as a political prop. Using a phrase like “Christ is King” — not to celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, the salvation of souls from hell, and His resurrection — but to otherize those of different faiths is no different than taking the Lord’s name in vain.
The phrase “Christ is King” should not be followed by &#8220;Netanyahu should be on trial for war crimes.&#8221;
For those just joining the Church, it is worth remembering that Catholics in this country were long treated as outsiders — feared, condemned, and accused of harboring foreign allegiances. Most cradle Catholics of the Ellis Island stock have a better understanding of that shared history.
Those looking to use the Church as a platform to dictate foreign policy or dismiss the life of other faiths are no less cringeworthy than when priests from the Boomer generation host climate change events or demand that the United States change its immigration laws.
It seems transparent that your membership in this church is one more platform, like a social media account where views and followers are all that matter, not devotion.
These are uneasy times, but it’s in moments of darkness that we as Catholics should look to the saints who have come before us and truly offer our lives to Christ and build the church – not use it for self-advancement.
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Ryan James Girdusky is an author, podcaster, political consultant, and writer whose work has been featured in the Washington Examiner, The American Conservative Magazine, The Week, Human Events, and The Daily Caller. He is the host of “It’s A Numbers Game with Ryan Girdusky” podcast. Follow him on X: @RyanGirdusky
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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The Catholic Convert Boom Is Real But A Troubling Pattern Is Emerging

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I’m a Catholic convert. We <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-catholic-convert-boom-is-real-but-a-troubling-pattern-is-emerging">hear about that</a> a lot lately. Some of the most prominent podcasters, online influencers, and elected officials are announcing their conversions. Rosaries are becoming more prominent, and the Latin Mass is back in vogue.  
Conversion is good, and these conversions align with a positive trend in the Catholic Church. After a 20-year decline in conversions, the Catholic Church has experienced a surge in new members since 2020. Converts in 2025 more than <a href="https://www.osvnews.com/trending-a-young-revival-in-the-faith/">doubled</a> those in 2020. Even Los Angeles <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/news/easter-2025-new-catholics-by-the-numbers?utm_source=chatgpt.com">experienced a 44% year-over-year growth in 2025</a>. The word “Gospel” comes from the Greek “euangelion,” which means “good news.” This is the good news.
But it comes with some tension. Some of the largest converts leverage their massive online followings and media audiences to proclaim their conversions to the world. Algorithms reward visibility, announcement, and identity signaling. This actually fits perfectly into conversion, which is declarative, shareable, and witnessed by an audience.
But this contrasts sharply with Holy Week, which is quiet, uncomfortable, and non-performative in its nature. This week is about ensuring we don’t skip the part of our faith that actually defines it. Today’s culture emphasizes performance, but Holy Week emphasizes discernment. Rather than partaking in passive activities such as sitting and scrolling, Catholics are taught to participate in Holy Week. Mass attendees take part in the full reading of the Passion on Palm Sunday, and we fast, abstain, and worship on Good Friday.
So, I’m urging my fellow Catholics — and specifically, my fellow converts — not to squander this week but to embrace the elements of our faith that actually define it. To bridge the gap between “becoming a Catholic” and what the faith actually asks of you.
I’ll never forget my first Holy Week. I was confused about what could be “good” about the Friday on which Christ was crucified, not knowing that good means “holy” and this was the day his suffering delivered redemption and his death gave us life. In my early years of conversion, Holy Week was something I observed, but over time, it has become something I live.
Easter aligns with cultural preferences for joy, victory, and public celebrations. This fits into our modern instincts of resolution, progress, and clean endings. While social media favors identity over transformation and announcement over discipline, there are very few hashtags for silence, repentance, and interior change. You can “like” Easter. You can post Easter.
But Easter without Good Friday is incomplete. Good Friday requires a specific tone that would be punished in any online algorithm. Two days before the culmination of Lent, we emphasize silence and a reflective slowness. There is no spectacle or performative payoff. You spend a day sitting with the heavy responsibility of carrying the faith forward. For me, my first Good Friday was quite dark. The kids were off from school, but this was no vacation. Good Friday is a day to log spiritual hours.
My fellow Catholic and friend Arthur Brooks has made a career out of proving that <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/arthur-brooks-why-your-perfect-life-feels-so-empty">“meaning” is a key ingredient to a happy life.</a> Holy Week gives meaning to our Catholic faith, and we should use this week to help accelerate the positive conversion trends in our church. It’s good that people are coming in, but it can’t stop at one’s announcement. Interest must lead to commitment. The internet can celebrate conversion, but only real life can sustain it. Jesus Christ’s faith doesn’t fit neatly into our algorithms today. If that’s where your faith is performing best, you may have skipped the part that actually changes you.
Pope John Paul II often discussed the divided life. He cautioned against separating spiritual values from one’s daily actions and promoted a unified life fixed in God’s eternal love. This is a message I hope my fellow converts will heed — especially those who lead <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-a-social-media-influencer-but-my-real-audience-isnt-the-internet">very public lives</a>, reaching audiences far larger than any single congregation or diocese. I pray they are participating in all of the activities of Holy Week, not just outwardly, but internally. Like prayer, Holy Week is an external sign of inward grace. And our culture is craving grace right now.
I’ll let Jesus in Matthew 16:24-25 have the last word: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it.”
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Gates Garcia is the host of the YouTube show and podcast We The People with Gates Garcia. Follow him on X and Instagram @GatesGarciaFL.

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