The Unlikely Challenger: Catholic Church Takes On Trump Administration
An unexpected political force is emerging to challenge Donald Trump's presidency: the Catholic Church under Pope Leo XIV. The American-born pontiff has positioned himself at the forefront of growing religious opposition to the Trump administration's policies on immigration, civil rights, and economic inequality.
Bishops Throw Down the Gauntlet
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a special message this month directly confronting several key Trump administration policies. The statement expressed strong opposition to what it described as indiscriminate mass deportation and condemned the climate of fear created by current immigration enforcement.
Citing the operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, the bishops highlighted several concerning developments: profiling of vulnerable citizens, shocking conditions in detention centres, and lack of access to pastoral care for those detained. Official figures indicate more than 2 million undocumented immigrants have been removed this year, with record numbers currently in detention.
The American Pope Takes a Stand
Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV has become increasingly vocal in his criticism since his election in May 2025. Earlier this month, he directly challenged ICE to rethink its demonisation of migrants and criticised lethal US strikes on suspected drug smugglers off Venezuela's coast, warning that violence would ultimately prove counterproductive.
The Pope has also taken on Trump's environmental record, telling the COP30 climate conference that God's creation is crying out for action in a direct challenge to the administration's climate-crisis denial. His outspoken stance has earned him the nickname the woke pope from conservative critics, though he maintains support from Catholic leadership.
Grassroots Movement Gains Momentum
Organised opposition to Trump among Catholic and other faith groups is spreading rapidly at grassroots level. From New Jersey to California, parish priests and pastors are leading local protests, boycotts and initiatives to counter what they see as ICE's depredations.
According to Maria J Stephan, a specialist in non-violent civil resistance, Catholics are particularly well positioned to lead such a movement. Approximately 22% of US adults identify as Catholic, with more than four in ten being immigrants or children of immigrants. Many are directly affected by current policies, living in fear of detention or experiencing attacks on civil rights protections.
The church has also launched critiques of Trump's fiscal legislation, accusing the administration of unconscionable cuts in healthcare and food assistance alongside unjustifiable tax breaks for wealthier Americans. Wheaton College professor Esau McCaulley noted that Catholic teaching compels the faithful to uphold human dignity, making such policies difficult to reconcile with religious values.
Political Divisions Within the Faith
Despite the growing opposition movement, American Catholics remain politically divided. Trump won 55% of Catholic votes in the last election, though support has dropped significantly since then. The situation reflects broader divisions within Christianity, where fundamentalists and Christian nationalists have often allied with Trump and right-wing populists in Britain and Europe.
Commentator David Brooks observed that Christian nationalism is particular rather than universal, focused on protecting us against them and more concerned with power than love. This ideological divide mirrors the stark political polarization affecting secular society.
A Moral Counterweight to Executive Power
With other institutions struggling to check presidential power—the Supreme Court packed with conservative justices, Congress divided along partisan lines, and media facing constant legal threats—the Catholic Church emerges as a potentially significant counterweight. Pope Leo XIV, at 70 years old with a lifetime appointment, possesses the moral authority, political savvy and international standing to challenge Trump on multiple fronts.
The Pope could potentially influence administration policy on poverty, inequality, migration, civil rights, Russia, Palestine and other pressing international issues. As Simon Tisdall notes, the American pope might accomplish what other institutions cannot: shame and tame the monster through moral persuasion and international pressure.
Whether this religious challenge will significantly impact Trump's policies remains uncertain. But with the photograph of Pope Leo XIV meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice-President Marco Rubio in the Vatican in May 2025 symbolising this new diplomatic front, the stage is set for an unprecedented confrontation between spiritual and political power.
