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Conservative Catholics clash with Pope Leo XIV over immigration
Prominent conservative Catholic voices in the U.S. are openly challenging Pope Leo XIV's criticisms of the Trump administration's immigration policies, creating a sharp rift within the Church and American politics.
Romero's rebuke: 'Stay in your lane'
Jesse Romero, a conservative Catholic podcaster and Donald Trump supporter, accused the Pope of overstepping his authority by weighing in on government policies. "The Pope should tell us how to get to heaven," Romero said. "He has no authority over the government; he has to stay in his lane."
Romero's frustration stems from Pope Leo XIV's repeated condemnations of mass deportation efforts, including a November statement invoking the Gospel of Matthew: "Jesus says very clearly, at the end of the world, we're going to be asked, 'How did you receive the foreigner?'"
Bishops back Pope in rare intervention
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) echoed the Pope's concerns in a rare "Special Message," calling for an end to "dehumanizing rhetoric and violence" against immigrants. The statement, supported by 216 bishops with only five dissenting, marked the first such intervention in 12 years. Pope Leo XIV praised the message as "very important" and urged Catholics to "listen carefully."
White House officials pushed back. Border czar Tom Homan, a Catholic, dismissed the Church's stance as "wrong," while Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected the Pope's characterization of U.S. immigration policies as "inhuman."
Political fault lines
Catholics remain a pivotal voting bloc, with one in five Americans identifying as members of the faith. Key Trump allies-including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon-are Catholic, and their influence has amplified tensions over immigration.
David Gibson, director of Fordham University's Center on Religion and Culture, described the dynamic as "unprecedented." "The government's calculation is that enough American Catholics-especially white Catholics-support Trump to make picking a fight with the Pope politically beneficial," he said.
A Public Religion Research Institute study found 60% of white Catholics approve of Trump's immigration policies, compared to 30% of Hispanic Catholics, who make up 37% of the U.S. Catholic population.
Grassroots resistance
In Chicago, parishioner Jeanne Rattenbury joined a 2,000-strong "People's Mass" outside an ICE detention center, part of a protest demanding religious access for detained immigrants. The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL), which organized the event, has since filed a federal lawsuit alleging blocked ministry efforts.
"I am proud to be a Catholic when the Church, from the Pope to the bishops, says immigrants have a right to be treated with respect,"
Jeanne Rattenbury, St. Gertrude Catholic Church
In Massachusetts, St. Susanna Parish's Christmas nativity scene sparked controversy by replacing baby Jesus with a sign reading "ICE was here." The Archdiocese of Boston ordered its removal, calling the display divisive, but the church has yet to comply.
Bishops warn of 'indiscriminate' deportations
Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima, Washington, one of the bishops who backed the USCCB's statement, criticized current policies as inconsistent with Catholic teaching. "The deportations we're seeing are not surgical or targeted to criminals," he said, estimating that half the families in his diocese face immigration status issues.
Tyson highlighted the precarious position of immigrant clergy, noting that over a third of his ordained priests once held temporary visas. "We have our men carrying their papers at all times," he said.
"It should weigh heavily on the consciences of Catholics in public life who support indiscriminate deportation. It is inconsistent with the Gospel of Life."
Bishop Joseph Tyson
Romero's counterargument
Romero, however, accused the Pope and bishops of straying from Catholic doctrine. "We have a large swath of bishops with a modernist, liberal view of Scripture," he said. While acknowledging their spiritual authority, he added, "They're men. The only person who is sinless is Jesus."
As the debate intensifies, the U.S. Catholic Church-historically an "immigrant church," per Gibson-faces an existential question: Can it reconcile its teachings with the political priorities of its conservative members?
