Religious Leaders Against Trump Regime
Context and Interesting Finds
(this article is from 2017)
https://theconversation.com/taxing-the-rich-to-help-the-poor-heres-what-the-bible-says-88627
(this is from 1961 when Pope John wrote taxation must be proportioned to the capacity of the people contributing)
(this is from 2013 when the Pope denounced the trickle down economy concept)
2018
2018-05-08 Pope Francis warned people not to enter dialogue with the devil, calling the devil “The Great Liar”. Pope Francis issued a second warning in 2020, telling people not to have dialogue with the devil, adding that Jesus himself does not enter dialogue with the devil. In 2023 Pope Francis issued a third and final warning not to enter dialogue with the devil. Pope Francis then rebuked the Trump administration for their immigration policy and cruelty, and for JD Vance’s sudden switch to Christianity. He passed away on April 21, 2025 after a visit from JD Vance.
2020 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-03/pope-francis-angelus-first-sunday-lent.html
REBUKE: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/francis-trump-vance-migration-usccb-oleynick
DEATH: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/23/pope-francis-jd-vance-meeting
2022
2022-11-05 A pastor at Stuarts Draft Baptist Church was fired for delivering a sermon in opposition to Trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h098Z6g6pCE&list=WL&index=7
2024
2024-02-01 Minister Brad Onishi observed the religious extremism of Christian nationalism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgC7YQAtGOw&list=WL&index=1
2024-04-11 Pastors respond after Trump claimed Christianity is under attack. In this video, interviewees likened Trump to Jesus Christ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqmcPTi0N7Q&list=WL&index=2
2024-10-18 Pastor Sean Feucht spread a message of concern about the rise of Christian nationalism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9-jhhnZ1JU&list=WL&index=2
2025 January
2025-01-20 During the inauguration Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde begged for mercy on behalf of immigrants and LGBTQ+ people. Both Fox News and Charlie Kirk condemned Bishop Budde, calling her a “disgrace” and an “embarrassment”. Trump demanded an apology from Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde.
Bishop Budde also received multiple hostile and trolling attacks on social media.
https://x.com/tompawnbadil/status/1882115502061068777
https://x.com/GrahamAllen/status/1881765320890962170
https://x.com/RepMikeCollins/status/1881765967338131546
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOkwPbn-fng
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dcp-fJhM6U
2025 March
2025-03-13 Jewish protesters flooded Trump Tower to lobby against the arrest of a pro-Palestinian activist.
2025 April
2025-04-30 Polls from Interfaith Alliance show most Americans oppose focus against Christian discrimination rather than discrimination against all religions.
2025 May
2025-05-21 Senate Bill SB10 was introduced to require display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Representative James Talarico argued against the measure, “forcing religion down throats is not love”.
2025 June
2025-06-01 Religious leaders vehemently condemned GOP members and the Big Beautiful Bill for hurting the most vulnerable.
https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/ncc-condemns-big-brutal-bill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW7KJXKYsSQ&list=WL&index=6
https://mazon.org/news/blog/faith-leaders-unite-in-call-to-protect-snap-and-medicaid
https://www.ncronline.org/news/one-big-beautiful-bill-takes-poor-give-wealthy-usccb-says
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/25/no-kings-protests-donald-trump/
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/some-religious-leaders-say-opposition-trump-matter-faith
https://religionunplugged.com/news/when-who-and-what-of-a-new-christian-protest-against-trump
2025 September
2025-09-20 Faith leaders held a prayer march in front of Naval Station Great Lakes in Chicago demanding ICE agents leave.
2025 November
2025-11-13 The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops rebuked the mass deportations, calling it “dehumanizing rhetoric and violence”.
https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/us-bishops-fall-plenary-assembly-meet-november-10-13
https://www.denvercatholic.org/us-bishops-issue-a-special-message-on-immigration
2026 February
2026-02-09 A group of multifaith organizations sued Trump’s “Religious Liberty Commission” for a lack of diversity.
2026-02-10 Buddhist monks walked 108 days from Texas to Washington DC in a walk for peace.
2026 April
2026-04-01 Pope Leo condemned the war in Iran, saying leaders who start wars have hands full of blood. He said, “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood”. This came after Pete Hegseth prayed for “overwhelming violence” against his enemies, invoking the name of Jesus Christ for bloodshed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyPPkp36nso&list=WL&index=2
https://ewtnvatican.com/articles/pope-leo-xiv-god-does-not-hear-prayers-for-war
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/04/pope-says-that-god-doesnt-listen-to-donald-trumps-prayers/
https://www.ms.now/opinion/pete-hegseth-pope-leo-iran-war
2026-04-03 Leader of the Archdiocese for Military Services Timothy Broglio rebuked Hegseth for invoking Jesus to stoke war with Iran.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/militarys-top-catholic-rebukes-pentagon-pete-for-war-boasts/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/03/us-military-archbishop-iran
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Nru2b0Iz5qo
2026-04-08 Pentagon official Elbridge Colby threatened Pope Leo XIV, saying, “The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qZkia_-POE&list=WL&index=6&t=27s
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pentagon-threatened-pope-criticized-trump-212552754.html
https://www.thefp.com/p/why-the-vatican-and-the-white-house
PAY WALL https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-official-gives-vatican-bitter-lecture-amid-growing-rift/
2026-04-13 Trump admonished Pope Leo XIV for not supporting war. Trump said, “He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime. He’s a man that doesn’t think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world. I’m not a fan of Pope Leo”. Pope Leo said, “I have no fear of the Trump administration”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTyOEgTKC2k&list=WL&index=1&t=228s
https://apnews.com/article/trump-pope-leo-xiv-02f6b4554ea4b83af02af15987ae1f2d
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/13/us/trump-news
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5827819-live-updates-trump-iran-pope-leo/
https://www.axios.com/2026/04/13/trump-pope-leo-catholic-swing-voters
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp841y07w5xo
PAY WALL https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/04/13/pope-leo-president-trump-feud/
2026-04-15 JD Vance and Mike Johnson lashed out at the Pope for criticizing Trump’s elective war in Iran. Vance threatened the Pope should “be careful talking about theology,” while Johnson cited “Just War Doctrine.” The Pope later warned against manipulating religion for political, economic, or military purposes and condemned a world “ravaged by a handful of tyrants.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taNi3btpaLs&list=WL&index=1
https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/04/16/pope-leo-cameroon-peace/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/news-wrap-pope-warns-of-tyrants-spending-billions-on-wars https://catholicreview.org/us-bishops-doctrine-chair-defends-churchs-just-war-tradition-after-vance-comments/
SUBSCRIPTION WALL https://www.thedailybeast.com/catholic-bishops-deliver-brutal-slap-down-to-convert-jd-vance-after-lecturing-pope-leo-xiv-on-theology/
SUBSCRIPTION WALL https://www.thedailybeast.com/catholic-bishops-deliver-brutal-slap-down-to-convert-jd-vance-after-lecturing-pope-leo-xiv-on-theology/
2026-04-24 The DOJ pushed expanded capital punishment measures, drawing condemnation from the Vatican and Pope Leo.
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/24/nx-s1-5798990/doj-firing-squads-executions-trump-capital-punishment
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/25/g-s1-118767/pope-leo-trump-death-penalty
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doj-reinstates-firing-squads-pentobarbital-federal-executions/
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-doj-expediting-death-penalties-11874992
https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1437806/dl?inline
PAY WALL https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg73l2d079ko
2026 May
2026-05-07 Marco Rubio met privately with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican after months of public disagreements between the administration and the Pope
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYDam-6Xgro&list=WL&index=7
2026 July
2026-07-02 The largest Presbyterian denomination in the US denounced Israel, declared Israel’s assault on Gaza a genocide, and divested from Palantir and GE for funding the genocide.
https://www.newarab.com/news/us-presbyterian-church-votes-recognise-gaza-genocide