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)
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 February
2025-02-01 Pope Francis and the church rebuked the Trump administration repeatedly for their immigration policies and cruelties, for JD Vance’s sudden switch to Christianity, and for Trump supporters boasting about Christian values they don’t live.
https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/francis-trump-vance-migration-usccb-oleynick
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/23/pope-francis-jd-vance-meeting
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, requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms. State Representative James Talrico sparred with Noble and ended the debate by stating “forcing religion down throats is not love”.
2025 June
2025-06-01 Religious leaders vehemently condemned the Big Beautiful Bill, and GOP leaders using prayer to ask for the passage of bills that would hurt the most vulnerable. All to benefit the rich.
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
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 The Pentagon made threats to the new Pope after the Pope criticized Trump. Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby said (according to quotes in articles) “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 and Pope Leo XIV got into it over the war in Iran. 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 Leao 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 ARTICLE: Catholic Bishops Deliver Brutal Slap-Down to Convert Vance (The Daily Beast 04/15). Top Catholic advisers to the Pope backed him up after Vance said the Pope should “be careful talking about theology”.
SUBSCRIPTION WALL https://www.thedailybeast.com/catholic-bishops-deliver-brutal-slap-down-to-convert-jd-vance-after-lecturing-pope-leo-xiv-on-theology/
2026-04-15 Mike Johnson argued that Pope Leo should not have condemned the war, stating, “There’s something called the Just War Doctrine…”. The Poper corrected Johnson by explaining the doctrine is only in self-defense once ALL PEACE EFFORTS HAVE FAILED, and then later wrote on social media, “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth” and warned that the world is currently “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
2026-04-24 The DOJ ramped up their push for more capital punishment in States, including more lethal injections and firing squads, and removing the right to clemency and pardons for death row inmates. The Vatican admonished the push, and Pope Leo said it is inadmissible and attacks human dignity.
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 visited the Vatican for a private media with Pope Leo after the Trump administration’s repeated attack at the Pope for not supporting war.