Division Grows Among U.S. Catholics Over Trump Policies

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 13 April 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For decades, the top political issue for many U.S. Catholics has been abortion. But, a recent article in “The Atlantic” argues that the focus has shifted to opposing the Trump administration’s harsh immigration policies and enforcement. Pope Leo, the first American to head the Catholic Church, has criticized and rebuffed Trump’s policies, statements and acts of war as contrary to church teaching and Christian values. We’ll talk about political tensions U.S. Catholics are grappling with and how that relates to our broader political system. Guests: Christopher Hale, a progressive Catholic and political operative who writes the Letters from Leo Substack Francis X. Rocca, contributing writer, The Atlantic, He is also the Vatican editor at EWTN News Amirah Orozco, theologian, research assistant and doctoral candidate, University of Notre Dame Dónal Godfrey, university chaplain, University of San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:36.5	Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal. This morning, we're talking about the fascinating situation among U.S. Catholics. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, abortion has become a more muted political issue. And meanwhile, the Trump administration's immigration policies, among other things, have caused
0:55.6	consternation among an increasingly Latino American Catholic population.
1:01.3	And that was before Pope Leo, the first American pope, began to criticize the Trump administration's
1:06.1	positions, and President Trump called the Pope, weak on crime.
1:10.7	Here to discuss, we've got Francis X. Raca, he's a contributor to the president of the president and President Trump called the Pope Week on Crime.
1:14.3	Here to discuss, we've got Francis X. Raca.
1:20.5	He's a contributing writer at the Atlantic, also the Vatican editor at EWTN News.
1:21.2	Welcome, Francis.
1:25.6	Glad to be here. Thank you very much.
1:27.2	Yeah, great to have you. We also have Amira Orozco, who's a theologian and a research assistant and doctoral candidate at the University of Notre Dame. Welcome.
1:35.7	Great. Thanks for having me. And we have Donald Godfrey, University Chaplain at the University of San Francisco. Welcome.
1:43.8	Thank you. Good morning.
1:45.0	So this is, we have to start this morning with this long and typically kind of rambling post on truth social by the president about Pope Leo.
1:55.0	And just so we all have it on the table for those who haven't read it or seen news about it.
2:01.1	I'm just going to read the first part of it here.
2:03.3	This is President Trump posting on true social.
	...

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