I was heading to church last month for Mass to celebrate the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, when I scrolled through Instagram and saw former President Donald Trump share an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. I felt outraged by this political exploitation of a sacred image.
But this wasn't an isolated incident. Groups like the Napa Institute have embraced the Virgin's image while praising a candidate whose policies are overtly anti-immigrant. At the Conservative Political Action Conference, Catholic members of the Republican Party expressed their devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe, even as the event was marked by anti-immigrant rhetoric. In Florida, Latino conservatives even presented Trump with an image of the Virgin during a campaign event.
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