The second Trump administration has surfaced a growing divide. No, it is not the President’s quarrel with former “Governor” Justin Trudeau of the 51st state. Nor is it the long-documented divide between MAGA and the “swamp” establishment. Though typically shrouded in colloquial nuance, the advent of a new conservative administration in the United States has highlighted the divide between American Catholics and the Roman Church.
One need look no further than Pope Francis’s admonishment of Catholic-convert Vice President Vance. Vance’s offense was expressing the longstanding Catholic view that a hierarchy of importance exists — an ordo amoris — for faithful Christians when deciding whether to protect their family or strangers. The Vatican has also criticized the President’s policies, particularly on promoting life, geopolitics, and, most notably, immigration. While the Church has historically offered political guidance, it has largely stayed out of direct engagement with American domestic policies. Pope Francis has upended this norm.
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