Maryellen Lewicki attends Bible study with Catholic women in Decatur, Georgia, where politics is usually avoided. But Donald Trump’s name often comes up. One member prays daily that God will soften the president’s heart. The group’s parish, St Thomas More, leans progressive, and Trump’s recent image of himself as Christ healing the sick has done little to sway opinion.
The feud between Trump and Pope Leo XIV has tested American Catholics. The pope, himself an American, has criticised the war in Iran and the treatment of refugees. On Palm Sunday, he condemned using religion to justify violence. In response, Trump called the pope “weak on crime” and suggested his papacy was due to him.
“If you’re an American, you don’t want to see your president having a feud with the pope,” said Catholic conservative Taylor Marshall. “And if you’re Catholic, it’s kind of hard.” He described Trump’s difficulty processing the pope’s moral authority over 1.4 billion people.
About 53 million Americans are Catholic, roughly one in five voters. Trump won 52% of the Catholic vote in 2016 and 55% in 2024. However, white Catholics increasingly align with Republicans, while over 60% of Hispanic Catholics vote Democrat. The pope’s criticism of US policy has not deterred roughly half of Catholics from supporting Trump.
