The Red-Blue Divide in the American Catholic Church

PANEL: The Red-Blue Divide in the American Catholic Church (International Center for Religion & Diplomacy)

Is there a true Catholic politics in America, a set of political positions one could trace to the culture and principles of the Roman Catholic Church? With major national politicians as ideologically diverse as J.D. Vance and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Joe Biden and Marco Rubio, Clarence Thomas and Nancy Pelosi, Catholicism in America would seem to have depolarized across the parties, while polarizing within itself. Catholics across the political spectrum hold church-affiliated positions on issues as far-ranging as the status of undocumented immigrants and the status of abortion post-Roe v. Wade, from religious liberty issues to social justice issues, but their critics often suggest they do so selectively, on the basis of political priorities.

Where does this come from? Is Catholicism conservative or liberal? Does one’s faith inform one’s politics, or does one’s politics inform one’s faith? Are there genuine theological divides beneath this, for example, between Jesuit-influenced, Dominican-influenced, Franciscan-influenced, and other traditions within the Church? Is this unique to America, or are there similar trends in Catholicism around the world, for example in the many different opinions of the directions Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, and Pope Leo XIV have shepherded the Church?

Whether you're seeing red or feeling blue, join the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, with our friends at Wisdom of Crowds and our hosts at The Hertog Foundation, for an exploration by American lay Catholic thinkers on these themes, and their implications for the study and practice of depolarization in religious communities more broadly.

Leah Libresco Sargent is a frequent contributor to various Catholic and Christian magazines including First Things, Commonweal, and America, and the author of the books “Arriving at Amen” and “Building the Benedict Option.”

Santiago Ramos is a frequent contributor to various Catholic and Christian magazines including Plough, National Catholic Reporter, Commonweal, and America, and the Executive Editor at Wisdom of Crowds.

Luke Nathan Phillips is a writer, tour guide, and event MC based in Northern Virginia.

The event will start at 5:00 with some light food and refreshment and the panel will begin at 5:30.

We will also be livestreaming this event on our YouTube.

Faith & the Future: The Church in a Shifting America (Tablet)

Tuesday 17 June 2025 | 6:00–7:00 PM (BST)

Join us for this timely Pastoral Review webinar exploring how faith, identity, and public life intersect in America today. From presidential policies to pastoral care, we’ll discuss the Church’s evolving role in a divided society.

Key questions:

What challenges and opportunities has the new presidency brought?
How are U.S. Catholics engaging with today’s political realities?
What does the future hold for the Catholic voice in American public life?

Register here

Surely, ICE would allow detainees to receive communion.

Nope.

https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/faith-leaders-blocked-from-sharing-communion-d...

Ryan Burge | {April 10, 2026, Facebook}
Ryan Burge is a professor of practice at the Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University. He's also a former pastor in the American Baptist Church. His newsletter is Graphs about Religion.
https://www.facebook.com/ryanburgewrites

78% of Boomer Catholics are white.
14% are Hispanic.

46% of Gen Z Catholics are white.
36% are Hispanic.

Racial Composition of {US?} Catholic Adults by Generation
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=960722873204304&set=a.154524980490768

Finding God in the Big Apple: Catholic missionaries reach out to young adults (NCR)

This Easter, the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg witnessed an unusual sight: About a dozen Catholics from Italy, Brazil and Colombia, mostly in their 20s and 30s, were handing out prayer cards to passersby and saying, "He is alive!" Some days this group visits homeless shelters. Other days, they host music festivals. This community of young Catholics is a new phenomenon in the area, the project of missionaries from the Shalom Catholic Community at the San Damiano Mission in Brooklyn...

Indiana bishops put Eucharist at center of call to 'integral ecology' in new pastoral (NCR)

Anew pastoral letter from Indiana's Catholic bishops calls on the faithful to see God-given human life and creation as interwoven, and to live "eucharistic lives as we care for both our human community and for God's good world." On April 8, the Indiana Catholic Conference made public "Integral Ecology: A Sacramental Vision," a 32-page document that is addressed both to Christians and to "all people of good will in the state of Indiana." Written during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope and finalized Holy Thursday April 2, the bishops' pastoral "reflects on the social and ecological challenges of our time" through a Christian understanding of that virtue, according to a press release announcing the document. The letter was commended by Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, who extended Pope Leo XIV's blessing to the bishops. Drawing on an array of sources — including Scripture, papal teaching, saints' writings, scientific research and government data — the bishops wrote, "The social, economic, and political reality of human life and poverty is not disconnected from environmental issues concerning polluted air, water, and land, decreasing biodiversity, and habitat destruction." Rather, the bishops said, "human ecology and natural ecology are united in what Pope Francis called 'integral ecology,'" referencing the late pope's 2015 encyclical Laudato Si'...

‘It’s kind of a tough situation’: US Catholics torn in feud between president and the pope (Guardian)

Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV polarizing the diverse community as faith and politics come to a head... An age of political outrage has eroded Americans’ capacity for shock. But the response by Trump and other Republican leaders and supporters to criticism from Pope Leo XIV against the war in Iran has tested that proposition... Marshall ascribed Trump’s conduct this week to the president’s fundamental difficulty processing the soft power of an American pope, and the challenge that poses to Trump’s sense of self as the most powerful person in the world. The pope “is in charge of 1.4 billion – not million, billion – people and he has the nerve to interject his moral authority into the activity of President Trump? I really think that is the origin story. It’s a philosophical conundrum that President Trump was never prepared for and I think he’s still trying to figure out how to navigate it”... The papacy has grown more critical of American policy since the end of Benedict’s leadership of the church, with Francis making the treatment of immigrants and refugees central to church teachings. And yet, about half of Catholics still chose to vote for Trump... According to a poll conducted between 20 and 23 March by Shaw & Company Research and Beacon Research, Trump had been losing support from Catholic voters even before his explosive comments about Leo or posting an AI image of himself as Christ on social media. Support had fallen to 48%, with 52% expressing disapproval. The poll also noted sharp divisions within the faith on Trump, with 40% of Catholic voters expressing strong disapproval and 23% expressing approval...

Why did Americans think that a man who had taken Peruvian citizenship was going to be an 'American Pope'? That he didn't bother with the red tape and cost involved in getting rid of his American passport, and continued to use it when travelling is very understandable. But I almost never see Leo described as the Peruvian Pope, which would be a lot more accurate.

>8 MarthaJeanne: If he makes any money personally (which he probably doesn't, as a priest), he pays federal income tax to the United States, no matter where he lives.

Obviously I don't know how his mind operates for the mundane details of life, but there's more likely to be a US embassy in places where he might go, rather than Peruvian embassies. If he needed assistance in his travels when he was younger, that could be a reason for retaining a US passport.

It is difficult to disengage from US citizenship. Here's a link to the form you would use to renounce citizenship:

https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i8854

>9 MsMixte: Yes, I've looked at it. It used to be that if you took another citizebship you lost the US one, but now getting rid of the US one is a major (and expensive) hassle. Unless you earn a lot of money, the income tax is a hassle, but probably not expensive. If you don't live in the US most reasonable income exempt. The big advantage tp a US passport when travelling is not consulabr help (which I last used over 50 years ago), but is ease of crossing borders. Getting visas can be difficult even for bishops. (Anglican anyway, but I assume it is similar for RC. The specific cases I knew about were for the UK, which should have made it easier for Anglican bishops.)

But none of that has to do with putting the birth citizenship before the aquired one. Pope Leo is American by accident of birth. He is Peruvian by his personal, adult choice. I would not expect him to be waving a US flag around, even if he weren't pope. And if he could be expected to do that, he would never have been elected.

The U.S. turns 250: Celebrate with the saints and a nationwide novena (Vatican News)

Fireworks, hot dogs, and patriotic songs will be everywhere in the United States this weekend as the country celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding. But in the midst of all the celebrations, one priest is turning the focus to prayer and unity...