![Pope Leo XIV (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump [Photo=Reuters]](https://cdn-union.viewus.co/contents/crawler-dev/image/2026/04/CP-2023-0070/image-98c8e2ef-48ee-47d3-8cd6-abad7242176c.jpeg)
On the 16th (local time), the Wall Street Journal reported that the dispute has spread beyond the church and into major Catholic communities in Pittsburgh, Boston and Miami.
Even some Catholics who supported Trump in three elections say he crossed a line this time. One Republican-leaning Catholic criticized Trump for using harsh language about Iran on Easter and for attacking Pope Leo, and said they could no longer support him after he posted an AI image portraying himself as Jesus.
But many Catholics remain loyal to Trump. Some argue the pope should not become entangled in partisan politics, and they defended the AI image as satire. Among Boston Catholics, one common sentiment was, “Let the pope tend to the church and let the president run the country.”
Abortion remains the central factor keeping many Catholics with Trump. The WSJ reported that Catholics who are put off by Trump’s rhetoric or behavior still stick with the Republican Party because of its anti-abortion stance and conservative Supreme Court appointments, which helps explain why the controversy has not yet led to significant defections.
Pope Leo XIV made clear he will not back down. He told reporters, “I am not afraid of the Trump administration, nor of proclaiming the Gospel loudly.” He said it is his duty to speak out on issues of war and peace and on human dignity.
U.S. Catholic leaders also defended the pope’s role. Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Archdiocese of Miami said, “Conflicts between the pope and secular power are nothing new.” He added that the pope should speak according to matters of faith rather than to placate anyone, and suggested the current tensions could ease if frank dialogue continues.
