The Church's Role in Politics and the Catholic Politician's Response

The recent back and forth between President Trump and Pope Leo concerning the conflict in Iran has gotten much attention and renewed the debate over how much the Church should be involved with politics. Vice President J.D. Vance and Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, both of whom are Catholic, have said that the pope should stick to matters of morality and leave political matters to the civil authorities. However, the Church teaches that the pope has the right to comment on political matters when they concern the common good and the upholding of moral truths.

In an article from Catholic Answers, Fr. Samuel Keyes points out that humanity itself is political, meaning that it has always sought to make decisions and work things out together. Since Christianity, and in particular Catholicism, is concerned with the salvation of humanity, it will inevitably find itself encountering issues that involve political life, morality, and the common good all at once. Thus, when any member of the clergy feels that they must speak out on a political issue for the good of the people and the salvation of souls, they have a right to do so and politicians should not criticize them for it. It is true that Pope Leo’s statements condemning all war and so seeming to advocate for a kind of absolute pacifism are problematic, but at the same time making a blanket statement that the pope should focus on moral issues and leave politics to the authorities isn’t acceptable either, especially coming from a Catholic.

President Trump’s attack on Pope Leo following the pontiff’s statement about the war in Iran was very concerning, as he treated Pope Leo as if he were a politician, calling him “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy.” He also said that Pope Leo would not be pope if Trump weren’t in the White House. The pope is the Vicar of Christ, not a politician or like any world leader, and his election has nothing to do with another world leader being in power. What was even more troublesome was Vice President Vance’s response. When asked on Fox News about what Trump had said, he replied that he thinks that it is a good thing when the president says what he wants and that he doesn’t use someone to edit his statements before he sends them out. When someone says something that is inaccurate and even disparaging about another person, particularly the pope, the Catholic’s response should not be to stand by and celebrate that person’s right to say what they want because of free speech, but to admonish and correct them with love and compassion. That is the leader of YOUR Church and Christ’s representative on earth; stand up for him just as you would stand up for Christ.

Being political is part of humanity and so the Church has a right to speak out on political issues because She is concerned with humanity’s salvation. A politician’s response to this, particularly when they are a Catholic, should align with Church teaching and we must pray for them when it does not, that they will see their errors and live their political lives in conjunction with their lives as Catholics.