USA

In 1960, fears over papal sway. In 2026, a president attacks a pope

WASHINGTON— It was hard to miss President Trump’s public debate with Pope Leo XIV this week.

The split marked the first time in modern memory that an American president had so openly badmouthed a sitting pastor or distributed an image depicting himself as Jesus Christ. Critics shouted “blasphemy!” they shouted. even as his supporters continue to rally behind the man some claim was God-sent for the presidency.

Students of American history will remember an earlier event that pitted papal and presidential authority against each other. The worry is that a president might keep himself too close to the church, even taking orders from the pope.

This concern was reflected in the 1960 presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy, whose eventual victory would make him the first Catholic president.

At the time, Kennedy announced that his candidacy would be a succession to Pope Francis XXIII. He constantly fended off accusations from Protestant clergy, who were wary that this meant John was already packing his bags to move into the White House.

President John F. Kennedy with Pope Paul VI in July 1963, Paul XXIII. They met at the Vatican a month after John succeeded him as pope.

(Bettmann Archive / Getty Images)

The problem was so pronounced that 150 clergy and laypeople formed Citizens for Religious Freedom, and a pamphlet warned: “It is inconceivable to us that a Roman Catholic President should not be under extreme pressure from the church hierarchy to accept the policies and demands of his church.”

One particularly strong voice among ministers was the Reverend Norman Vincent Peale, a popular and influential pastor and author. Peale was particularly troubled by Kennedy’s expectations.

“Our American culture is in danger,” he told the ministerial meeting. “I’m not saying it won’t survive, but it won’t be the same.”

The group asked Kennedy to “stop by Houston” to clarify his views on faith and government. He acknowledged this with a famous televised speech at the Rice Hotel in which he expressed his firm views on the separation of church and state.

“I am not a Catholic presidential candidate,” Kennedy told the group. “I’m a Democratic Party presidential candidate and a Catholic.”

Time magazine reviewed the address several years later and concluded that the speech went so well for Kennedy that “many felt this dramatic moment was a key part of his victory.”

Since then, modern presidents have occasionally found themselves at odds with the Vatican. Typically, Republican presidents were briefed on foreign wars by the pope, while Democratic presidents were mocked for their abortion policies.

But such disputes tended to be handled in the polite language of diplomacy.

A man in a dark suit presents a medal on a ribbon to a man in a white skullcap and religious robes sitting on a sofa

Then came Trump, who was accused of openly mocking the Catholic faith and the 1st Amendment. He said Leo was weak on crime and foreign policy, among other issues. Trump, who describes himself as a nondenominational Christian and says his favorite book is the Bible, did not hesitate to attack the pope and did not hesitate to blur the line separating church and state.

Where Kennedy advocated absolute separation, Trump advanced a model of religious revival and promised that “the pews will be fuller, younger and more faithful than they have been in years.” Through initiatives including:America PraysFollowing the program launched last year, the White House aimed to “bring God back” by inviting millions of Americans to prayer sessions. The web page focused on the program includes only Christian Scriptures.

“Since the early days of the Republic, faith in God has been the ultimate source of the nation’s strength,” Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast in February.

A man in a dark suit, his hands clasped on a table, is surrounded by other people standing near gold-curtained windows.

According to Jesuit priest and religious commentator Tom Reese, the Catholic Church in the United States has historically loved the “1st Amendment” and its guarantee of religious freedom and has largely remained at arm’s length from the government as a result. After a failed attempt to influence rulers and politicians in Europe, Reese said that the Catholic Church “did not want the government to interfere with them and knew that it was not their right to interfere with the government.”

Kennedy loved the 1st Amendment, too. He put this above his own religious beliefs and said the same on his way to the White House.

“I would not look favorably on a president trying to subvert the 1st Amendment’s guarantees of religious freedom,” he said. “And our system of checks and balances wouldn’t allow him to do that.”