My Fellow Catholics, It Is Time to Choose

Trump and Vance have made unmistakably clear who they are. History is now waiting to see who we are.

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Dear friends,

It is a time for choosing.

American Catholics now find ourselves at a crossroads that will define the soul of our nation.

We must decide what kind of country we want — and what kind of leaders we are willing to follow — in this moment of moral testing.

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump delivered his 2026 State of the Union address.

It was a rambling, nearly two-hour spectacle. Over those long 110 minutes on the Capitol rostrum, the President failed to address seriously our most pressing challenges.

He barely mentioned the revolutionary rise of artificial intelligence — a transformative issue for our economy and society — and instead spent much of the speech lashing out at his political opponents.

He smeared half of the country as “crazy” and even “un-American,” an unacceptable escalation of partisan rhetoric from an American president. It was an angry performance aimed at dividing the country rather than uniting it.

Just weeks ago, half a world away, Pope Leo XIV offered a very different kind of State of the World address — one marked by moral clarity and global vision. In his recent global address to world leaders, Leo spoke with gravity about the real crises facing humanity.

Leo warned that “war is back in vogue” and pleaded for peace, condemning a “diplomacy based on force” that imperils countless lives.

While Trump’s speech was parochial and self-serving, Leo’s was thoughtful, globally aware, and grounded in timeless moral truth.

The American pope confronted issues from technological upheaval to human rights with a spirit of humility and responsibility. While the American president delivered partisan theater, Leo delivered prophetic witness.

The juxtaposition of Leo’s moral gravity and Trump’s partisan spectacle makes the choice before us crystal clear.

One leader calls us to our highest ideals; the other appeals to our worst instincts.

As American Catholics — and as citizens — we cannot ignore the contrast.

Historian Jon Meacham recently reminded us that the U.S. Constitution was built for moments of trial like this, “for hours of stress and strain.” This is one of those moments.

We were made for it — and by God’s grace, we will rise to meet this test.

This is the dividing line. The way of Pope Leo XIV — or the way of Donald Trump and JD Vance.

There are no accommodations left.

We cannot claim to follow a pope who calls cruelty a sin while cheering a president who calls it strength. We cannot kneel before Christ on Sunday and then shrug on Monday as families are torn apart or as political opponents are smeared as enemies of the state.

Donald Trump and JD Vance have made it clear who they are. We must make it clear who we are.

Letters from Leo exists precisely for moments like this. Not to nurse outrage, but to form conscience. Not to flatter our tribe, but to measure our politics against the Gospel.

This is the fastest-growing Catholic community in the country because people are hungry for moral clarity. We are tired of being told that faith must sit quietly while power runs wild. We want a Church — and a country — that remembers the dignity of every person.

Here’s my promise to you today. We are together for the long haul, and by the grace of God, we will win this fight.

To Pope Leo — we will follow your lead.

To our fellow Catholics — we stand united with you.

To women and men of good will, of every faith and background — we join arms with you.

To our neighbors who are afraid — we will protect you.

To Donald Trump, JD Vance, and all the MAGA purveyors of cruelty and lies — we will defeat you.

And to our children and our posterity — as long as God gives us breath, we will work every day to leave this nation and this world better than we found it.

If you believe that the way forward for American Catholics is the way of Pope Leo — rooted in mercy, courage, and truth — then I’m asking you to stand with us in three concrete ways during this Lenten season:

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Whether you give $0, $1, or $1,000, your presence here matters — no matter your faith or your politics.

We were made for this moment. It’s time to get to work. I’ll see you on the road.