The Pope and the President

Guest Opinion

Trump’s first 100 days in office have been a roller-coaster ride, with a recent poll showing that majorities of voters describe the start of his term as “chaotic” and “scary” (The New York Times, April 2025). Actions appear to follow the whims of the president, and those trying to make sense of it report getting “policy whiplash”(Gina McCarthy, The Guardian, May 2025).

Trade wars, security leaks, funding freezes, and mass firings in the federal workforce are fueling anxiety at home. Reactions from other nations range from confusion to anger to indignation. While his childish bullying invites ridicule, no one is laughing as Trump threatens to invade sovereign neighbors, randomly renames geographic features, and withdraws the U.S. from foreign aid and climate agreements.

Millions of Americans are living in fear of what they might lose in the wake of 200+ orders, memoranda, and proclamations from the president. With nothing off the table for possible cuts, some could lose homes and jobs or access to healthcare, medicine, and clean water. As it is playing out, many face losing everything as they are ejected from the country without due process, even as Trump defies court orders to stop.

In a span of days, against this backdrop of chaos and fear, religion came to the forefront with the passing of Pope Francis, progressive beacon, humble Jesuit, and beloved leader to Catholic Christians. The day after attending the Pope’s funeral, the president chose the National Day of Prayer to establish his “commission on religious liberty.”

The commission is to work from within the White House, the seat of the Executive Branch. Trump brushed aside concerns about the constitutional separation of church and state, saying we should “forget about that this one time.”

Politico magazine calls these moves “an escalation of the White House’s increasing fervor for Christianity.” It seems the president has a state religion in mind, and his conservative packed Supreme Court is leaning that way too, as they hear arguments on whether to allow states to fund religious schools with taxpayer money.

As Trump proclaims he is “bringing religion back,” I wondered about this Christian fervor, which seems wholly unrelated to any teachings of Christ.

This discrepancy is apparent when viewing Trump’s first 100 days through the lens of Pope Francis’ writing. “LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” or “Praise be to you, my Lord” are the words that open his encyclical on care for God’s creation, addressed to “every person on the planet” who shares the Earth, our common home.

The Pope framed climate change as a moral crisis. He argued that environmental destruction disproportionately harms the poor and vulnerable, making it a matter of social justice. Francis called for a shift away from consumerism and waste, urging us to recognize the interconnectedness of all creation. He emphasized that caring for the environment is a Christian duty.

Trump, Republican leaders, and their base supporters all claim to defend Christian values, yet their stance on climate change often contradicts the biblical call to stewardship. Like Pope Francis, we also must challenge this hypocrisy. Here are just a few examples from the first 100 days of cruel and irresponsible actions by the Trump Administration that we can speak out against:

Massive layoffs at the EPA, the USDA, and Health and Human Services. Reversal of rules that lower pollution levels, which will disproportionately impact access to adequate, clean, and affordable food, water, air, and energy for low-income and rural communities.

Draining funding for weather laboratories and emergency preparedness and response programs. Championing coal while killing renewable energy projects.

Firing thousands of national park and forest service employees, including wildfire management and rescue workers. Encouraging logging and oil drilling on federal lands.

Cutting research funding and ignoring the almost total scientific consensus on climate change. Suing states to stop them from enacting “make polluters pay” laws to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate damage.

Pope Francis tried to show us how we are all connected—to each other, to the created world, and to the future generations who will come after us. Trump’s ideology is survival of the fittest. He bullies and intimidates to discourage challenge to his authority, and to keep us fearful of and in competition with each other rather than united to care for each other.

The contrast between Trump’s policies and Pope Francis’ teachings could not be more stark. Will we continue down a path of environmental degradation, or will we embrace a vision of stewardship and sustainability?

The choice is clear: true Christianity calls for care, compassion, and responsibility for our common home and for each other. Francis includes room for hope in his letter, saying “Human beings too are creatures of this world, enjoying a right to life and happiness, and endowed with unique dignity. Injustice is not invincible.” (Pope Francis, Laudato Si, 2015)

Cathye Williams is a local climate activist. She writes from the northern corner of Manistee County.

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