From right, U.S. Cardinals, Joseph Tobin of Newark, and Blase Cupich of Chicago, attend a press conference at the North American College in Rome on May 9, 2025. Along with Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington (not pictured), the men issued a strongly worded statement on Monday criticizing the Trump administration’s foreign policy.
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Gregorio Borgia/AP
The three highest-ranking heads of Roman Catholic archdioceses in the United States issued a strongly worded statement on Monday criticizing the Trump administration’s foreign policy — without mentioning President Trump by name.
Cardinals Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington, and Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, say America’s actions raise moral questions.
“Our country’s moral role in confronting evil around the world, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty are all under examination,” the statement reads. “And the building of just and sustainable peace, so crucial to humanity’s well-being now and in the future, is being reduced to partisan categories that encourage polarization and destructive policies.”
They continued, “We seek a foreign policy that respects and advances the right to human life, religious liberty, and the enhancement of human dignity throughout the world, especially through economic assistance.”
The senior leaders cited the recent events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland, which they said “have raised basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace.”
The White House did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment.
The statement by the American cardinals was inspired by a recent speech Pope Leo XIV gave to ambassadors to the Holy See. In it, he criticized the weakening of multilateralism.
“A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies. War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading,” Leo said in his Jan. 9 address. “Peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence.”
Cupich said in a comment explaining the reasoning behind the archbishops’ statement, “As pastors entrusted with the teaching of our people, we cannot stand by while decisions are made that condemn millions to lives trapped permanently at the edge of existence,” he said. “Pope Leo has given us clear direction and we must apply his teachings to the conduct of our nation and its leaders.”
