EWTN News portal reports on a Pew Research Center survey revealing that a majority of Catholics in the United States view “Pope” Leo XIV favorably and consider Donald Trump’s criticisms of the pontiff excessive. The survey, conducted between May 26 and June 1, 2026, among 1,848 Catholics, found that 78% hold a favorable opinion of Leo XIV, with sharp divisions along partisan lines: 84% of Democratic-leaning Catholics view him favorably compared to 72% of Republican-leaning Catholics. The poll further exposed that 51% of all Catholics believe Trump has been too critical of Leo, while only 19% think the pontiff has been too critical of the president. These results are not merely a political curiosity; they are the predictable fruit of the conciliar revolution, which has reduced the Catholic Church to a servile institution seeking the approval of worldly powers while abandoning its divine mission to preach the integral Gospel of Christ the King.
The Conciliar “Pope” as a Political Actor in the Secular Arena
The very framing of the survey—measuring the “favorability” of a “pope” according to the same metrics applied to politicians—reveals the depth of the post-conciliar collapse. The Catholic Church, established by Our Lord Jesus Christ as the sole ark of salvation and the depository of divine truth, has been reduced by the conciliar sect to a mere NGO whose “leader” is evaluated on his ability to navigate partisan politics and maintain “approval ratings.” This is a direct repudiation of the teaching of Pope Pius XI in Quas Primas (1925), where he declared that the reign of Christ the King extends over all nations and that rulers have a duty to publicly honor and obey Him. The modernist “pontiff” is not presented as a spiritual father demanding the submission of all souls to the divine law, but as a diplomatic figure whose “balance” between political factions is scrutinized.
The survey’s finding that Leo XIV’s favorability is highest among weekly Mass attendees (85%) and lowest among those who seldom attend (73%) is presented as a testament to his broad appeal. In reality, this statistic exposes the abyss between the practicing faithful—who, despite the conciliar chaos, retain some sense of the sacred—and the vast majority of Catholics who have been formed by decades of modernist catechesis, where the supernatural has been replaced by horizontal concerns. The fact that 10% of respondents “did not know who Leo was” is a damning indictment of a “pontificate” that has failed to communicate the most basic truths of the Faith, such as the necessity of the Catholic Church for salvation or the reality of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Political Partisanship as the New Ecclesial Criterion
The most revealing aspect of the survey is the complete submersion of Catholic identity into American partisan politics. The faithful are no longer identified by their adherence to the unchanging dogmas of the Church but by their alignment with Democratic or Republican platforms. The finding that 70% of Democratic-leaning Catholics say Trump has been too critical of Leo, while 39% of Republican-leaning Catholics say the “pope” has been too critical of Trump, demonstrates that the conciliar church has become a chaplaincy to the Democratic Party. This is the logical consequence of the modernist heresy condemned by Pope St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907), where he warned that the reduction of religion to the subjective experience of the believer would lead to the complete subservience of the Church to the spirit of the age.
John White, a retired politics professor at The Catholic University of America, is quoted as saying: “Pope Leo XIV has bridged the divisions among Catholics with his wise, timely pronouncements — all of which are true to the Gospel… He is a moral leader for this time.” This statement is a blatant falsehood. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a tool for “bridging divisions” between warring political factions; it is the sword of truth that divides the saved from the damned (Matthew 10:34). A true moral leader, such as Pope Pius IX in his Syllabus of Errors (1864), would condemn the errors of both secular liberalism and communism with equal vigor, not seek a “balance” that pleases the political establishment. The conciliar “pontiff” has abandoned the prophetic mission of the Church to become a “moral leader” in the style of a secular humanitarian, preaching a gospel of peace without the Cross and unity without truth.
The Silence on Dogma and the Cult of Personality
The survey’s complete silence on any substantive theological or moral issue is deafening. There is no mention of the conciliar apostasy, the crisis of faith, the destruction of the liturgy, or the condemnation of heresies. The “favorability” of Leo XIV is measured purely on his political performance and his personal demeanor. This is the cult of personality that the modernist church has erected in place of the worship of God. The faithful are taught to admire the “pope” for his “wise pronouncements” rather than to submit to the infallible Magisterium of the Church. This is precisely the error condemned in Lamentabili sane exitu (1907), where Pope St. Pius X condemned the proposition that “the Church listening cooperates in such a way with the Church teaching in defining truths of faith, that the Church teaching should only approve the common opinions of the Church listening” (Proposition 6). The conciliar church has replaced the teaching authority of the Magisterium with the shifting opinions of polls and focus groups.
The fact that Trump’s criticism of Leo is viewed unfavorably by a majority of Catholics is not a sign of loyalty to the papacy but of the complete inversion of Catholic priorities. The faithful are more concerned with defending the “honor” of a “pope” who has done nothing to defend the honor of God than with the eternal salvation of their souls. This is the natural result of the false ecumenism and religious indifferentism condemned by Pope Pius XI, where the Church is seen as a partner in dialogue with the world rather than as the uncompromising witness to divine truth.
The Inversion of Catholic Loyalty
The survey reveals a profound inversion of Catholic loyalty. The faithful are asked to evaluate the relationship between the “pope” and a secular politician as if they were watching a reality television show. The finding that only 16% of Catholics believe Leo has not been critical “enough” of Trump suggests that the majority of Catholics expect the “pontiff” to be a political opponent of the president, not a spiritual father who transcends earthly politics. This is the fruit of the conciliar revolution, which has politicized the papacy and reduced the Vicar of Christ to a partisan actor.
The Catholic Church, before the conciliar revolution, taught that the primary duty of the faithful is to God and His Christ, not to any political faction. Pope Pius XI, in Quas Primas, declared: “The Kingdom of our Savior encompasses all men… it matters not whether individuals, families, or states, for men united in societies are no less subject to the authority of Christ than individuals.” The conciliar church, by contrast, has surrendered to the secular order, teaching the faithful to view their “pope” through the lens of political allegiance rather than supernatural faith. This is the abomination of desolation spoken of by the Prophet Daniel: the desolation of the sanctuary of truth, replaced by the idol of human respect and political expediency.
Conclusion: The Bankruptcy of the Conciliar Sect
The Pew survey is not a sign of the vitality of the Catholic Church but a testament to its spiritual bankruptcy under the conciliar regime. The “favorability” of Leo XIV is a measure of his success in conforming to the expectations of a secular, politically divided society, not of his fidelity to the unchanging deposit of faith. The faithful, formed by decades of modernist catechesis, have learned to value “balance” over truth, “dialogue” over dogma, and “peace” over the Cross. The true Catholic response to this survey is not to debate the political merits of Trump or Leo but to reject the entire conciliar structure and return to the integral Catholic Faith, where Christ the King reigns supreme over all nations, and His Church speaks with the authority of God, not the shifting winds of public opinion.
Source:
Pew survey: Majority of Catholics say Trump is too critical of Pope Leo XIV (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 18.06.2026