politics
April 18, 2026
Trump’s antipathy for Pope may have roots in childhood Protestant church
Manhattan church led by Norman Vincent Peale was known for opposing presidency of JFK – and Catholics in general
TL;DR
- Donald Trump's criticisms of Pope Leo and his social media post may be influenced by his upbringing at a church led by an anti-Catholic pastor.
- Norman Vincent Peale, pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church where Trump attended services, led a group opposing John F. Kennedy's presidency on religious grounds.
- In 1960, Peale's group issued a manifesto warning against a Catholic president undermining the separation of church and state.
- This anti-Catholic sentiment was prevalent in earlier campaigns and involved figures like Al Smith and Donald Trump's father, Fred Trump, with the Ku Klux Klan.
- Kennedy addressed these concerns by affirming his commitment to the absolute separation of church and state.