The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, slammed several of President Trump’s recent executive orders, calling them “deeply troubling” for their potential harm to vulnerable communities, but he praised Mr. Trump’s directive on biological sex.
The archbishop, who heads the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, issued a statement on Wednesday addressing Mr. Trump’s sweeping orders — which include restrictions on immigration, an expansion of the use of the federal death penalty, withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and the federal government’s recognition of only two biological sexes.
“Some provisions contained in the executive orders, such as those focused on the treatment of immigrants and refugees, foreign aid, expansion of the death penalty and the environment, are deeply troubling and will have negative consequences, many of which will harm the most vulnerable among us,” Archbishop Broglio said in the statement.
At the same time, he noted, “Other provisions in the executive orders can be seen in a more positive light, such as recognizing the truth about each human person as male or female.”
The executive orders are part of a flurry of action taken by Mr. Trump in the first days of his second term, signaling priorities such as a crackdown on illegal immigration, tighter restrictions on birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment and rescinding policies limiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests at locations such as schools, hospitals and houses of worship.
Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, who leads the USCCB’s migration committee, said the ICE policy changes were particularly concerning.
“This is one of many drastic actions from the federal government related to immigration that deeply affect our local community and raise urgent moral and human concerns,” Bishop Seitz said in a Tuesday statement.
The comments come after years of tension between Pope Francis and Mr. Trump on the matter of immigration. On Sunday night, Francis condemned the new administration’s professed hope for mass deportations of immigrants as a “disgrace,” revisiting his sharp criticism of the U.S. president nearly a decade after declaring as “not Christian” Mr. Trump’s plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Nevertheless, Archbishop Broglio insisted this week that the Catholic Church remains politically neutral while continuing to advocate for the dignity of all people. “Neither the Catholic Church nor the USCCB is aligned with any political party,” he said. “No matter who occupies the White House or holds the majority on Capitol Hill, the Church’s teachings remain unchanged.”
Mr. Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement marked the second time he has taken the U.S. out of the international pact, which was initially abandoned during his first term in 2020. The agreement was later reinstated under President Biden in 2021.
Citing the current Jubilee Year of Hope declared by the pope, Archbishop Broglio called for national leaders to reconsider policies that disregard human dignity.
“Our prayer is one of hope that, as a nation blessed with many gifts, our actions demonstrate a genuine care for our most vulnerable sisters and brothers, including the unborn, the poor, the elderly and infirm, and migrants and refugees,” he said. “The just Judge expects nothing less.”
The USCCB has promised to publish further information about the executive orders on its website in the coming weeks.
The Washington Times has reached out to the USCCB for comment.
• Emma Ayers can be reached at eayers@washingtontimes.com.