Top U.S. Catholic Cardinals Condemn Trump Foreign Policy as Morally Adrift After Pope Leo XIV’s Warning
Top U.S. Catholic cardinals issued a joint statement urging the Trump administration to ground its foreign policy in a moral compass, warning that America's role in confronting evil, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty is "under examination." They cite Pope Leo XIV’s Jan. 9 speech — which warned that diplomacy based on consensus is being replaced by "diplomacy based on force" and that "war is back in vogue" — as inspiration, and Cardinal Blase Cupich added that as pastors they "cannot stand by while decisions are made that condemn millions to lives trapped permanently at the edge of existence."
📌 Key Facts
- A group of top U.S. Catholic archbishops/cardinals issued a joint statement denouncing American foreign policy as morally adrift (reported as "Top U.S. archbishops denounce American foreign policy").
- The cardinals explicitly cited Pope Leo XIV’s Jan. 9 speech to ambassadors as the inspiration for their U.S.-focused statement, quoting his warning that diplomacy based on consensus is being replaced by "diplomacy based on force" and that "war is back in vogue."
- NPR published longer direct excerpts from the cardinals’ joint statement, including the line that America’s moral role in confronting evil, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty is "under examination."
- Cardinal Blase Cupich added a separate pastoral comment saying they "cannot stand by while decisions are made that condemn millions to lives trapped permanently at the edge of existence," making explicit that the cardinals view current U.S. decisions as consigning millions abroad to near-destitution.
- The reporting with these excerpts and quotes appeared on NPR under the headline "Top U.S. archbishops denounce American foreign policy" (published 2026-01-20T01:27:55+00:00).
📊 Relevant Data
The United States has made multiple historical attempts to acquire Greenland, including proposals in 1867 under Secretary of State William Seward, in 1946 under President Harry Truman who offered $100 million, and renewed interest in 2019 and 2024-2025 under President Trump.
Proposed United States acquisition of Greenland — Wikipedia
U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, intensified since 2017, have been linked to exacerbating the economic crisis, with data showing millions of people leaving the country after their enactment; a 2025 CEPR analysis found that claims denying sanctions' role in driving migration contain errors, noting that migration surged post-sanctions despite other factors.
New CEPR Paper Finds More Errors Behind Claims that Sanctions on Venezuela Don't Drive Migration — Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR)
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine's population has declined by approximately 10 million, or about 25%, from around 40 million to an estimated 30-35 million by 2024-2025, driven by emigration of over 6 million refugees, war-related deaths exceeding 50,000 civilians, and a collapsed birth rate now the lowest globally at around 0.7 children per woman.
The Impact of War on Ukraine as Seen Through Its Communities in Exile — Wilson Center
Greenland's population, approximately 56,699 as of early 2024, consists of about 88% indigenous Inuit, but recent demographic changes include an increasing share of international immigrants, now representing 4.3% of the total population, primarily from the Philippines, Thailand, and Poland, driven by labor needs in sectors like healthcare and construction amid urbanization and resource development.
Greenland in Figures 2024 — Statistics Greenland (stat.gl)
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- NPR provides longer direct excerpts from the cardinals’ joint statement, including their line that America’s moral role in confronting evil, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty is 'under examination.'
- The article gives key quotes from Pope Leo XIV’s Jan. 9 speech to ambassadors — warning that diplomacy based on consensus is being replaced by 'diplomacy based on force' and that 'war is back in vogue' — which the cardinals explicitly cite as the inspiration for their U.S.-focused statement.
- Cupich adds a separate explanatory comment that as pastors 'we cannot stand by while decisions are made that condemn millions to lives trapped permanently at the edge of existence,' making explicit that they see current U.S. decisions as consigning millions abroad to near-destitution.