Appointed by President Trump, Bishop Barron to serve on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

 

Bishop Robert Barron named to serve on U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

Barron, who already serves as a member of the domestically focused Religious Liberty Commission, was appointed to the position by President Donald Trump.

Bishop Robert Barron speaks with EWTN News’ Colm Flynn ahead of the May 17, 2026, White House event on “one nation under God” in Washington, D.C. | Credit: EWTN News

By Daniel Payne, Madalaine Elhabbal

September 16, 2026 

Bishop Robert Barron this week was named to serve on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the commission announced on Sept. 16.

Barron, who already serves as a member of the domestically focused Religious Liberty Commission, was appointed to the position by President Donald Trump. The Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, bishop was selected for the post alongside former U.S. Domestic Policy Council Director Joe Grogan and former missionary Andrew Brunson.

In a statement to EWTN News on Sept. 16, Barron said he was “honored” to accept Trump’s invitation to serve on the commission.

The bishop noted that the commission itself is “strictly bi-partisan” with its members “chosen by leaders of both major political parties.”

He highlighted the numerous Catholics who have served on the commission over the years, including Princeton Professor Robert George, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon, Jesuit Father Thomas Reese, Archbishop Charles Chaput, and Bishop William Murphy.

“I feel privileged to join their company,” Barron said.

An independent agency in the legislative branch, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom monitors global religious liberty issues and recommends policy to the U.S. government to advance religious liberty around the world.

It regularly publishes briefs on countries it identifies as consistent violators of religious liberty. It also advocates for those suffering from religious persecution, such as this week when it urged Trump to push for the release of religious prisoners in China and for the end of religious persecution by the Chinese government.

The appointments on Sept. 16 came shortly after Trump asked Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of famed late Southern Baptist evangelist Billy Graham, to serve as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

USCCB head Archbishop Coakley appeals to President Trump concerning Mass deportation of Haitian refugees

 

In direct appeal to Trump, Catholic bishops' president urges end of mass deportations of Haitians

(RNS) — The letter marks a shift toward a more direct and pointed tone in challenging President Donald Trump’s immigration policy.

Community members hold a protest rally as immigrants enter an ICE facility at a Department of Homeland Security field office during a mandatory check in where most received ankle monitors, after thousands of Haitians lost Temporary Protected Status (TPS), in Blue Ash, Ohio on Aug. 9, 2026. (RNS photo/Carol Guzy)

Aleja Hertzler-McCain

September 9, 2026

(RNS) — Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, the U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference president, sent a letter on Tuesday (Sept. 8), urging President Donald Trump to cease the deportation of “large numbers” of Haitian immigrants. 

Citing the violence in Haiti, Coakley wrote: “As citizens of this great country, we have been entrusted with a tremendous moral responsibility, and this is true most of all for you as our head of state, Mr. President. To this end, I respectfully ask: What good is the immense wealth, prosperity, and influence with which we have been blessed as a nation if not used in service of our humanity?”

The letter’s language marked a notable hardening in tone from the U.S. bishops’ conference, though Coakley also wrote that he was “humbly” appealing for Trump’s assistance. 

Last November, the U.S. bishops’ conference released a special pastoral message calling for an end to “indiscriminate mass deportation,” a sign of how seriously the conference is taking deportation policies that could impact nearly 1 in 5 U.S. Catholics directly or through their family. But that message did not name Trump.

In his letter this week, Coakley wrote that he was inspired by the massacre of 47 people in Haiti’s Kenscoff farming community to write. Some of the people killed had been taking refuge in a church, and some of those killed were children. Coakley called the violence “unconscionable.”

“I very much wish this recent and tragic example of human life being extinguished, virtually with impunity, was an irregularity in Haiti. Unfortunately, it is not,” Coakley wrote. He told Trump that deportations endanger “innocent human life” and “contribute to the country’s already deepening crisis.”

Since the Trump administration revoked temporary protected status for Haitians in late July, an estimated 350,000 Haitians have been vulnerable to detention and deportation.  

Coakley did acknowledge that the administration could move forward with individual deportations “to advance justice and public safety.”

The Oklahoma City archbishop has often been seen as a conservative, particularly because he is ecclesiastical adviser to the Napa Institute, which unites wealthy Catholics around conservative causes. Coakley’s letter to Trump indicated that he has spoken to the president about immigration before, referencing a previous conversation in which Coakley recognized “the importance of regulating immigration and enforcing federal immigration law.” 

Coakley met with Trump in January, the first time that the bishops’ conference president had met with the U.S. president in nearly a decade. Shortly afterward, the administration announced a change to the visa requirement that had forced foreign priests and other religious workers to exit the U.S. for a year between religious visas, which the conference had long sought.

Haitian immigrant Monsanto Maler, center, cries and collapses after receiving an ankle monitor at a Department of Homeland Security field office during a mandatory check in, on Aug. 9, 2026, in Blue Ash, Ohio. (RNS photo/Carol Guzy)

In this Tuesday letter, Coakley wrote, “the Catholic Church is sensitive to the fact that many families, especially mixed-status families, would benefit from ceasing the deportations. The strength of our communities depends, in large part, on the well-being of such families.” He also highlighted Haitian contributions to the economy and health care and invoked religious and patriotic ideals about the right to life. “I know you understand the essential role the United States plays in promoting the inherent value of human life,” he wrote to Trump.

He said that the U.S. bishops would continue to pray for and support immigration reform.

Other faith leaders have also expressed concerns about Haitians facing deportation, including more than 100 Pentecostal leaders who gathered in Washington earlier this week and a separate letter organized by the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and the National Association of Evangelicals urging an extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.

If you like stats and polls, this article is for you. Who holds Pope Leo XIV in favorable vs unfavorable status?

 

One Year In, Pope Leo XIV Reveals Political Divides Among U.S. Catholics

• August 12, 2026

Madelyn Snodgrass

In his first year as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV has taken clear stances on many issues, including the U.S. immigration system and the war in Iran. This Spotlight Analysis examines American Catholics’ views of Pope Leo XIV, the political and demographic differences between those who support and oppose the American-born Pope, and how these two groups differ in their views of President Trump and his political agenda, religious and racial pluralism, and the state of American democracy.

Seven in Ten U.S. Catholics Hold Favorable Views of Pope Leo XIV

A slim majority of Americans (56%) hold very or somewhat favorable views of Pope Leo XIV, while one-quarter of Americans (27%) view him unfavorably and more than one in ten (15%) have not heard of him. Among Catholics, the share of those who hold favorable views of the Pope is much higher, at 71%. White Catholics are significantly more likely to view Leo favorably than Hispanic Catholics (75% vs. 64%). By contrast, Hispanic Catholics are three times as likely as white Catholics to say they have not heard of him (14% vs. 4%). Catholic Democrats are significantly more likely than Catholic Republicans to hold favorable views of the Pope (79% vs. 67%); around three-quarters of Catholic independents (73%) also view him favorably.

FIGURE 1. Favorability of Pope Leo XIV Among Catholics, by Race, Party, and Age

Percent who hold ___ views of Pope Leo XIV:

Very

 favorable Somewhat

 favorable Have

 

not heard of

Skipped

Somewhat

 unfavorable Very

 

unfavorable

All Catholics

36

35

8

13

7

White

40

35

4

13

7

Hispanic

30

34

14

13

8

Democrat

47

32

8

6

6

Independent

37

36

9

11

7

Republican

28

39

3

20

8

Source: PRRI American Identity Survey, May 1-18, 2026.Download imageCreated with Datawrapper

Pope Francis Had Higher Favorability at the Same Point in His Papacy

At a similar point into his papacy, Pope Francis had higher favorability ratings than Pope Leo. In 2015, two-thirds of Americans (67%) held favorable views of Pope Francis, followed by 15% who did not favor him and only 6% who reported not having heard of him. Nine in ten American Catholics (90%) viewed Pope Francis favorably, including similar percentages of both white (90%) and Hispanic Catholics (91%). Vast majorities of Catholic Democrats (95%), Republicans (90%), and independents (85%) had a favorable view of Pope Francis.

A Majority of Pope Leo Supporters Oppose Donald Trump and His Actions as President

Over six in ten Catholics (62%) hold unfavorable views of Donald Trump, while nearly four in ten (37%) view him favorably. Two-thirds of Catholic supporters of Pope Leo XIV (67%) hold unfavorable views of Trump, compared with 40% of Catholic opponents of the Pope.

Catholics divided views on Trump also extend to views on his actions. Two-thirds of Catholics (67%) hold unfavorable views of Trump’s handling of the war in Iran, compared with three in ten (30%) who hold favorable views. Pope Leo XIV supporters are around 20 percentage-points more likely than opponents to view Trump’s handling of the Iran War unfavorably (71% vs. 49%). The Pope has made his stance clear on the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, stating “God does not bless any conflict.”

Nearly six in ten Catholics (57%) view Trump’s handling of immigration unfavorably, while around four in ten (39%) view it favorably. More than six in ten Catholics who support the Pope (63%) disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration, compared with 42% of Catholics who oppose him. Pope Leo has said that the way the U.S. has been treating migrants is “extremely disrespectful.”

FIGURE 2. Opposition to Trump and His Handling of Immigration and Iran War Among Catholics, by Favorability of Pope Leo XIV

Percent who hold very or somewhat unfavorable views of:

All

Catholics

Pope

supporters

Pope

opponents

62

67

40

67

71

49

57

63

42

Donald Trump

Trump's handling of the war in Iran

Trump's handling of immigration

Source: PRRI American Identity Survey, May 1-18, 2026.Download imageCreated with Datawrapper

Pope Leo Supporters Are More Likely to Support Religious and Racial Diversity

Nearly two-thirds of Catholics (65%) say they would prefer the U.S. to be a nation “made up of people belonging to a wide variety of religions,” while one-third (33%) say they would prefer the U.S. to be a nation “primarily made up of people who follow the Christian faith.” Seven in ten Catholics who hold favorable views of Pope Leo XIV (70%) support religious pluralism. Those who hold unfavorable views of the Pope are more divided (53% for religious pluralism vs. 46% who prefer a primarily Christian nation).

Catholics overall are divided on their agreement with the statement “the values of Islam, the Muslim religion, are at odds with American values and way of life” (51% agree vs. 45% disagree). However, Catholics who hold favorable views of the Pope are notably more likely than those who hold unfavorable views to disagree with this statement (48% vs. 35%).

FIGURE 3. Religious Pluralism and Views on Islam Among Catholics, by Favorability of Pope Leo XIV

Percent who:

All

Catholics

Pope

supporters

Pope

opponents

65

70

53

45

48

35

Agree with the statement "I would prefer the U.S. to be a nation made up of people belonging to a wide variety of religions"

Disagree that the values of Islam are at odds with American values and way of life

Source: PRRI American Identity Survey, May 1-18, 2026.Download imageCreated with Datawrapper

About three-fourths of Catholics (74%) say they would prefer the U.S. to be a nation “made up of people from all over the world,” while one-fourth (25%) say they would prefer the U.S. to be “primarily made up of people of western European heritage.” Catholics who hold favorable views of the Pope are more likely than those who hold unfavorable views to support racial pluralism (76% vs. 63%).

More than one-third of Catholics (34%) disagree that “America is in danger of losing its culture and identity,” compared with the majority (65%) who agree. Catholics who favor the Pope are more likely than those who oppose him to disagree that America is in danger of losing its culture and identity (37% vs. 26%, respectively).

FIGURE 4. Racial Pluralism and Threats to American Culture Among Catholics, by Favorability of Pope Leo XIV

Percent who:

All

Catholics

Pope

supporters

Pope

opponents

74

76

63

34

37

26

Agree with the statement " I would prefer the U.S. to be a nation made up of people from all over the world"

Disagree that America is in danger of losing its culture and identity

Source: PRRI American Identity Survey, May 1-18, 2026.Download imageCreated with Datawrapper

America’s Impact on the World

Catholics are evenly divided on their agreement with the statement “God has granted America a special role in human history” (49% agree vs. 49% disagree); Catholics are more likely than all Americans to agree (49% vs. 44%). The majority of Catholics who support Pope Leo XIV (53%) disagree that God has granted America a special role, compared with 38% of Catholics who oppose the Pope.

More than four in ten Catholics (44%) say they are only a little or not at all proud of America as a good moral example for the world, followed by a plurality (26%) who are moderately proud, and nearly three in ten (29%) who are extremely or very proud. Nearly half of Catholics who support Pope Leo XIV (48%) have little or no pride in America as a good moral example, compared with less than three in ten Catholics who oppose the Pope (28%).

Just about three in ten Catholics (29%) say they would prefer the U.S. to be known as “a mighty nation that does not hesitate to use military force to defend our interests,” while nearly seven in ten (69%) say they would prefer the U.S. to be known as “a reliable neighbor that cooperates with other nations and only uses military force as a last resort.” Catholics who view the Pope favorably (72%) are more likely than those who view the Pope unfavorably (54%) to say they would prefer the U.S. to be a reliable neighbor who cooperates with other countries.

FIGURE 5. Views on America’s Impact on the World Among Catholics, by Favorability of Pope Leo XIV

Percent who:

All

Catholics

Pope

supporters

Pope

opponents

69

72

54

49

53

38

44

48

28

Agree with the statement "I would prefer the U.S. to be known as a reliable neighbor that cooperates with other nations and only uses military force as a last resort"

Disagree that God has granted America a special role in human history

Are only a little or not at all proud of America as a good moral example for the world

Source: PRRI American Identity Survey, May 1-18, 2026.Download imageCreated with Datawrapper