James Martin (Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, 1960) is the closest thing to a rock star in the Jesuit ecosystem. Influential Editor America Magazinebest-selling author and with one foot always in the mud of public opinion, Martin has become the unofficial spokesperson for that American Catholicism that is not recognized in the mirror of the extreme right. His defense of migrants and his bridges to the LGTBI community have earned him the affection of the most progressive sectors, but also the most visceral hatred of the most fundamentalist currents, who see him as the great enemy to defeat.
This past Monday Martin did not back down either. The other way around. After the broadsides of Donald Trump, who attacked Pope Leo XIV, calling him “weak in the face of crime” and “terrible in international politics”, the Jesuit immediately came forward. Martin, who spent six years analyzing finances at General Electric before hanging up his ties to wear the habit, knows well how numbers and symbols are handled. With the muscle given to him by his almost 300,000 followers on X and his regular presence in media such as CNN, he was one of the first to raise the shield in defense of the Pope. The Jesuit responded to questions from EL PERIÓDICO in the midst of this melee, an unprecedented train wreck between the Vatican and the Oval Office.
You called Donald Trump’s recent comments about Pope Leo XIV “unhinged, uncharitable and anti-Christian.” What did you find most serious about this attack?
That instead of raising a disagreement or expressing certain concerns, we witness an attack to man against the Pope for the mere fact of, essentially, preaching the Gospel.
Was Trump’s attack expected or did it surprise you?
Honestly, it surprised me and many others. Of course, the president often attacks his opponents in very personal and even cruel terms. But one would have thought the Pope was off-limits, not only because of his stature as a moral leader, but for a more practical reason: There are many Catholic voters in the United States. It worries me not only because it further degrades and brutalizes the conversation in this country and opens a gap between the Church and the Administration, but because it also fuels anti-Catholic sentiment, what in the US has been called the “last acceptable prejudice.” It gives some of Trump’s MAGA supporters permission to hate Catholics.
What symbolism and intent do you see in Trump’s decision to post an AI-generated image depicting him as Jesus Christ?
That was also quite shocking. Posting an image of oneself as Jesus is, at the very least, vain and, at worst, idolatrous. No wonder the president deleted it. [tras la ola de críticas, Trump retiró su publicación] and then tried to explain it as an image of himself as a “doctor.” (Speaks ironically) But I don’t know many doctors who have shiny hands and wear red and white robes.
The magazine you direct recently published an article arguing that the Trump Administration is engaging in a direct war with the Catholic Church. In your opinion, how does this conflict mainly manifest itself?
As that article pointed out, it is happening on several fronts. Today, the most obvious areas are migration and war. But in both cases, Jesus gives us clear instructions in the Gospels. We must welcome the foreigner. And we must work for peace. You don’t need a doctorate in New Testament studies to understand this.
How is the contrast between the Pope and Trump perceived both inside and outside the American Catholic community?
I’m not sure many non-Catholics think much about this contrast. But American Catholics do. Almost all the Catholics I know, both progressive and traditionalist, love, or at least admire, Pope Leo. I can’t say the same about his feelings toward President Trump.
A few weeks ago, Trump was seen at the White House praying with evangelical leaders amid escalating tensions with Iran. What reading do you make of that gesture?
I can’t know what was going through the minds of those evangelical leaders, but it is obvious that they are asking for God’s support for the president. The problem is that this could easily be interpreted as a public declaration that God is somehow in favor of war. There is, therefore, a tension between asking for divine protection for American troops and affirming that God is on “our side.”
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