Which Gospel Are We Talking About?
An Open Letter to Msgr. Metzger & A Few Other Clergy
Msgr. Dennis Metzger recently penned an open letter to Toledo Bishop Daniel Thomas on a page under the auspices of “The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests” (AUSCP), expressing dismay over the state of America under President Trump. In his letter, he criticizes Trump’s “America First” agenda as selfish nationalism, dismisses the “Make America Great Again” movement as misguided, and accuses the president of undermining constitutional principles, disregarding the poor, and fostering a culture of division and revenge. In sum, he characterizes Trump as a morally unfit leader whose policies, rhetoric, and worldview stand in direct opposition to the Gospel. My reply below is simply seeking to inquire:
Which Gospel Are We Talking About?
Dear Msgr. Metzger,
I read your letter to Bishop Thomas with great interest, and while I share your concern for the moral and spiritual state of our country, I feel compelled to offer a perspective that seeks to balance the deep and rightful concerns you express with a fuller accounting of the truth. From the time our children began writing essays, they were taught three fundamental principles of reasoning:
Anchor claims in truth—ensuring they are backed by real evidence, not conjecture.
Tell the whole truth—including all relevant facts to prevent misleading conclusions.
Apply principles consistently—lest arguments collapse under their own contradictions.
These are not mere academic exercises; they are the foundations of integrity in discourse—especially when one presumes to speak in the name of the Gospel. Yet, as I read your letter to Bishop Daniel Thomas—a sweeping condemnation of President Trump and his supporters—I found myself asking a deeper question:
Which Gospel are we talking about?
Are we speaking of the Gospel revealed by Jesus Christ, proclaimed and preserved by the Catholic Church, which must be applied to the real, messy world in which we live? Or are we following the gospel according to MSNBC, CNN, and The New York Times—a gospel of selective outrage, curated for the approval of political elites, where truth is whatever today’s media consensus deems it to be?
It is a serious question. Because while you frame your critique of Trump as a moral argument, your letter follows the same script we’ve seen in the pages of The New York Times and the talking points of progressive political operatives. And like them, your claims fail on all three counts of honest reasoning.
None are anchored in full truth. You only offer a distorted, one-sided assessment of Trump’s presidency without acknowledging the sustained character assassination (and real assassination) he has endured from powerful media and political forces. You omit critical context, failing to recognize that many of Trump’s policies—on immigration, religious liberty, and economic renewal—align not with greed or selfish nationalism but with the Church’s teachings on subsidiarity, just governance, and the duty of a leader to his people. And you apply moral principles inconsistently, condemning Trump for his personal failings while remaining notably silent about the grievous moral scandals of his opponents, who openly champion abortion up to birth, gender ideology, and the suppression of religious freedom.
This is not a question of whether Trump is without fault. No serious Catholic should pretend that he is. But if we are to judge him—or any leader—we must do so with the full measure of truth. That means recognizing the way he has been deliberately misrepresented, the good he has accomplished, and the deeper spiritual battle at play in the forces aligned against him.
If we are to speak of the Gospel, let us speak of the real one—the one that is unafraid to challenge power, whether that power wears a MAGA hat or the imprimatur of the media establishment. But if we are simply regurgitating the talking points of those who assured us, with straight faces, that Joe Biden was at the top of his cognitive game, then let us at least be honest about where our faith lies.
On Immigration: A Nation Has a Right to Defend Its Borders
Few policies demonstrate the moral inconsistency of Trump’s critics better than their selective outrage over immigration. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2241) makes clear that nations have the right to regulate their borders:
"Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption."
Even Pope Benedict XVI defended a nation’s right to control immigration, stating that immigration must be "regulated according to criteria of equity and balance, avoiding the risk of encouraging forms of illegal trafficking in people" (Caritas in Veritate, 2009).
Msgr. Metzger, where is your concern for the women and children suffering inhuman atrocities at the hands of the human traffickers who exploit an open border? Where is your moral outrage over the record-breaking fentanyl crisis killing tens of thousands of Americans annually?
Under Biden’s open-border policies, U.S. border officials encountered over 2.4 million migrants in 2023 alone (AP News, 2024). Reports confirm that cartels are routinely trafficking children for sex work (The Washington Examiner, 2025). Over 100,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses in 2023, a drug flooding across the southern border (CDC, 2024).
Contrast that with Trump’s policies:
Illegal crossings dropped by 90% in key sectors under Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy (DHS, 2020).
Human trafficking arrests skyrocketed as Trump cracked down on cartels (DOJ, 2020).
Border security was at its strongest in decades, with construction of over 450 miles of border wall (CBP, 2021).
What, exactly, in Catholic moral teaching suggests that an open border, which enables human trafficking and mass death, is a Christian virtue?
On CRS and USAID: The Gospel of the Democrat Party
Msgr. Metzger, you lament Trump’s efforts to reduce foreign aid, but do you recognize the level of waste, corruption, and woke ideology embedded in USAID while American cities collapse? If we are to examine the role of foreign aid in light of the Gospel, we must first ask a critical question: Is the aid we fund and distribute aligned with the moral teachings of the Church?
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the U.S. bishops' official humanitarian organization, has been repeatedly exposed for partnering with pro-abortion, pro-contraception, and pro-LGBT groups, often in pursuit of lucrative government funding. According to a 2024 investigation by the Lepanto Institute, CRS has implemented programs that directly contradict Catholic teaching:
Cameroon: CRS's KIDSS project developed and distributed materials endorsing contraception, "safe sex," and even masturbation while partnering with organizations that promote abortion (Lepanto Institute, 2024).
Zimbabwe: CRS implemented the DREAMS project, which actively sought to increase contraceptive use among young girls, contradicting the Church’s clear moral teaching on sexuality and family (Lepanto Institute, 2024).
Lesotho: CRS worked with USAID-funded initiatives that included gender ideology components and access to contraception for minors (Population Research Institute, 2024).
If CRS were simply providing food, medical assistance, and clean water to impoverished nations, there would be no issue. But its growing entanglement with USAID—a federal agency notorious for pushing abortion, gender ideology, and population control policies under the guise of humanitarian aid—raises serious moral concerns.
And it is not just CRS. USAID and the State Department have been weaponized to promote woke ideology abroad, spending millions in taxpayer dollars on initiatives that subvert Catholic teaching:
$1.5 million allocated to advance DEI in Serbia’s workplaces: From February 2023 to October 2024, USAID committed approximately $1.5 million to support a program aimed at improving the inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals in Serbian workplaces. (FactCheck.org, 2025)
$70,000 granted for a DEI musical in Ireland: In September 2022, the U.S. State Department awarded $70,844 to an Irish organization for a live musical event promoting shared values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility between the U.S. and Ireland. (The Detroit News, 2025)
$47,000 awarded for a transgender opera in Colombia: A $25,000 grant was provided in 2021 by the U.S. State Department to a Colombian university to produce an opera aimed at raising awareness and increasing transgender representation. An additional $22,020 came from non-federal funding, totaling $47,020. (The Detroit News, 2025)
$32,000 provided for a transgender comic book in Peru: In 2022, the U.S. State Department allocated $32,000 to a Peruvian organization to create a comic featuring an LGBTQ+ hero addressing social and mental health issues. (The Detroit News, 2025)
$2 million granted for LGBTQ+ initiatives in Guatemala: In 2024, USAID awarded a $2 million grant to Asociación Lambda, a Guatemalan organization, to deliver gender-affirming health care and advocate for improved quality of life for LGBTQ+ individuals. (Snopes, 2025)
$500,000 allocated to promote atheism in Nepal: The U.S. State Department allocated $446,700 to promote the expansion of atheism in Nepal. (Anadolu Agency, 2025)
$20,000 funded for a drag show in Ecuador: The U.S. State Department funded a $20,600 grant for a drag performance in Ecuador. (Anadolu Agency, 2025)
$30 million allocated for HIV research in South Africa: Since 2018, USAID has provided over $30 million to a South African institute for HIV studies focusing on sex workers, their clients, and transgender people. (USAID, 2025)
97% of USAID employees' political contributions directed to Democrats: In the 2024 election cycle, USAID employees made political contributions totaling $406,790, with 97% ($377,000) going to Democratic candidates and $12,704 to Republican candidates. (The Daily Wire, 2025)
Where is the outrage over these distortions of charity? Why is foreign aid prioritizing the promotion of contraception and radical gender ideology over providing basic human necessities?
More importantly, why are Catholic organizations complicit in this?
When our Lord commanded us to care for the poor, He did not say, "Go into all nations and distribute condoms." Yet, that is precisely what CRS and USAID-funded programs have been caught doing—replacing authentic charity with population control, gender ideology, and secularist indoctrination.
If we are to speak of justice, we must begin by ensuring that Catholic institutions are serving Christ’s mission, not the agenda of global bureaucracies seeking to dismantle Christian values worldwide. So, again, which Gospel are we talking about? The one that feeds the hungry, heals the sick, and upholds the dignity of human life? Or the one that trades moral truth for federal funding?
To Those Who Profess Jesus Christ as a Basis for Their Trump Contempt, Let’s Reason Together
If you object to Trump from a Christian perspective, then let’s evaluate, honestly, what he has actually done. Please tell me, as a believer, which of these troubles you:
Declaring that there are only two sexes (The Guardian, 2025).
Keeping sexually confused men out of women’s locker rooms (WJLA, 2025).
Almost stopping overnight the horrific trafficking, sexual abuse, and fentanyl influx at the border crisis (AP News, 2025).
Opening energy production to restore American independence and directly lower inflation (Reuters, 2025).
Facilitating the release of prisoners in the Middle East (Bild, 2025).
Stopping the flow of taxpayer money funding transgender surgeries, radical art, and ideological exports in foreign nations (The Cut, 2025).
Eliminating billions in wasteful government expenditures without the slightest indication of success (Heritage Foundation, 2025).
Stemming the tide of killing unborn children—including halting taxpayer funding for abortion—against the alternative of full-term abortion on demand (AP News, 2025).
Should I go on?
Trump is not perfect. He may even be reprehensible to some, especially those who refuse to acknowledge any good in him. But be careful. If your accusations rely on smears crafted by media elites, you are bearing false witness (Exodus 20:16). That is a sin. So I ask again: Which Gospel are we following? The one revealed by Jesus Christ? Or the one forged by those who despise Him?
A Final Word: Truth Must Be Proclaimed Without Fear
For all my disagreement with Msgr. Metzger’s letter, I want to express genuine gratitude for the willingness of those who hold these views to express them boldly. Thank you. Falsehoods and the works of the enemy hide in darkness—they flourish in ambiguity, in the shadows of half-truths and selective moral outrage. That applies not just to one side of the debate but to all of us. For that reason, I applaud any initiative to bring our convictions and claims into the light, where they can be examined, tested, and—where necessary—corrected by truth.
Our greatest crisis is not political; it is the delusion that truth is something we determine rather than Someone in whom we are determined.
I do not pretend to fully understand the complexities faced by those entrusted with the governance of the Church. Bishops must navigate a vast array of perspectives, balancing prudence and pastoral care. But one thing must be stated clearly: fear can no longer be a motive for silence. We have declined too far as a culture for the Church to speak in half-measures. The crisis before us is not new—it is simply the natural conclusion of decades of moral compromise.
This does not mean that truth must be proclaimed with arrogance or moral indignation, as many critics of orthodox teaching so often claim. Truth is not a bludgeon. It does not need to be weaponized, nor does it require anger. But it must be spoken. Truth can be communicated with conviction and love.
And the measure of our personal failures cannot be used as an excuse to avoid proclaiming it. In our own falling short, we cannot presume to erase the standard.
For years, we were told that softening doctrine, avoiding “controversial” moral teachings, and making accommodations to modernity would revive the Church. That lie has now been exposed. Note the continued decline of Church attendance, vocations, and credibility among young people. The Church is shrinking, not because it has spoken too boldly, but because it has failed to proclaim the faith with clarity and conviction.
And what was the final punctuation mark on this slow collapse? The COVID-era shutdowns. For the first time in modern history—perhaps in all of history—our churches closed their doors while Walmarts and liquor stores remained open. The sacraments—our lifeline—were deemed “non-essential.” What greater indictment could there be of how some in the Church hierarchy have come to view the necessity of the faith?
Yet, hope remains.
There is a generation of young men and women searching for truth. Searching for conviction. Searching for a Church that actually believes what it claims to believe. I say this as a father of six adult children who have allowed me an intimate view into their generation. Their peers are looking for an anchor, for a solid foothold, not the wishy-washy relativism of a world constantly shifting with the latest ideological current. This is the same hope that has been at the heart of our faith from the beginning: compelling witness, lived courageously.
So, dear bishops, clergy, and all Catholic faithful:
Do not fear proclaiming and living the truth. Many are watching. Many are waiting.
And for many, the evidence of your conviction, punctuated by standing strong amid the storms (Matt. 7), will be the condition upon which they decide whether to say yes to Christ or to walk away entirely.
LORD JESUS CHRIST,
You made each of us in Your image. In You, who usher us into the very life of the Holy Trinity, we find our unsurpassed identity and mission. Make us aware of our radical dependency upon you. We are sorry for the human idols we have worshiped. We are fallen. Humble us. Heal us. Transform us. Revive us. Prophesy to these dry bones! (Ez. 37) May the Holy Communion we receive be all the more proclaimed in the Holy Community we live, now and through all eternity. Amen.
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Great article/letter, Greg!