It is not clear how Federico Romero thinks Trump would go about expelling his opponents from state governments.[/caption]
The October 4 issue of L’Osservatore Romano carried a report on the American presidential elections, warning that the re-election of Donald Trump will lead to an “authoritarian remake” of the US government. This article—based entirely on unsupported statements by an “expert” named Federico Romero, who teaches North American history at the University of Florence—appears in the “news” section of the Vatican paper.
(The article itself is, fortuitously, behind a paywall.)
Professor Romero is not the first person to portray Trump as an authoritarian, nor the first to hold him responsible for the polarization of the American political system. What makes his analysis remarkable is not his obvious sympathy for the Harris campaign, but the reasoning that leads him to the conclusion that a Trump victory would cause “an unprecedented twisting of democracy.”
No; the astonishing thing about the L’Osservatore Romano report lies in this sentence, a quote from Romero:
“It is a unique election because it is quite clear that, if Trump wins, his political project would be an authoritarian remake of the State and the expulsion of the other part of the United States from the federal and state governments, as already done with the Supreme Court.”
The translation is clumsy, but Romero’s meaning comes through: he predicts that if re-elected, President Trump would expel his ideological opponents from the federal and state governments, “as [he has] already done with the Supreme Court.” It is not clear how the “expert” Romero thinks Trump would go about expelling his opponents from state governments. It is undoubtedly true that Trump, like any other newly elected president, would methodically appoint his own people to posts in the executive branch of the federal government replacing Biden loyalists. But let’s look carefully at Romero’s claim about the Supreme Court.
During his term in the White House, Trump did not expel anyone from the Supreme Court. Taking advantage of voluntary resignations, he offered his own nominees, who were confirmed by the Senate. He did nothing that was not clearly within his authority under the Constitution.
(By the way there is a presidential candidate who has suggested an unprecedented overhaul of the Supreme Court—which might not expel the sitting justices but would certainly weaken their voices—to serve obviously partisan purposes. That would be Kamala Harris, the candidate Romero credits with an intention to ease polarization.)
Why, then, does Romero accuse Trump of having taken over the Supreme Court? Presumably because he has been following the presidential campaign, carefully noting the rhetoric of the Harris campaign, which regularly makes exactly that accusation. And what evidence do Harris and her surrogates produce to back that claim? Invariably they point to the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
So a report in the Vatican newspaper — a news story, remember — supports the pro-abortion narrative that the appointment of Supreme Court justices who could not find a “right” to abortion in the Constitution was an offense against democracy.
By Phil Lawler in Catholic Culture
I read Professor Romero’s article yesterday and disagree with his arguments. He’s totally off base. I believe the real threat to Democracy is Pamela Harris and the Democratic Party. They have a Marxist agenda. If Harris wins the Democrats plan to stack the Supreme Court with Democratic appointments. One Democratic current judge can’t even define what a woman is. After all Donald Trump legally chose the three Supreme Court Justices that overturned the deadly Roe versus Wade. No President in modern day history since 1973 was able to do what Trump did. Didn’t Pope Francis say recently vote for the lesser of two evils. The one that supports the abomination of abortion is the most evil. The choice is clear. In God We Trust. God Bless America. Make America Great Again.
Sip your cappuccino in peace, Federico! Trump is not Pinochet. I wish he were, but if the vote counting is reasonably fair this time, it will be Reagan 2.0.
The Big Election Cheat is on. Don’t be too confident. Democrats are going to cheat to win again.
Professor Federico Romero is a global elite New World Order apologist. That’s why he doesn’t like Donald Trump because he would get rid of the evil Deep State appointments that are destroying Democracy in America.
We clergy cannot endorse (or denounce) politicians, yet the Vatican can wade into politics, using candidates’ names, right before an election?!
This is outrageous. How is Amy Coney Barrett “anti-democratic?”
The American lay faithful should exercise their role and vote for the best possible candidates, without the interference of Italian socialists and others in the Vatican.
L’Osservatore Romano is the official Vatican newspaper, funded by the Vatican.
Ever wonder where your “Peter’s Pence” donations go?
I wish I knew your parish. I’d go to Mass there.
anonymous clergyman: Amy Coney Barrett is an excellent Supreme Court Justice unlike the democratic Judge that can’t define what a woman is.
The Peter’s Pence skulduggery: “In 2020, a Rhode Island Catholic parishioner filed a class action lawsuit against the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) over the Peter’s Pence collection. The lawsuit claims that the parishioner was misled about how the church would use his Peter’s Pence donations during a Sunday Mass. The plaintiff’s requests include:
Examining sermons nationwide to see what was said about Peter’s Pence
Involving civil juries in internal church information about how the Pope spent the offerings
Requiring the church to turn over all communications between the USCCB, dioceses, and the Vatican related to the offering
As of September 2024, no court has accepted these requests. However, as of February 2022, the plaintiff still believed that the case was worth pursuing in the interest of justice.”
The Vatican has zero understanding of American politics.
This “professor” has zero understanding of basic American government. If you’re going to criticize someone or something, at least demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about.
Or of American culture. Or of the American people. Adds little to their credibility.
Also it seems the current Pope affected by his background in Argentina. When asked how they would describe their opinion of the U.S., 45 percent of respondents in Argentina had either a good or a very good perception of the United States in 2018. Moreover, Argentina is among the Latin American countries featuring the lowest rates of positive perceptions of the U.S. (Statista Jul 5, 2024) Previous Popes seemed neutral (at least publicly) about the U.S. and JPII and Benedict XVI publicly praised good aspects of American life.
Maybe Catholics marginalized and in need of accompaniment by Church leaders are Trump supporters.
Many Catholics are not “Trump supporters,” yet will vote for Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance because the alternative would be disaster.
Only one of many examples: yesterday Gov. Walz was in Newsom’s house in Sacramento and called for abolition of the electoral college. Has this teacher never read the Constitution? We are the United States of America. We are a constitutional federal republic. States matter. Prior to the Civil War, we were usually referred to as “these United States,” more clearly emphasizing statehood and unity. Subsidiarity and solidarity, two Catholic concepts.
I was only a kid, but I well remember “Yanqui go home!”. How very awkward for them that most of us are already there. In any case, I no more look to Vatican journalists for my politics than I do to Hollywood for my morals.
In Texas, we only say “Yankee go home!” when you try to Californicate our state. Looking for freedom, friendliness and decency, then y’all are welcome (provided you don’t vote for the likes of Newsom, Pelosi and Harris).
Pope Francis weighs in on the presidential race via L’Osservatore Romano. If this endorsement prompts large swathes of Catholic voters to choose Harris and provides the outcome the pope desires, the blood of unborn babies will be on his hands. What can one say to this? If one says L’Osservatore Romano does not always reflect the pope’s views, then where is his retraction? If anyone knows of any papal comments on Professor Federico Romero’s bizarre views, it would be good to know.
I’m so tired of globalists in the Vatican. How about some Catholics?
When is the Vatican going to return to the teaching and practice of the Catholic religion? Our kids need it desperately. The Catholic religion has “gone missing” from the pope and Vatican, since the 1960s. I am amazed and shocked at the Vatican’s failure to completely denounce U.S. Pres. candidate Harris’ publicly stated plans to create an autocratic Marxist liberal Abortion empire if elected– and warn all U.S. Catholic voters not to vote for her, under pain of Mortal Sin. And warn J.D. Vance to change his stance on abortion to align with Catholic teaching, ASAP– or be excommunicated, flat. Miss the moral authority of the pre-Conciliar Catholic Church! It held the Devil and sin at bay, protecting millions, worldwide. How I miss that. The sinful human world desperately needs a good, strong moral authority to reckon with, and guide its footsteps to the right path. Starting with the Church, and Orthodox and Protestant Christian religious leaders, too– parents, teachers, coaches, policemen, community leaders, and political leaders– including national political leaders and presidents– all need to provide that– and put their foot down sternly, on sin. A good Catholic mother and national political leader like the “dumbbell socialite” (sorry!) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, should have had the maturity and good, common sense– completely backed up by the Catholic Church– that you do not accept wayward college kids’ excuses of “hooking-up” or “shacking-up” and killing the unborn baby. And you do not give them access to birth control. You teach virtue and morality, and prepare them for marriage (Traditional Biblically-based marriage, of one man and one woman, only)– most will probably choose to marry. And for the wayward, you establish mom-and-child maternity homes/adoption centers, with requirements after giving birth, that the girls grow up, make a choice for either being a parent or signing adoption papers, for the best life for their child. And become adults, handle their lives responsibly, like mature adults, from here on. You seek to responsibly make a good society, under God’s protection and blessings.
there are 2 types of voter this election: those voting FOR Trump and those voting AGAINST Trump. No one is voting FOR Harris.
That’s because everyone realizes that Kamala can’t do the job. But some Americans would rather have an incompetent, unintelligent woman of color in the White House than any Republican.
I agree with everyone who has posted on this site saying that they’ve cut Democrats out of their lives. I decided to start doing that. You know what? My life is happier now.
Not quite. I’m voting against Harris.
that is correct. no one voted for Kemala to be the presidential nomination.
millions voted for Biden (non-Catholic)
is that DEMOCRACY?
Kamala and the Democrats are total frauds. Kamala is like the Wizard of Oz. She’s just the prop that people see. Behind the scenes the operatives are running the campaign. Joe’s not the president; he’s just the prop that people see. Behind the scenes, the Democrat operatives are running the government.
Trump is the real deal.
Did you see the video of Kamala in a live video conference call with FEMA personnel? She was being fed questions from her handlers, and she covered her mouth to speak to them, but you could hear Kamala say, “It’s a live broadcast,” before asking her question. Kamala is a fraud. She’s an empty pantsuit.
empty pantsuit: Kamala is a disaster waiting to happen. Let’s hope and pray that America doesn’t elect Hurricane Kamala!
“Pope Francis told American Catholics to vote their conscience. What did he mean?” was a headline today in the Jesuit magazine America.
Could he have meant just that?
Of course not.
We all know he meant vote against Donald Trump and JD Vance.
How else could Harris impose abortion until birth and genital mutilation of children on an entire nation?
If you have any doubt, just ask at a local Jesuit school or ask one of the newly elevated cardinals or devout Catholic grandmother and theologian Pelosi. Even your devout Catholic governor knows.
Word salads are good for people. Four more years!
Add one more person to the list of voices from the Vatican to be Ignored.
This article is just more confusion from the Vatican. In God we trust. God Bless America. Make America Great Again.
Kamala doesn’t seem to be handling the pressure of a presidential campaign how could she possibly handle the pressure of running the country. God help us if she gets elected. The thing is, there is no pressure. She was installed! Never had to run for office, and the press won’t ask her a hard question. How can someone with no pressure of performance mess it up so bad?? She just gets worse and worse. She can’t handle any live communication. Harris has no business being in any elected position of responsibility or authority. She can’t handle the most basic requirements without significant assistance from others.
America Magazine explicitly said you should vote for Kamala, not Trump. That means that Trump is the only possible good choice for a faithful Catholic. The Jesuits at America are always wrong.
I have wondered if the pope’s “Synod on Synodality” concept ever bothers him, as shared leadership with untrained, unordained lay folk does disrespect the primacy and God-commanded leadership of the pope and his bishops, the Successors to St. Peter and the Apostles. Makes no sense. And many of them are not true Catholic believers nor sincere peactitioners of our holy Faith. The phony Synod on Synodality needs to be ended, discarded, and forgotten.
My comment at 3:57am had a typo in the next to the last sentence. It should read, “And many of them are not true Catholic believers nor sincere practitioners of our holy Faith.”
Professor Romero suffers from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. He’s in line with the 90% of the fake news media that’s controlled by the global elites. If Trump was an authoritarian why didn’t he display those characteristics during his first term in office from 2016-2020. What about the undemocratic court cases against him to keep him out of office? Trump is America’s clear and best choice for the future. In God We Trust. God Bless America.