‘Catholics for Catholics’ on the Rise | The American Spectator

It is so routine that many churchgoers — of all faiths! — don’t notice.

That routine would be passing the collection plate every Sunday. After all, it costs money to keep a church up and running. And that church doesn’t have to be New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral or the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris or the local Methodist church near your home.

My humble Protestant United Church of Christ congregation always passes the collection plates, and always starts the New Year by giving every church member in my congregation a small box of envelopes meticulously dated for every Sunday of the year, plus extras for the holidays. Even the smallest church can have a moment of collection plate passing.

But, of course, it isn’t just Protestant churches that pass the plates.

The Daily Caller recently headlined: “Pope Leo Wants Traditional American Catholic Conservatives To Help With Vatican’s Finances.”

The story starts right off the bat by reporting:

Pope Leo is turning to conservative American Catholics and MAGA-aligned megadonors to help stabilize the Vatican’s strained balance sheet.

The new pope is reportedly working behind the scenes to reconnect with major U.S. donors whose support had dwindled in recent years, Politico reported. That decline followed widespread discontent with Pope Francis’ more liberal teachings and a string of corruption scandals, including the Vatican bank’s failed investment in London real estate, said John Yep, president of Catholics for Catholics, Politico reported.

Insiders told Politico that Pope Leo was seen during the conclave as someone with the financial sensibility to rebuild trust with these high-dollar benefactors. His election came as internal figures showed the Vatican ran an €83 million deficit in 2024 — more than double its last reported shortfall, Reuters reported. U.S. donations — historically the largest single source of external support — have dropped sharply.

“Talking to some of the biggest donors in the country, they’re absolutely thrilled,” one conservative Catholic leader told Politico, though no large donations have yet been confirmed.

And with reference to the Politico story mentioned above, that headline read: “Pope Leo looks to MAGA megadonors to shore up Church finances: Wealthy American conservatives hint they’re ready to cough up again to rescue the scandal-ridden Church from going broke.”

The story begins: 

VATICAN CITY — The new American pope is looking to his MAGA compatriots to shore up the Vatican’s finances after decades of scandal and mismanagement. The conclave that brought Pope Leo to power was overshadowed by painful divisions within the Church, a war between modernity and tradition, and bitter reflections over his predecessor’s complex legacy. But more prosaically it was also plagued by angst over a serious fiscal squeeze that is forcing the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to moonlight as a fundraiser.

It should be noted that the problems the Catholic faith has been having courtesy, as the article says, of “widespread discontent with Pope Francis’ more liberal teachings and a string of corruption scandals” is not a uniquely Catholic problem.

As a lifelong member of a Mainline Protestant denomination (the United Church of Christ) myself — and a member who, as I grew older, challenged the increasing liberal political bent of my denomination, there was no question to me why both the UCC and the larger Mainline Protestant denominations were losing members.

Over here at Reformationrev, was this headline in December of 2024, barely a half dozen months ago. The headline: “The Decline in the Mainline: Analyzing the Role of Liberal Theology.”

The story noted:

Over the past several decades, mainline Protestant denominations in the United States and other parts of the Western world have experienced significant declines in membership, attendance, and influence. Churches such as the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, once central to American religious life, now find themselves struggling with aging congregations, dwindling numbers, and financial instability.

While many factors contribute to this decline, one of the most frequently discussed reasons is the influence of liberal theology within these traditions. Liberal theology, which emphasizes reason, historical criticism of scripture, and social justice, has often clashed with the more conservative and traditional expressions of Christianity, creating a divide that some argue has contributed to the decline of mainline churches.

But, as noted, this problem of an entire denomination edging Left has not been limited to Mainline Protestants.

Right here is the site for Catholics for Catholics, which self-describes this way: “Catholics for Catholics is fighting to bring the Catholic faith back into the public square through rosary rallies, media, political action & more!”

While there was a move seen by many Catholics as the late Pope Francis steering the church Leftward, in 2024, the CFC happily listed as one of its campaigns: “2024 Masses Offered for President Trump: Catholic Prayer Campaign from June 14th, President’s birthday, until November 5th, 2024 — Election Day.”

The site, in fact, lists a host of events covering President Trump’s activities, along with the ability to sign up as a member of CRC, as seen here.

Notably, this includes this YouTube video on the CRC site, the latter serving as the “official home for all things related to the 250th USA Anniversary Celebration from a Catholic perspective.”

Among its many informative stories was this headline from March of 2025: “Catholic clergy, laypeople to gather for prayer at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.”

The story reported:

Nearly 100 members of the Catholic clergy are expected to be among those praying for President Donald Trump and the country during a Catholics for Catholics event at the president’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday evening.

“The goal of this event is to pray — and to pray in a specifically Catholic way,” Catholics for Catholics President John Yep told CNA ahead of the group’s second annual Mar-a-Lago gathering.

Founded in 2022, Catholics for Catholics describes itself as an organization “at the intersection of faith and politics” that aims to “change hearts and minds for Jesus Christ and his Church.”

The March 19 event also featured “various prominent Catholic speakers, including Bishop Joseph Strickland, Father Richard Heilman, pro-life activist Jean Marshall, detransitioner Nancy Charles, and Catholic commentator Taylor Marshall.

The Jean Marshall mentioned above was noted by CRC as being “one of the 23 pro-life activists who were arrested under former President Joe Biden’s administration and subsequently pardoned by Trump.”

All of which is to say, in an era where some religious denominations have been leaning Left politically for years, the CRC is focused on, as it headlines, “The Good News — From a Catholic Perspective.”

The CRC, in discussing, says this in a few short words on how to stay informed. It reads:

The Good News newsletter, a free daily resource provided by Catholics for Catholics. It aims to inform Catholics of the top stories happening inside and outside the Church. Covering a range of topics from religion to politics, culture, and more.

And judging by the considerable list of headlines and accompanying news stories making up the current list, Catholics for Catholics and its President John Yep are very focused on making sure Catholics have a place to go to have a better understanding of the religious perspective — a serious Catholic perspective — on the issues of the day. It is also presenting its video views on issues in a 21st-century style on YouTube with CRC spokesperson Noreen Johnson.

All of which is to say, it seems certain that the selection of Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope, and in particular from the conservative ranks of Chicago, is going to ripple out and have a real effect on the Catholic Church.

In fact, for those with a long enough memory, the selection of the first Polish Pope, John Paul II, had a considerable effect in the world, with the decidedly anti-Communist Pope combining with the anti-Communist American President Reagan and the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to end the decades long Cold War once and forever.

In sum?

What is going on internally inside today’s Catholic Church will bear watching. And not just for the internal actions of the Vatican.

Catholics for Catholics is establishing itself as a significant and valued player inside the Church.

And for Catholics who love their faith and their Church, it will be well worth watching.

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