Vatican To Allow Trump To Choose American Bishops

 

The Vatican’s recent agreement to give America say over bishop appointments has critics accusing the Church of caving in to the current administration’s pressure.

Though the specifics of the deal announced Tuesday are unknown, Pope Francis said this morning that the agreement allows for a discussion with Donald Trump on the naming of bishops, but that ultimately the pope will decide.

“The thing is done in dialogue,” he said. “But Rome names. The Pope names. So long as President Trump agrees. Is that clear?”

According to reports, though the Vatican will retain the power to choose candidates, Washington, D.C. will be given the right to refuse “any and all of them.”

“The Holy See will agree to give the right of veto to the Trump administration and to any Republican administration, as that party has clearly become the party of God,” Francis said in his statement.

The agreement also calls for the Vatican to give authority to Catholic Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas to jointly rule over the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In a letter this morning to the American faithful, the pope urged Catholics to trust him.

“When have I steered you wrong?”