Catholic walks out of Mass as priest compares Trump to Satan at DC church

[Michie]

CV NEWS FEED // A Catholic man left Sunday Mass for the first time in his life after a priest in Georgetown, a wealthy neighborhood in Washington, DC, used his homily to make a political comparison between President Donald Trump and Satan.

The controversy unfolded as the priest reflected on the Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent, which recounts Christ’s 40-day fast and temptation by the devil (Luke 4:1-13). According to Declan Ganley, an entrepreneur and Catholic commentator, the priest connected the biblical passage to a recent exchange between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House.

Ganley expressed his frustration in a post on X.

“First time I left a Mass in my life,” he wrote. “Priest in Georgetown, D.C., delivering his homily and proceeds to use today’s Gospel of Satan’s temptation of Christ in the desert to Trump and Vance’s ‘taunting’ of Zelensky in the Oval Office. He delivers direct quotes from Trump. The comparison to Satan was not remotely veiled.”


Continued below

Catholic walks out of Mass as priest compares Trump to Satan at DC church

CV NEWS FEED // A Catholic man left Sunday Mass for the first time in his life after a priest in Georgetown, a wealthy neighborhood in…

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[fide]

CV NEWS FEED // A Catholic man left Sunday Mass for the first time in his life after a priest in Georgetown, a wealthy neighborhood in Washington, DC, used his homily to make a political comparison between President Donald Trump and Satan.

The controversy unfolded as the priest reflected on the Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent, which recounts Christ’s 40-day fast and temptation by the devil (Luke 4:1-13). According to Declan Ganley, an entrepreneur and Catholic commentator, the priest connected the biblical passage to a recent exchange between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House.

Ganley expressed his frustration in a post on X.

“First time I left a Mass in my life,” he wrote. “Priest in Georgetown, D.C., delivering his homily and proceeds to use today’s Gospel of Satan’s temptation of Christ in the desert to Trump and Vance’s ‘taunting’ of Zelensky in the Oval Office. He delivers direct quotes from Trump. The comparison to Satan was not remotely veiled.”


Continued below

Catholic walks out of Mass as priest compares Trump to Satan at DC church

CV NEWS FEED // A Catholic man left Sunday Mass for the first time in his life after a priest in Georgetown, a wealthy neighborhood in…

catholicvote.org

 

[RileyG]

Totally uncalled for!

 

[Michie]

I don’t go to mass to listen to unhinged rants about Trump. That’s what CF is for.

Totally uncalled for!

 

[Yarddog]

CV NEWS FEED // A Catholic man left Sunday Mass for the first time in his life after a priest in Georgetown, a wealthy neighborhood in Washington, DC, used his homily to make a political comparison between President Donald Trump and Satan.

The controversy unfolded as the priest reflected on the Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent, which recounts Christ’s 40-day fast and temptation by the devil (Luke 4:1-13). According to Declan Ganley, an entrepreneur and Catholic commentator, the priest connected the biblical passage to a recent exchange between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House.

Ganley expressed his frustration in a post on X.

“First time I left a Mass in my life,” he wrote. “Priest in Georgetown, D.C., delivering his homily and proceeds to use today’s Gospel of Satan’s temptation of Christ in the desert to Trump and Vance’s ‘taunting’ of Zelensky in the Oval Office. He delivers direct quotes from Trump. The comparison to Satan was not remotely veiled.”


Continued below

Catholic walks out of Mass as priest compares Trump to Satan at DC church

CV NEWS FEED // A Catholic man left Sunday Mass for the first time in his life after a priest in Georgetown, a wealthy neighborhood in…

catholicvote.org

This doesn't help much, unless the text of his homily is available for us to read.

 

[Yarddog]

CV NEWS FEED // A Catholic man left Sunday Mass for the first time in his life after a priest in Georgetown, a wealthy neighborhood in Washington, DC, used his homily to make a political comparison between President Donald Trump and Satan.

The controversy unfolded as the priest reflected on the Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent, which recounts Christ’s 40-day fast and temptation by the devil (Luke 4:1-13). According to Declan Ganley, an entrepreneur and Catholic commentator, the priest connected the biblical passage to a recent exchange between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House.

Ganley expressed his frustration in a post on X.

“First time I left a Mass in my life,” he wrote. “Priest in Georgetown, D.C., delivering his homily and proceeds to use today’s Gospel of Satan’s temptation of Christ in the desert to Trump and Vance’s ‘taunting’ of Zelensky in the Oval Office. He delivers direct quotes from Trump. The comparison to Satan was not remotely veiled.”


Continued below

Catholic walks out of Mass as priest compares Trump to Satan at DC church

CV NEWS FEED // A Catholic man left Sunday Mass for the first time in his life after a priest in Georgetown, a wealthy neighborhood in…

catholicvote.org

It is sad that someone would walk out of Mass because what a priest said about a politician. The Mass is Holy and needs to be respected, regardless of what is said in the homily. Jesus is present and we need to remember that.

 

[FaithT]

I don’t go to mass to listen to unhinged rants about Trump. That’s what CF is for.

The non denominational church I went to for awhile were all pro Trump and made no secret about it. I didn’t like that, either.

 

[Michie]

The non denominational church I went to for awhile we all pro Trump and made no secret about it. I didn’t like that, either.

I’m not crazy about anyone that turns politics into their religion. I don’t mind the voting guides compared to Catholic teachings put out around election times but other than that, I do not think the pulpit should be used for partisan politics.

 

[Radagast]

I do not think the pulpit should be used for partisan politics.

The pulpit can, I think, be appropriately used for moral issues. It is reasonable for a priest to say that abortion, euthanasia, and child sexual abuse are grave ills and should be resisted. I'm not sure why a priest should be talking about politics in general, though.

 

[Michie]

The pulpit can, I think, be appropriately used for moral issues. It is reasonable for a priest to say that abortion, euthanasia, and child sexual abuse are grave ills and should be resisted. I'm not sure why a priest should be talking about politics in general, though.

He was comparing Trump to Satan from what I read.

 

[WarriorAngel]

I had ecclesiastical classes and got nothing out of studying the New Testament because all the teacher talked about was how much he liked Obama.
One guy transferred to the other class because he wanted to learn…

I was frustrated because I wanted to learn.

 

[FaithT]

I’m not crazy about anyone that turns politics into their religion. I don’t mind the voting guides compared to Catholic teachings put out around election times but other than that, I do not think the pulpit should be used for partisan politics.

During the first election with Trump our then- priest said or insinuated that if we voted Democrat we were going to hell. So I voted for Trump even though I didnt like him then, either.

 

[WarriorAngel]

During the first election with Trump our then- priest said or insinuated that if we voted Democrat we were going to hell. So I voted for Trump even though I didnt like him then, either.

Well that’s harsh.

But I guess he elaborated that the policies of the left could lead us there when in agreement?

 

[RileyG]

I had ecclesiastical classes and got nothing out of studying the New Testament because all the teacher talked about was how much he liked Obama.
One guy transferred to the other class because he wanted to learn…

I was frustrated because I wanted to learn.

Obama was no friend to the faithful...remember what he did to the Little Sisters of the Poor?

SMH

 

[RileyG]

During the first election with Trump our then- priest said or insinuated that if we voted Democrat we were going to hell. So I voted for Trump even though I didnt like him then, either.

Uncalled for.

 

[FaithT]

Well that’s harsh.

But I guess he elaborated that the policies of the left could lead us there when in agreement?

Yeah but really, Trumps actions are no better.

 

[Yarddog]

He was comparing Trump to Satan from what I read.

I'd like to see an actual text of the homily. I don't trust what a person interprets another to be saying. We see this, all the time, from the news media, about both parties.

They say something but the text shows something else.

 

[RileyG]

I'd like to see an actual text of the homily. I don't trust what a person interprets another to be saying. We see this, all the time, from the news media, about both parties.

They say something but the text shows something else.

I agree with you.

 

[Michie]

I agree with you.

He can have a text of the homily and expound on it. The way it’s delivered makes all the difference as well. I have researched it and have not come up with anything yet. So all we have is the parishioner’s view at this point. But if he was comparing Trump to Satan it was wholly inappropriate.

Ganley’s post quickly gained traction, drawing over a million views and reigniting debates about politics in the pulpit. Ganley emphasized that while he respects Jesuits and their intellectual contributions, partisan rhetoric from the altar crosses a line.

“Honestly, I’m fine with leftie Jesuits,” he wrote. “They are necessary, and they have a charism. But raw, nasty partisan political speeches from the Altar that compare the President of the United States to Satan? Beyond the pale. Not going to bring people closer to salvation.”

Ganley did not name the church or the priest involved but revealed that he eventually attended Mass at Our Lady of Victory on McArthur Boulevard.

The Archdiocese of Washington has not issued an official response to the incident.

This episode comes amid a broader conversation on the intersection of faith and politics in the Catholic Church. Recent episcopal appointments, including the appointment of Cardinal Robert McElroy as the new Archbishop of Washington, DC, have drawn attention. McElroy, a vocal critic of Trump’s immigration policies, took over after Cardinal Wilton Gregory’s retirement earlier this year.

Catholic walks out of Mass as priest compares Trump to Satan at DC church

CV NEWS FEED // A Catholic man left Sunday Mass for the first time in his life after a priest in Georgetown, a wealthy neighborhood in…

catholicvote.org