LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Catholic communities gathered around the U.S. for mass on Sunday, the first since President Trump attacked the Pope on social media. Vahini Shori with member station WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, checked in on one Catholic community after mass.
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VAHINI SHORI, BYLINE: This Sunday morning is like any other here in Birmingham - 8:30 mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul runs as normal. Danielle Rose Hesley was in attendance with her family. She grew up in the Catholic Church in Minnesota and moved down to Alabama about eight years ago. She sees the Pope's responsibility to guide both the church and the global community.
DANIELLE ROSE HESLEY: I admire the Pope's restraint and his intelligence and his virtue. And at the same time, he also is still a shepherd to that particular sheep who's, like, loudly baaing (ph) at him.
SHORI: She said that she's been praying for both the president and the Pope. Last week, President Trump said that Pope Leo XIV was weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy. Vice President JD Vance also weighed in, telling the Pope to stay out of politics. Those comments were in response to the Pope's remarks in Cameroon where he criticized the use of religion to justify military action. Amy Welborn was born Catholic and has published books on Catholic spirituality and history. She says her faith community is feeling frustrated with the current confrontation.
AMY WELBORN: Can we just get everybody in a room to talk face-to-face?
SHORI: Welborn said that the conflict between popes and leaders is as old as Christianity in the Roman Empire. Steve Gurley was raised Baptist but converted to Catholicism in the '80s. On Sunday, he attended service at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. How does he feel?
STEVE GURLEY: Somewhat concerned. I am a Trump supporter, and, you know, sometimes he says things off the cuff and probably says a few things before he thinks about, you know, what he actually said.
SHORI: Gurley thinks the Pope should refrain from weighing in on politics.
GURLEY: And worry more about the Catholicism across the world.
SHORI: In a statement this past weekend, the Pope said that his initial comments were not aimed at President Trump. He said that debating the president was not in his interest.
For NPR News, I'm Vahini Shori in Birmingham.
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