Photo Credit: AP
Friends,
I’m going to say something that’s been heavy on my heart for a long time. Abortion has been used to lure Catholics into a political trap. It’s become the bait that drew us in, and once inside, we were told to keep our mouths shut about every other issue of life and justice or worse, became propagandized into holding positions no follower of Jesus of Nazareth should ever promote.
I believe Pope Leo is signaling that this era needs to end. He’s not telling anyone how to vote, but he is reminding us that our faith does not belong to a political brand. It belongs to Christ. And that is good news for the Church.
How the Trap Was Set
For decades, abortion has been wielded as a kind of moral blackmail: “If you really care about life, you have to vote for us.”
That framing worked. It created the illusion that there were only two choices: either you stand with them, or you’re for the killing of children. That’s a false choice. It shut down honest conversation about poverty, war, immigration, racial justice, the death penalty, and care for the earth.
It also worked because it played on Catholic guilt. If you questioned the party line or asked for a fuller approach to protecting life, you were treated as a traitor. And little by little, Catholics got drawn deeper in, often excusing the cruelty, corruption, and cynicism of leaders as long as they promised to fight abortion.
That’s the trap. Abortion was the door we were pushed through, and MAGA politics was the house we were locked inside.
What Pope Leo Is Actually Saying
Recently, Chicago Cardinal Cupich caused controversy by planning to give Democratic Senator Dick Durbin a Lifetime Achievement Honor, sparking instant backlash from the Pro-Life movement. Senator Durbin put in decades of work on immigration and many other issues of Christian concern. When asked to weigh in, Pope Leo did something subtle but important. He didn’t bless Durbin’s record on abortion. But he refused to reduce a man’s entire life’s work to one issue. He reminded us that being truly pro-life means standing for the dignity of migrants, prisoners, the poor, the sick, as well as the unborn.
“Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion,’ but says ‘I’m in favor of the death penalty,’ is not really pro-life,” “Someone who says that, ‘I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who are in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.” (EWTN)
In another recent interview with PBS, Pope Leo said what so many of us have been longing to hear: the Church is for everyone, everyone, everyone. LGBTQ+ people are welcome. He spoke about the need to listen, to walk together, to reject the bitter polarization that is tearing nations apart.
That is a gentle but unmistakable rebuke to the politics that weaponize abortion and LGBTQ+ rights as a badge of righteousness while shrugging at every other assault on human dignity.
Why We Need to Leave MAGA
It’s time to step back and ask what allegiance to MAGA has done to Catholic witness.
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MAGA demands loyalty to the movement above conscience.
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It narrows “pro-life” to the womb only, ignoring mothers in crisis, the poor, the refugee, and the condemned.
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It has excused corruption and cruelty in the name of winning.
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It has silenced the Church’s prophetic voice (From Clergy to Comedians), so we can’t speak truth to power anymore.
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It speaks constantly of harboring hatred of your political opponents, which they call enemies.
Remaining tied to MAGA in the name of opposing abortion has cost the Church its moral clarity. It has left us compromised, unable to challenge injustice when it comes from “our side.” And worse, it leads well intended Christians into serious sin, with no roadmap back to repentance. Repenting and atoning for past sins is viewed as a primal weakness in MAGA world.
A Word to My Fellow Catholics
Pope Leo isn’t telling us who to vote for. But he’s opening the door for us to walk out of that trap. He’s saying that the fullness of the Gospel is bigger than any party platform, and that the Catholic conscience is not a partisan possession.
Leaving MAGA doesn’t mean abandoning the unborn. It means we refuse to let a political brand hold the unborn hostage. It means we will defend life in the womb and in the refugee camp, in the prison, at the border, in the war-torn country, in the neighborhood plagued by violence.
We don’t need to be owned by any politician. We belong to Christ.
The Invitation
If this stirs you, I invite you to pray and reflect. Ask yourself what it would mean to bring your whole Catholic conscience into the public square, not just the sliver that a party wants to use.
Our Church needs that witness. Our nation needs it too.
The Pope is reminding us that we are free. Let’s act like it.
A Prayer for Freedom of Conscience
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
In You all things hold together,
and in Your light we see light.
We have wandered into snares laid by human powers,
seeking righteousness through the strength of kings and parties,
forgetting that Your Kingdom is not of this world.
We have bowed too easily to the banners of the age
and let our hearts be troubled by its shouting.
Breathe again upon Your people the wind of freedom.
Loosen the cords that bind conscience to the fear of men.
Awaken in us the reverence for every life You have knit in secret —
the child in the womb, the migrant at the border,
the prisoner behind stone walls,
the stranger who carries Your face.
Let Your Spirit be the lamp to our feet,
leading us out of the cages of faction and into the wide pastures of Your peace.
Teach us to see that true power is mercy,
true victory is love,
and that to walk in Your Way is to be set free.
Gather Your Church again into the stillness of Your heart,
where the noise of the world falls silent
and only the voice of the Shepherd is heard.
We ask this in Your holy name,
Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Amen.
Join the Journey from the Margins
If this reflection speaks to you, I want to invite you to walk this road with me.
Message from the Margins is more than a newsletter. It’s a ministry for the wounded and the weary, for the faithful who feel trapped by politics, for the seekers who still hunger for Jesus but have been turned off by the culture wars.
I’m Father Rich Vitale, an Old Catholic priest with a simple conviction: the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth still has the power to heal, to liberate, and to gather us together — but only if we hear it again as Good News.
This ministry exists to offer that Good News at the edges of our society — to people who feel pushed out of churches, betrayed by leaders, confused by the noise. We do it through:
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Daily pastoral reflections on Substack that speak to the heart of the times
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Short, shareable videos across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube that bring faith into the conversations of today
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A growing library of free and premium resources — guides for prayer, healing from church-hurt, reflections on loneliness, and practical tools for living the Gospel in a polarized world
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Live prayer and pastoral care, both online and in person
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A soon-to-launch podcast and more long-form teaching to help people root their lives in the Way of Christ
In the days ahead, we’re building out a community of supporters — through paid Substack tiers — so we can keep this ministry sustainable. Subscribers will get access to deeper reflections, live Q&As, and new prayer and study resources.
If you believe the Church should be a place of mercy rather than a weapon of politics…
If you want to see the witness of the Gospel rise up again from the margins…
If you’re longing for a voice that names the traps and points to freedom in Christ…
I invite you to subscribe, share, and pray with us.
Your prayers, your presence, your willingness to share this work with friends and family — that’s what allows this ministry to grow. Together, we can help the Church remember who it is, and help our neighbors discover the Jesus who is still calling them home.
We’re just getting started. There’s a lot to come — and I’d be honored to have you walk this road with me.