MAGA's Vatican Cold War

Jan 21, 2026

Colleen Dulle, Vatican correspondent for America magazine and host of Inside the Vatican, delves into the intersection of MAGA politics and the Catholic Church. They discuss the influence of Christian nationalism on the Vatican, the rise of far-right factions like Opus Dei, and how wealthy American Catholics resist Pope Francis's reforms. Colleen highlights the historical roots of American Catholic conservatism and the challenges posed by figures like J.D. Vance. The conversation also touches on women's leadership, the handling of abuse scandals, and Pope Leo's cautious approach moving forward.

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INSIGHT

Money Shapes Vatican Influence

Wealthy American donors resisted Pope Francis after he criticized unfettered capitalism and emphasized the poor.
That resistance translated into financial pressure and organized opposition to Francis in the U.S. church.

INSIGHT

Gladiator School Revealed MAGA Tactics

Steve Bannon and allied figures tried to build a Rome-based 'gladiator school' to train far-right propagandists targeting the Church.
The project stalled, but it revealed explicit ties between U.S. MAGA networks and anti‑Francis Catholic actors.

INSIGHT

Opus Dei As A Power Node

Opus Dei and similar groups have strong networks in countries like Peru and influence politics and business.
Pope Francis tried to limit their autonomy, making Opus Dei a focal point in Vatican factional struggles.

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Like the rest of us, Pope Leo, the first American Pope, is under siege by MAGA. We discuss MAGA's war on the "globalist," "culturally Marxist" Catholic Church with Colleen Dulle, Vatican reporter for America Magazine and author of Struck Down, Not Destroyed.

Christian Nationalists have captured the White House, Congress, and Supreme Court. Now they are targeting the Holy See. We track the strategy from Steve Bannon's "gladiator school" for disinformation agents to recently converted Catholic JD Vance using his faith to justify mass deportations and ICE terror squads. MAGA has launched a financial boycott of the Catholic Church, provided safe haven and amplification for its biggest crackpots, while deploying dark-money disinformation and a Fox News-style Catholic press to target reformers.

We also confront the Vatican's long history of abuse and gaslighting. We discuss the erasure of trans people and women leaders like Mary Magdalene, arguably the true first pope. We also look to what the first American pontiff, Pope Leo, will bring in this time of crisis, and whether he will continue Pope Francis's war on Opus Dei–the far-right human trafficking crime cult that gained prominence during Franco's dictatorship in Spain. Opus Dei has set up shop in Washington, DC, counting among its allies Vance and the Heritage Foundation's Kevin Roberts, architect of Project 2025.

Note: This conversation was recorded on June 17, 2025. Look out for our bonus episode later this week on the latest hellscape headlines!

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Show Notes:

Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Colleen Dulle's new book on keeping the faith while covering the Vatican's crises https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/struck-down-not-destroyed-colleen-dulle/1146546457

Steve Bannon's "Gladiator School" Evicted: How the far-right strategist lost his fight to turn an 800-year-old monastery into a training ground for culture warriors https://news.artnet.com/art-world-archives/steve-bannons-school-far-right-nationalists-officially-evicted-800-year-old-italian-monastery-leased-2007256

The Problem with JD Vance's "Ordo Amoris": A theological breakdown of how Vance manipulates the teachings of St. Augustine to justify ICE terror https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/02/13/ordo-amoris-stephen-pope-vance-249926/

Project 2025 Architect Linked to Opus Dei: The Guardian reveals the deep ties between Kevin Roberts, the Heritage Foundation, and Opus Dei https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/26/kevin-roberts-project-2025-opus-dei

MAGA Tries to Starve the Church: An investigation into "Peter's Pence" and how conservative groups are financially undermining the Church https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/12/12/vatican-misleading-donors-peters-pence-explained/

Gaslit Nation's Episode on Opus Dei: https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2024/12/31/opus-dei