Introduction: A Week That Should Alarm Every Student of Scripture
In the span of seven days --
December 4 through December 11, 2025 -- three events converged that should
command the attention of every Bible-believing Christian and every American who
values constitutional governance. On December 5, Pope Leo XIV addressed a
Vatican conference on artificial intelligence, positioning the Roman Catholic
Church as the moral authority over global AI development. On December 8,
President Donald Trump issued an unprecedented official proclamation honoring
the Feast of the Immaculate Conception -- a specifically Catholic holy day
celebrating a doctrine rejected by Protestants -- complete with the full text
of the Hail Mary prayer. And on December 11, Trump signed an executive order
centralizing federal control over artificial intelligence while preempting
state regulations.
These are not isolated events.
They represent the visible surface of a deeper convergence between governmental
power, religious authority, and technological control that warrants serious
examination. This article documents what happened, provides constitutional
analysis, and offers biblical perspective for those with eyes to see -- ὁ ἔχων ὦτα
ἀκουέτω (ho echōn ōta
akouetō – “he who has ears, let him hear”).
I. An Unprecedented Presidential Act
What Trump Actually Said
On December 8, 2025, the White
House issued a "Presidential Message on the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception." This was not a general acknowledgment of religious diversity
or a broad statement about faith in America. It was a full-throated endorsement
of specifically Catholic theology and devotion to Mary.
The proclamation stated:
"For nearly 250 years, Mary has played a distinct role in our great
American story. In 1792, Bishop John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in our
Nation, consecrated the United States to Mary." Trump described Mary as "one
of the greatest figures in the Bible" and stating "Today, we look to Mary once again for inspiration and encouragement"
Most remarkably, the official
White House statement concluded with the complete text of the Hail Mary prayer:
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among
women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death."
Trump further credited Mary
with military victory, stating that “Catholics attributed General Andrew
Jackson’s stunning victory over the British in the climactic Battle of New
Orleans to Mary.” And that “Every year, Catholics celebrate a Mass of
Thanksgiving in New Orleans on January 8 in memory of Mary’s assistance in
saving the city.”
Why This Is Historically Unprecedented
No previous American president
has ever issued an official proclamation honoring the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception. This includes the two Catholic presidents -- John F. Kennedy and
Joe Biden -- neither of whom issued any such statement. The former stating that
his faith was not relevant to his role as president and did not impact his
decisions. Multiple news sources and historical researchers have confirmed that
Trump's December 8, 2025 proclamation has no precedent in American presidential
history.
The Feast of the Immaculate
Conception commemorates a doctrine defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854 -- that Mary
was conceived without original sin. This is a specifically Catholic dogma that
has always been rejected by Protestants and bible believers. The doctrine is
not found in Scripture and contradicts the clear biblical teaching that
"all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23,
NASB).
Trump himself claims he is not
Catholic. He has described himself as a "non-denominational
Christian" and Presbyterian. But these claims do not make sense. That would mean that a non-Catholic president
has issuing the first-ever official presidential recognition of a Catholic
feast day describing Catholic doctrine as historical fact. Even Catholic
presidents have declined to every acknowledge in this manner.
Trump's Own Words on Church and State
This proclamation did not
emerge from a vacuum. On May 1, 2025, at the signing ceremony for his Religious
Liberty Commission, Trump made his views explicit: "They say, 'Separation
between church and state.' ... I said, 'All right, let's forget about that for
one time.' Is that a good thing or bad thing? I'm not sure."
The President of the United
States publicly suggested abandoning the constitutional principle of
church-state separation. Seven months later, he issued a proclamation that puts
those words into action by officially endorsing Catholic theology, Catholic prayer,
and Catholic interpretation of American history.
II. Constitutional Concerns: The Establishment Clause
What the First Amendment Actually Says
The First Amendment to the
United States Constitution provides: "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof." The Establishment Clause was designed to prevent exactly what we
are now witnessing -- government endorsement of one religious tradition over
others.
The Founders, many of whom were
Protestant, were acutely aware of the dangers of governmental religious
establishment. They had witnessed the abuses of state-established churches in
Europe and sought to prevent such entanglement in the new republic.
Analysis of the Proclamation
Trump's Immaculate Conception
proclamation raises serious Establishment Clause concerns on multiple fronts.
First, regarding purpose: the proclamation has no secular purpose. Its entire
substance is religious -- specifically, it promotes Catholic Marian theology
and devotion. Second, regarding effect: the proclamation advances Catholic
religious beliefs. It declares that Mary "has played a distinct role in
our great American story" and encourages Americans to seek her “comfort”
and intercession. This promotes specific Catholic doctrines and practices. Third, regarding
entanglement: by incorporating the Hail Mary prayer into an official government
document, the proclamation entangles the federal government with Catholic
religious practice in an unprecedented way.
The Standing Problem
Some may ask: if this is
unconstitutional, why does no one challenge it? The answer lies in the legal
doctrine of "standing" -- the court-made requirement that a plaintiff
demonstrate concrete, particularized injury to bring a lawsuit. The Supreme
Court has progressively narrowed who can challenge Establishment Clause
violations, particularly for executive branch actions.
In Hein v. Freedom From
Religion Foundation (2007), the Court held that taxpayer standing does not
apply to challenges against executive branch actions -- only Congressional
appropriations under Article I, Section 8. This creates a troubling gap: SCOTUS
would say that the executive branch can promote religion with relative impunity
because those harmed lack “standing” to sue.
The effect is a one-way
ratchet. Government can increasingly favor religion -- especially established,
institutional religion -- while legal challenges become nearly impossible to
bring. Those who dismiss the proclamation as "just words" ignore that
it reveals the religious lens through which this administration views its
policy decisions.
III. The DOJ and Catholic Interests: Washington State
The Background
In May 2025, Washington State
passed Senate Bill 5375, which added clergy to the list of mandatory reporters
of child abuse. The law required clergy to report suspected abuse even if
learned during confession, with no exemption for priest-penitent privilege.
Similar laws exist in New Hampshire and West Virginia and have been in place
for years without federal intervention.
The Catholic Church opposed the
law because Catholic canon law forbids priests from disclosing anything said in
confession -- even admissions of child abuse -- under penalty of automatic
excommunication. Catholic leaders framed this as a matter of religious freedom.
The DOJ Response
The Trump Justice Department
did something extraordinary. It launched a civil rights investigation into the
Washington law, calling it "anti-Catholic." The DOJ then formally
intervened by joining the Catholic Church's lawsuit against the state.
Critically, while the Church's
lawsuit targeted only the confession provision, the DOJ went further. It sought
to strike down the entire law and restore blanket immunity for all clergy from
mandatory reporting. The DOJ's position was more protective of Catholic
interests than what even the Catholic bishops had requested.
Assistant Attorney General
Harmeet Dhillon characterized the law as a "legislative attack on the
Catholic Church and its sacrament of confession." A federal judge granted
a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement, and by October 2025, Washington
State settled, agreeing not to enforce the confession provision.
The Implications
The result: Catholic clergy in
Washington may legally maintain secrecy about confessed child abuse, even as
teachers, nurses, therapists, and other professionals remain mandatory
reporters. The federal government used its power to protect a specifically
Catholic religious practice -- the seal of confession -- at the expense of
innocent and powerless παιδία (paidia - children) who are being raped. As Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous - Jesus) warned in Matthew 18:6:
'whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would
be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be
drowned in the depth of the sea.”
As Mary Dispenza of the
Catholic Accountability Project stated: "We want the best of Catholicism,
which is protecting children. Secrecy is not the best of the Catholic church.
Secrecy protects perpetrators."
This is not a proclamation.
This is policy. This is the federal government actively intervening to protect
Catholic institutional interests. And the DOJ has declined to say whether it
will investigate the other states with similar laws -- suggesting the Washington
action may have been strategically chosen and that the DOJ will continue this
any time such a law is made.
Consider the irony: individual
citizens are told they lack “standing” to challenge the federal government's
endorsement of Catholic theology in official proclamations. Yet the federal
government claims authority to override state laws designed to protect children
from sexual abuse. How does the federal government have grounds to stop a state
from stopping child abuse? The asymmetry is designed to work in one direction
-- protecting institutional Catholic interests while leaving citizens powerless
to challenge constitutional violations.
IV. The Religious Liberty Commission: Follow the Appointments
On May 1, 2025, Trump signed an
executive order establishing the Religious Liberty Commission. The composition
of this body is revealing.
Commission Members
The commission includes
Cardinal Timothy Dolan (Archbishop of New York), Bishop Robert Barron (Diocese
of Winona-Rochester), and Ryan Anderson (president of the Ethics and Public
Policy Center, who is Catholic). The commission is chaired by Texas Lt. Governor
Dan Patrick, an evangelical.
The advisory boards, appointed
May 16, 2025, include Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone (San Francisco), Bishop
Thomas Paprocki (Springfield, Illinois -- who launched the "Fortnight for
Freedom" campaign), Bishop Kevin Rhoades (Fort Wayne-South Bend -- who
chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Religious Liberty Committee),
Francis Beckwith (Baylor philosophy professor), and Gerard Bradley (Notre Dame
law professor).
Bishop Barron explicitly stated
the commission's task: "bringing the perspective of Catholic social
teaching to bear as the commission endeavors to shape public policy."
This leadership body which Trump appointed is heavily weighted toward
Catholic leadership and explicitly charged with implementing Catholic social
teaching through federal policy. The "Religious Liberty Commission"
appears designed to advance specifically Catholic interests under the banner of
religious freedom generally.
V.
December 8: A Day of Settlements
On the same day President Trump
issued his unprecedented proclamation honoring Mary and praising New Orleans as
a city she "saved," two massive Catholic sex abuse settlements were
announced.
In New York, Cardinal Timothy
Dolan -- who serves on Trump's Religious Liberty Commission -- announced that
the Archdiocese of New York would raise $300 million to settle claims from
approximately 1,300 victims of clergy sex abuse. The archdiocese is laying off
staff, cutting its operating budget by 10%, and selling real estate including
its Manhattan headquarters to fund the settlement.
In New Orleans -- the very city
Trump credited Mary with saving -- a federal bankruptcy judge approved a $230
million settlement for more than 600 victims of clergy sexual abuse. The
archdiocese had filed for bankruptcy in 2020 to avoid handling each abuse claim
separately. Survivors testified that they still struggle decades later. As
survivor Kathleen Austin stated: "Why has it taken so long to get to this
point and at such a high cost?" Another survivor, Neil Duhon, testified:
"This legal thing will maybe end but what it has done to us, the trauma it
has done to us, will not ever end."
Combined, these two settlements
total over $530 million for nearly 2,000 victims of Catholic clergy abuse --
announced on the same day the President of the United States issued an official
proclamation promoting Catholic theology and Marian devotion.
The juxtaposition is jarring.
While the federal government uses its power to protect Catholic confession
secrecy from state child protection laws, while the President promotes Catholic
doctrine as American heritage, the Catholic Church simultaneously acknowledges
hundreds of millions of dollars in liability for the systematic rape of
children by its clergy.
VI. The AI Convergence: Rome and the White House
Pope Leo XIV and Artificial Intelligence
On December 5, 2025 -- three
days before Trump's Immaculate Conception proclamation -- Pope Leo XIV
addressed a Vatican conference titled "Artificial Intelligence and Care
for Our Common Home." The Pope asked: "How can we ensure that the development
of artificial intelligence truly serves the common good, and is not just used
to accumulate wealth and power in the hands of a few?"
This is not a new interest for
the Vatican. The Pope chose the name "Leo XIV" explicitly to address
AI as a "new industrial revolution," connecting himself to Pope Leo
XIII who addressed the first industrial revolution. Time magazine named Leo XIV
one of the "100 Most Influential People in AI 2025."
The Vatican has aggressively
positioned itself as the global moral authority over artificial intelligence.
Its "Rome Call for AI Ethics" has been signed by major technology
companies including Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco -- corporations formally submitting
to papal guidance on AI development. In July 2024, religious leaders
representing major world faiths gathered in Hiroshima to sign the Rome Call,
consolidating Vatican leadership over interfaith AI ethics.
The Vatican's 2021 RenAIssance
Foundation promotes Vatican control over global AI development. Its 2024
document "Antiqua et Nova" runs 117 paragraphs on AI theology and
ethics. The Roman Catholic Church is systematically building infrastructure to
control how artificial intelligence develops worldwide.
Trump's AI Executive Order
On December 11, 2025 -- three
days after the Immaculate Conception proclamation -- Trump signed an executive
order titled "Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial
Intelligence." This order centralizes federal control over AI development
and preempts state regulations.
The order establishes an AI
Litigation Task Force to challenge state AI laws. It targets laws requiring AI
models to "alter their truthful outputs." It restricts federal
funding (including the BEAD Program) for states with "onerous AI laws."
The practical effect is that the federal government gains control over how AI
systems operate and what they are permitted to say.
The Timeline
Consider the sequence. December
4: Trump's National Security Strategy released. December 5: Pope Leo XIV
addresses Vatican AI conference. December 8: Trump issues unprecedented
Immaculate Conception proclamation. December 9: Pope Leo XIV meets Ukrainian
President Zelensky. December 11: Trump signs AI Executive Order centralizing
federal control.
Within one week, we see
religious authority (Vatican/Pope), governmental authority (Trump/White House),
and technological control (AI centralization) converging simultaneously. The
same administration that issued an unprecedented Catholic proclamation also
centralized federal control over AI in the same week the Vatican positioned
itself as global AI moral authority.
VII. A Biblical Perspective
For
those familiar with biblical prophecy, these developments resonate with γραφή
(graphē - Scripture) in ways that merit sober reflection.
Revelation 13: The Image That Speaks
Revelation 13:14-15 (NASB)
describes a figure who tells “those who dwell on the earth to make an εἰκών (eikōn - image) to the
θηρίον (thērion - beast)... And it was given to him to give breath to the εἰκών (eikōn) of the θηρίον
(thērion), so that the εἰκών
(eikōn) of the θηρίον (thērion) would even speak."
For most of human history, an
"image that speaks" was incomprehensible. Images do not speak. Yet we
now live in an age where artificial intelligence literally generates speech,
text, video, and audio. AI systems speak. They create content. They influence
what information people receive and how they understand the world.
Revelation 13:5 (NASB) states:
"There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and
blasphemies." AI quite literally is a "mouth" -- it generates
speech and text. The question of who controls that mouth, and what it is
permitted to say, becomes spiritually significant.
Revelation 17: The City on Seven Hills
Revelation 17:9 (NASB)
identifies the seat of a great πνευματικός (pneumatikos - spiritual) and political system: "The seven heads
are seven mountains on which the woman sits." Rome has been historically
known as the "city on seven hills" (Capitoline, Aventine, Caelian,
Esquiline, Quirinal, Viminal, Palatine). Roman coins depicted the goddess Roma
sitting on seven mountains. The Vatican sits upon these hills.
Protestant Reformers
consistently identified Rome as the seat of the prophesied spiritual system
described in Revelation. This was not controversial among Protestants for
centuries. The current convergence -- where the Vatican positions itself as
moral authority over global AI while the U.S. government endorses Catholic
theology -- brings these questions into fresh relevance.
Revelation 13:16-17: Control Over Commerce
Revelation 13:16-17 (NASB)
describes a time when "no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the
one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his
name." Economic control -- the ability to determine who can participate in
commerce -- requires infrastructure that did not exist until the digital age.
AI systems increasingly mediate
commercial activity. They determine what content appears online. They influence
what products people see. They can restrict access to platforms and payment
systems. The centralization of AI control in the hands of those aligned with a
particular religious system creates the technological infrastructure for the
kind of economic control Scripture describes.
VIII. Theological Problems with the Proclamation
Beyond
constitutional concerns, the proclamation contains theological problems that
should trouble anyone familiar with what the Bible actually teaches.
The Immaculate Conception Doctrine
The doctrine of the Immaculate
Conception holds that Mary was conceived without original sin. This dogma was
defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854 -- not derived from Scripture but declared by
papal authority. The Bible nowhere teaches that Mary was sinless. Romans 3:23
states that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
(NASB). Luke 1:47 records Mary herself saying "my spirit has rejoiced in
God my Savior" -- a statement that only makes sense if Mary, like all
humans, needed a Savior.
Prayer to Mary
The Hail Mary prayer asks Mary
to "pray for us sinners." This presupposes that Mary can hear and
respond to prayers -- an ability Scripture attributes only to Θεός (Theos -
God), who is omniscient and omnipresent. The practice of praying to saints
contradicts the biblical teaching that “there is one Θεός (Theos - God), and
one μεσίτης (mesitēs - mediator) also between Θεός (Theos) and men, the man
Χριστός Ἰησοῦς (Christos Iēsous - Christ
Jesus)” (1 Timothy 2:5, NASB).
For a "non-denominational
Christian" president to include this prayer in an official government
document is not merely a constitutional problem. It is the federal endorsement
of a practice that contradicts scripture and the sufficiency of Christ's
mediation -- core biblical convictions.
A Theological Error
Interestingly, the proclamation
contains an apparent theological error even by Catholic standards. It states
that "God became man when Mary gave birth." However, Catholic
doctrine teaches that the Incarnation occurred at the moment of conception (the
Annunciation), not at birth. This suggests the proclamation may have been
drafted by someone unfamiliar with the theology they were promoting -- making
its unprecedented issuance all the more curious.
IX. The Bigger Picture: What Is Really Happening?
Some will dismiss these
concerns as overreach. They will note that Trump and Pope Leo XIV have publicly
disagreed on issues like Ukraine policy and immigration. They will point to
apparent tensions between the administration and the Vatican.
But consider: public
disagreements on policy do not negate structural alignment on fundamental
questions of power. Trump called his 2017 meeting with Pope Francis “the honor
of a lifetime”. In 2025 he stated it is "an honor for our nation"
that Leo XIV is American. His administration issued an unprecedented
proclamation endorsing Catholic theology. His DOJ intervened to protect
Catholic institutional interests beyond what the Church itself requested. His
Religious Liberty Commission is stacked with Catholic leadership explicitly
charged with implementing Catholic social teaching.
Apparent disagreements on
secondary issues may serve to obscure deeper alignment -- a pattern of ψεῦδος (pseudos - deception)
hiding behind public theater -- just as political opponents within the same
system may disagree on tactics while agreeing on fundamental structures of
power.
The convergence of Vatican AI
authority, unprecedented presidential Catholic endorsement, and centralized
federal AI control within a single week is not coincidental. These developments
align in ways that should concern anyone who values constitutional governance, biblical
Christianity, or both.
X. Conclusion: A Call to Watchfulness
This article has documented
facts that are publicly available but rarely assembled in one place. The
December 8, 2025 proclamation is unprecedented -- no previous president,
including Catholic presidents, issued such a statement. The DOJ intervention in
Washington protected Catholic interests beyond what the Church requested. The
Religious Liberty Commission is disproportionately Catholic and explicitly
tasked with implementing Catholic social teaching. The Vatican is aggressively
positioning itself as global moral authority over AI. Trump's AI Executive
Order centralizes federal control over artificial intelligence.
These are not conspiracy
theories. These are documented events. The question is what they mean and what
response they demand.
For constitutional
conservatives, the Establishment Clause concerns are serious even if current
standing doctrine makes litigation difficult. For biblical Christians, the
convergence of governmental power with Roman religious authority has prophetic
resonance that our forebears understood well.
ὁ
Κύριος (ho Kurios - the Lord) Χριστός Ἰησοῦς (Christos Iēsous - Christ Jesus) warned His
disciples: "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your
Lord is coming" (Matthew 24:42, NASB). He also said: "You will know
them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16, NASB). The fruit of December 2025 is
visible for those willing to see it.
May we have ears to hear and
eyes to see what the Πνεῦμα
(Pneuma - Spirit) is revealing in these days. Πάσα δόξα (pasa doxa - all glory)
to Ἰησοῦς Χριστός (Iēsous Christos)
and Θεός (Theos) our Πατήρ (Patēr - Father) for this ἀποκάλυψις (apokalypsis - revelation).
Sources and Documentation
Primary Sources:
White House, "Presidential
Message on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception," December 8, 2025
White House, Executive Order
"Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence,"
December 11, 2025
Vatican, Pope Leo XIV Address to
Conference "Artificial Intelligence and Care for Our Common Home,"
December 5, 2025
U.S. Department of Justice,
Press Release on Washington State Senate Bill 5375 Investigation, May 2025
U.S. District Court, Etienne v.
Ferguson, Preliminary Injunction Order, July 18, 2025
White House, Executive Order
Establishing Religious Liberty Commission, May 1, 2025
News Sources:
NPR, "The DOJ is
investigating Washington state over a new child abuse law," May 2025 https://www.npr.org/2025/05/16/nx-s1-5395852/the-doj-is-investigating-washington-state-over-a-new-child-abuse-law
Washington State Standard,
"Washington will not require priests to report child abuse disclosed in
confession," October 10, 2025 https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/10/10/washington-will-not-require-priests-to-report-child-abuse-disclosed-in-confession/
Newsweek, "DOJ Sues Against
Law That Saw Church Threaten To Excommunicate Priests," July 2025 https://www.newsweek.com/new-law-church-excommunicate-priests-doj-lawsuit-washington-2089764
America Magazine, "State
laws require priests to disclose abuse revealed in confession," May 2025 https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/05/12/seal-confession-law-washington-separation-church-state-250618/
Time Magazine, "100 Most
Influential People in AI 2025" https://time.com/collections/time100-ai-2025/
New York Times, "N.Y.
Archdiocese Will Negotiate Sex-Abuse Settlement for 1,300 Accusers,"
December 8, 2025 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/nyregion/ny-archdiocese-sex-abuse-settlement.html
Associated Press / Washington
Post, "Court settlement approved for New Orleans Archdiocese to pay
hundreds of clergy abuse victims," December 8, 2025 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2025/12/08/new-orleans-catholic-archdiocese-settlement-abuse/
CNN, "Court settlement
approved for New Orleans Archdiocese to pay hundreds of clergy abuse
victims," December 8, 2025 https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/08/us/new-orleans-archdiocese-abuse-settlement
Catholic News Agency, "New
York archdiocese announces $300 million settlement for victims of clergy
abuse," December 10, 2025 https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/268347/new-york-archdiocese-announces-300-dollars-million-settlement-for-victims-of-clergy-abuse
Legal References:
Hein v. Freedom From Religion
Foundation, 551 U.S. 587 (2007)
Valley Forge Christian College
v. Americans United, 454 U.S. 464 (1982)
Flast v. Cohen, 392 U.S. 83
(1968)
Kennedy v. Bremerton School
District, 597 U.S. 507 (2022)
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