Interfaith harmony: Tumps unite to address Catholics
Melania and Donald Trump belong to different religious backgrounds, yet this did not prevent them from jointly addressing Catholics on Ash Wednesday. To which religious communities do the President and First Lady of the United States belong?
Discussions about Melania Trump's faith gained traction in 2017 when she and her husband visited the Vatican. During their visit, she met with Pope Francis and spoke with several high-ranking church officials.
In the media, speculation arose regarding her Catholicism due to her Slovenian birthplace, which was in the communist and secular Yugoslavia of the 1970s. A Slovenian cardinal dispelled these doubts.
He mentioned that the First Lady of the United States requested Pope Francis to bless her rosary, and she also took a moment away from the cameras to pray before a statue of the Virgin Mary.
Following the American presidential couple's meeting with the Pope, speculation arose about Melania Trump's religious affiliation. However, an interview cited by Aleteia.org confirmed that she is Catholic.
Melania Trump is the second First Lady in history to be a Catholic. The first was Jacqueline Kennedy. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, who as a Republican places significant emphasis on traditional values, was raised in a Protestant household.
There is ample information online indicating that his parents, who were Protestants, were members of the Presbyterian Church, where Norman Vincent Peale was the pastor. This church is a denomination known for its emphasis on active, representative leadership by the clergy.
The US leader revealed in a statement sent to Religion News Service in 2020 that he currently does not affiliate with any specific denomination but identifies as a Christian.
Melania and Donald Trump address Catholics
Unsurprisingly, the presidential couple spoke with Catholics on the day Lent began. Both expressed their prayers in a statement posted on the White House website.
This Ash Wednesday, we join in prayer with the tens of millions of American Catholics and other Christians beginning the holy season of Lent—a time of spiritual anticipation of the passion, death, and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. During the Lenten season, Christians spend 40 days and 40 nights praying, fasting, and giving alms to deepen our faith and strengthen our belief in the Gospel — they wrote.
