Wealthy conservative Catholics from the U.S. have landed in Rome just as the Catholic Church prepares to choose a new pope.
These MAGA-aligned groups, some tied to the controversial Project 2025, arrived with big checks and a clear agenda.
Their goal: to back a successor to Pope Francis who aligns with their values.
Project 2025 is an initiative to consolidate executive power in favor of right-wing policies.
Highlights
- Wealthy, MAGA-aligned American Catholics arrived in Rome ahead of the Papal Conclave, aiming to back a pope successor.
- The American Papal Foundation members pledged up to $1 billion to support a pope that fits their values.
- Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Trumps' pick for pope, defended Trump’s Christian faith despite a widely shared AI image posted by the U.S. president.
- The conclave started May 7 and includes 133 voting cardinals from 71 nations, making it one of the most diverse papal elections ever.
This surprise convergence happened during “America Week,” an annual Vatican fundraiser where American VIPs make a pilgrimage to Rome to raise money for the Vatican.
About 80 members of the American Papal Foundation joined the pilgrimage, each having donated at least $1 million to become members.
MAGA-aligned Catholics are in Rome hoping to sway the selection of a new pope
Image credits: Simone Risoluti/ Getty Images
This year, the trip coincided with Pope Francis’ death and the lead-up to the conclave.
Some members have suggested they could raise up to $1 billion—if the “right pope” is chosen.
The Daily Beast reported that one guest said, “This room could raise a billion to help the church, so long as we have the right pope.”
That comment, made during a luxury event at the St. Regis Hotel in New York, captured the political undertones of the visit.
New York’s Cardinal, Timothy Dolan, chairs the foundation. He insists that Trump take “his Christian faith seriously,” despite the U.S. president posting an AI-generated image of himself as the pope.
During his opening speech at St. Regis, Dolan joked that the venue was nice, “but not as nice as the Sistine Chapel.”
Previously, Trump said that he would favor Dolan for the next pope.
The group promised to raise $1 billion for a pope of their choice
Image credits: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Historically, the pope has never been selected from a superpower to avoid politicizing the role.
Napa Institute founder Tim Busch has said he admires Trump for building “the most Christian administration” he’s seen in his lifetime.
The Napa Institute is another MAGA-friendly entity. Its members met with Cardinal James Harvey for a private dinner. Harvey will be voting for the next pope.
At a dinner at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Busch served his own winery’s “faith collection” wines, which sell for up to $125 a bottle.
These Catholics arrived not just with wine and prayers but also with a political agenda.
About 20% of Napa Institute members are linked to Opus Dei. Both The Napa Institute and Opus Dei have supported Project 2025, a plan to align American governance with conservative Catholicism.
The Napa Institute comprises wealthy American Catholics who align closely with Trump’s MAGA agenda.
Image credits: WhiteHouse
They seek to steer the Catholic Church toward traditionalist values, and have become increasingly vocal in the public sphere.
Whether the MAGA Catholics’ influence will sway the vote remains to be seen. But the message they bring to Rome is clear: they want a pope who shares their vision, and they’re willing to pay for it.
The conclave, which started on May 7 and will take place behind closed doors in the Sistine Chapel, is one of the most diverse in history, with representation from 71 countries, including 15 nations participating for the first time.
The secretive process of voting for a new pope has begun in the Vatican
Image credits: Francesco Sforza/ Getty Images
According to CNN, cardinals who are contenders to become the next pope include Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines.
“Politics do play a role, and I think that it has led some cardinals to think that past conventional wisdom—that there can’t be an American pope—no longer holds,” said Christopher Lamb, CNN’s Vatican correspondent.
Some 133 cardinals under the age of 80 will be voting in secret until they agree on the next pope.