John Yep told Newsmax that instead of three Cardinals trying to advise President Trump on war, they should step up and defend Christians who are being persecuted in places like Minnesota.
By Catholics for Catholics
The President and CEO of Catholics for Catholics lauded three American cardinals for advising President Donald Trump in the perils of war, but said that the heart of their recent statement was complaining about cutting funds.
The problem, according to John Yep, is that Cardinals Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago; Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington; and Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, all three chosen by disgraced McCarrick, are at odds with the Trump administration over cutting-off USAID funds to other countries. In turn, USAID ended up funding pro-abortion organizations like Planned Parenthood, Yep said.
“USAID was the primary funder for a lot of their pet projects which gave grants to something like PEPFAR, which literally gave grants from PEPFAR directly to organizations like Planned Parenthood.” Yep said during a televised interview with Newsmax, on their National Report program.
Three Cardinals Chosen by Disgraced McCarrick Blast Trump Administration.@maryfiorito & @USAYep respond. pic.twitter.com/aSQR2rVWsC
— Catholics for Catholics 🇺🇲 (@CforCatholics) January 20, 2026
“You have these men, Cardinal Cupich, Cardinal Tobin and Cardinal McElroy, who are sons of Cardinal McCarrick, who was one of the worst child molesters in the history of the church,” Yep said. “They were handpicked to be Cardinals. These are the men issuing that statement. So, I think we have to first of all question their credibility and then go to the heart of why they are issuing the statement.”
According to Newsmax, the statement by the Cardinals did not exactly name any U.S. administration but clearly reflects their worries about developments in places like Venezuela, which they said, “raise basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace.”
“We renounce war as an instrument for narrow national interests and proclaim that military action must be seen only as a last resort in extreme situations, not a normal instrument of national policy,” the cardinals said.
The cardinals called for a foreign policy that “respects and advances the right to human life, religious liberty, and the enhancement of human dignity throughout the world.”
The host of the Newsmax show asked Yep what his thoughts were on the recent invasion by anti-ICE protestors into a Christian Church during Sunday Services. He replied that American Catholics don’t want to wake up in the morning and read about the Cardinals advising Trump on international policies, but about how Christians should not be persecuted in the U.S.
I don’t care what is animating or annoying you, I don’t care what your political persuasion might be, invading a church is unacceptable and is a violation of religious liberty.
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) January 19, 2026
“But yet, they’re on this issue. Cardinal McElroy, in his own diocese, is about to be overwhelmed with thousands of young people this week for the March for Life. Will he show his face there? He’s all about wanting to advocate for human rights. Rights start in the womb. And he will be silent. And he’ll be absent on this March for Life during this week,” Yep said. “So that’s where we want to see our shepherds. This is horrendous, what we’re seeing there in Minnesota. It can’t be. This is America and we have to put a stop to this.”
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