Former President Donald Trump celebrated the birthday of Mary, venerated by Christians as the mother of Jesus Christ, in a TruthSocial post Sunday.
“Happy Birthday Mary!” the presidential candidate posted on his social media platform, alongside a photo of “Our Lady of Guadalupe.”
The image bears particular significance to Catholics in Mexico, where an Aztec man named Juan Diego said that Mary appeared to him several times in visions in 1531. Mary purportedly asked in these visions that a shrine be built to her on Tepayac Hill, which is now a suburb of Mexico City.
When Diego went to his bishop and relayed the message, according to Britannica, the bishop asked for a sign that he should do so. Diego is said to have returned to meet with the bishop after another meeting with Mary where she encouraged him to go out and gather roses. When he returned to the bishop and opened his cloak, or “tilma,” dozens of roses reportedly fell to the floor and revealed an image of Mary imprinted on his tilma.
That image is the one that Trump shared on Sunday, and it is venerated by pilgrims inside the Basilica of Guadalupe. Catholics hold the image to be a miracle, and a sign of Mary’s love and protection for the Americas: the late Pope John Paul II canonized Diego in August 2002 and declared Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the Marian heart of America in a homily in 1999.
Trump’s post in honor of Mary’s birthday comes only days after he announced “Catholics for Trump”, a coalition that his campaign describes as committed to “safeguarding the vital principles of religious liberty and defending family values.”
“Under President Trump’s leadership, our nation witnessed unprecedented support for religious freedom, with significant victories both domestically and globally,” the campaign said in a release. “President Trump restored protections for faith-based organizations and bolstered the rights of religious institutions against governmental overreach.”
“Unlike the Harris-Biden administration, which has systematically undermined these fundamental rights, President Trump has stood unwaveringly in defense of the foundational principles of Catholicism,” the campaign release continued. “President Trump knows the significance of ensuring religious freedom for all, and unlike Kamala Harris, he also knows the true power of faith and will never take away our God-given rights. This coalition presents an incredible opportunity to display to our nation, under God, what Catholics believe in and the morals we uphold.”
Polling released this week from EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research conducted between August 28 to August 30 found that Vice President Kamala Harris is currently leading Trump among Catholic voters: Harris is supported by 50% of Catholic voters while Trump is supported by 43%, the polling found, while 6% of Catholic voters are undecided.
Prominent Catholic conservatives have warned that another Harris administration could prove dangerous to Catholic’s religious liberties.
“Kamala Harris hates Catholics and everything we hold sacred,” CatholicVote President Brian Burch said in a statement upon the announcement of “Catholics for Trump.” “We can’t pretend otherwise. Our institutions, families, culture and belief in the sanctity of all human life are the antithesis of her vision for America. Donald Trump and J.D Vance — and now RFK — are the antidote to the ruling class that has destroyed our country.”
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[[{“value”:”
Former President Donald Trump celebrated the birthday of Mary, venerated by Christians as the mother of Jesus Christ, in a TruthSocial post Sunday.
“Happy Birthday Mary!” the presidential candidate posted on his social media platform, alongside a photo of “Our Lady of Guadalupe.”
The image bears particular significance to Catholics in Mexico, where an Aztec man named Juan Diego said that Mary appeared to him several times in visions in 1531. Mary purportedly asked in these visions that a shrine be built to her on Tepayac Hill, which is now a suburb of Mexico City.
When Diego went to his bishop and relayed the message, according to Britannica, the bishop asked for a sign that he should do so. Diego is said to have returned to meet with the bishop after another meeting with Mary where she encouraged him to go out and gather roses. When he returned to the bishop and opened his cloak, or “tilma,” dozens of roses reportedly fell to the floor and revealed an image of Mary imprinted on his tilma.
That image is the one that Trump shared on Sunday, and it is venerated by pilgrims inside the Basilica of Guadalupe. Catholics hold the image to be a miracle, and a sign of Mary’s love and protection for the Americas: the late Pope John Paul II canonized Diego in August 2002 and declared Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the Marian heart of America in a homily in 1999.
Trump’s post in honor of Mary’s birthday comes only days after he announced “Catholics for Trump”, a coalition that his campaign describes as committed to “safeguarding the vital principles of religious liberty and defending family values.”
“Under President Trump’s leadership, our nation witnessed unprecedented support for religious freedom, with significant victories both domestically and globally,” the campaign said in a release. “President Trump restored protections for faith-based organizations and bolstered the rights of religious institutions against governmental overreach.”
“Unlike the Harris-Biden administration, which has systematically undermined these fundamental rights, President Trump has stood unwaveringly in defense of the foundational principles of Catholicism,” the campaign release continued. “President Trump knows the significance of ensuring religious freedom for all, and unlike Kamala Harris, he also knows the true power of faith and will never take away our God-given rights. This coalition presents an incredible opportunity to display to our nation, under God, what Catholics believe in and the morals we uphold.”
Polling released this week from EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research conducted between August 28 to August 30 found that Vice President Kamala Harris is currently leading Trump among Catholic voters: Harris is supported by 50% of Catholic voters while Trump is supported by 43%, the polling found, while 6% of Catholic voters are undecided.
Prominent Catholic conservatives have warned that another Harris administration could prove dangerous to Catholic’s religious liberties.
“Kamala Harris hates Catholics and everything we hold sacred,” CatholicVote President Brian Burch said in a statement upon the announcement of “Catholics for Trump.” “We can’t pretend otherwise. Our institutions, families, culture and belief in the sanctity of all human life are the antithesis of her vision for America. Donald Trump and J.D Vance — and now RFK — are the antidote to the ruling class that has destroyed our country.”
“}]]
