On Pentecost Sunday, Pope Leo XIV left few doubts about the issue he wanted listeners to ponder during this symbolic event early in his papacy.
“The Spirit opens borders, first of all, in our hearts,” he said, in the June 8 sermon. He later added, “The Spirit also opens borders in our relationship with others,” thus “opening our hearts to our brothers and sisters, overcoming our rigidity, moving beyond our fear of those who are different.”
Finally, he stressed: “The Spirit also opens borders between peoples. … Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms.”
For members of the Religion News Association, this was the kind of dramatic appeal that made the Chicago native the top Religion Newsmaker of 2025. The runner-up was Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, who was elected as New York City’s first Muslim mayor. The assassinated evangelical activist Charlie Kirk placed third.
The top U.S. religion news story was a tie between the papal election and ongoing debates about President Donald Trump and immigration. The poll stressed the White House’s call for “sweeping deportations of immigrants lacking legal status,” noting that “Catholic bishops and other faith-based groups protest and report parishioners avoiding worship for fear of arrest.”
The rise of Pope Leo XIV was the top 2025 international religion story, with the death of Pope Francis finishing second.
In November, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops overwhelmingly approved a statement rejecting “a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants.” They condemned the “indiscriminate mass deportation of people.”
While backing the U.S. bishops, Pope Leo told journalists outside Castel Gandolfo: “No one has said that the United States should have open borders. I think every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter.” Still, he criticized what he called “extremely disrespectful” or “inhuman” treatment of long-term immigrants who are living productive lives.
What did the public hear? Phil Lawler of CatholicCulture.org noted: “Granted, the bishops won a huge amount of media attention. … So, they might judge their effort as a success, if they measure success by media coverage. And I’m afraid they do.”
The RNA domestic Top 10 list also included:
3. Kirk is assassinated at Utah Valley University, fueling debates over free speech and political violence. His wife, Erika, publicly forgives the accused gunman, who had texted his roommate: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
4. Mamdani is elected as New York City’s first Muslim mayor, spurring pride for Muslims along with fierce anti-Islamic rhetoric. Some Jewish leaders insist that Mamdani’s rhetoric and activism are antisemitic.
5. Deadly attacks continue against faith communities. A gunman and arsonist driven by anti-Mormon hatred kills four in a Latter-day Saints congregation in Michigan. In Minneapolis, a former student kills two children during Mass at a Catholic school and injures many more. Many congregations nationwide consider increasing security measures.
6. Jewish targets face deadly violence, including fatal shootings at the Israeli Embassy; a deadly Molotov assault at a Colorado rally; and an arson attack on the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. The Anti-Defamation League cites record-high reports of antisemitism, while the FBI says Jews are the most frequent victims of religious hate crimes.
7. Trump returns as president, claiming he was “saved by God to make America great again.” He takes many stands on religious liberty and free speech that are backed by conservative Christians, while liberals insist he is threatening church-state separation.
8. The Trump administration freezes most refugee admissions and funding, prompting many faith-based networks to cut services. Critics claim that persecuted refugees are in danger.
9. Progressive religious groups protest Trump administration crackdowns on immigration, troop deployments in domestic cities and rollbacks in diversity hiring programs. Many Black clergy condemn policies that they believe downplay slavery’s legacy in American culture. Trump rebuffs a plea by Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde for acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and immigrants.
10. The IRS reinterprets the Johnson Amendment to exempt political speech within religious groups from enforcement, sparking debate over endorsements by faith groups. Leaders on the right had long claimed they were targeted, while liberal faith leaders were rarely criticized.
Terry Mattingly is senior fellow on communications and culture at Saint Constantine College in Houston. He lives in Elizabethton, Tenn., and writes Rational Sheep, a Substack newsletter on faith and mass media.