The Catholic bishop who gave the invocation at President Donald Trump’s inauguration has slammed Vice President JD Vance for his “scurrilous,” “very nasty” and “inaccurate” claims the church is pro-immigrant because it helps its bottom line.
“You want to come look at our audits, which are scrupulously done? You think we MAKE money caring for the immigrants?” the archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, said Tuesday during his SiriusXM show Conversation with Cardinal Dolan.
He also admitted he was “somewhat hurt” by Vance’s comments.
Dolan delivered the invocation at both of Trump’s inaugurations, and in October, the then-presidential candidate was the keynote speaker for the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York benefitting Catholic charities and the New York archdiocese.
But on Jan. 22, a day after Trump took office and unleashed a flurry of executive orders, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement saying some of the provisions—including new rules allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to raid schools and churches—were “deeply troubling and will have negative consequences, many of which will harm the most vulnerable among us.”
A few days later, on Sunday’s Face the Nation, Vance criticized the USCCB for not being a “good partner” in immigration enforcement and called on the bishops to “do better.” The vice president converted to Catholicism about five years ago and describes himself as “devout.”
“I think that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognize that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?” Vance said.
Dolan, however, did not appreciate being lectured about the church’s motives for not acting as de facto law enforcement officers.
“We’re not in a money-making business,” he said. “And for him to imply that the motive in caring for the immigrant—which by the way the government asks us to do.”
![Cardinal Timothy Dolan, President Donald Trump, and Melania Trump at the annual Alfred E. Smith Foundation Dinner in October 2024.](https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/BZWYOHRCZZDDPF2FDTPWHOTXTI.jpg?auth=87dd75d4d1dddb9b1d660cc5b7b5eb0c384ca39f15ebc0916829da818d15a9a3&width=800&height=558)
The USCCB provides “resettlement and integration services” to newly arrived refugees and migrants, providing temporary housing and helping them find employment, learn English and enroll their kids in school. Some Catholic organizations also help migrants navigate their immigration proceedings and assist victims of human trafficking.
The organization’s financial statements confirm it received $122 million in 2022 and $129 million in 2023 from government agencies to fund refugee services.
Dolan argued the local, state and federal governments all approached the USCCB about caring for immigrants—not the other way—and chose them precisely because they’re seen as a frugal partner. He then threw a version of Vance’s “do better” comment right back at him.
He said he hoped Vance—who had previously struck him as a “gentleman”—was just having an “uncharacteristic moment.”
The conservative cardinal was a Trump ally during the president’s first term, and was criticized by Catholic laypersons and clergy for appearing too closely aligned with the president.
Dolan, meanwhile, has been a booster of Trump’s Christian bonafides.
“I’ve had talks with him before in the past where he’s pretty blunt about, you know, he can’t say that he was raised as a, as a very zealous Christian, but he takes his Christian faith seriously,” he told Fox News last month.
Trump famously could not name a favorite verse from the Bible—despite claiming it is his favorite book—when asked in 2015.