How a Fox News host declared war on the Vatican — and what his fiancée thinks about faith
OPINION | MEDIA & POLITICS
There’s a particular brand of audacity that only American cable television can produce — and Sean Hannity delivered a masterclass in it this week.
The Fox News primetime host, who once sat in Catholic school pews for twelve years, studied Latin theology, and attended Mass daily, has declared himself not only more politically reliable than Pope Leo XIV — but, apparently, more biblically literate too.
As per HuffPost, Hannity accused the pontiff of being “seemingly more interested in spreading left-wing politics than the actual teachings of Jesus Christ,” after Pope Leo stated that God does not bless any conflict and certainly doesn’t side with those who drop bombs. Hannity’s theological counter-punch? He insisted this was “simply not biblically accurate,” pointing out that the Bible contains over 400 references to war — citing, among others, the battle between David and Goliath. HuffPost The Pope, presumably, was not amused.
The feud between President Trump and the newly elected Pope Leo XIV has been simmering for days, and the MAGA media machine has rushed in like altar servers to defend the president’s honor. According to The Daily Beast, Hannity told his audience flatly: “The President is correct. The Pope is wrong on so many levels.” The Daily Beast
The Self-Appointed Papal Interviewer
What makes this episode remarkable isn’t just the theological sparring — it’s the sheer confidence of a man offering to hold the Vicar of Christ personally accountable on cable television.
As reported by HuffPost, Hannity volunteered himself as the ideal person to go interview the pope, arguing he was “uniquely qualified” because he studied Latin, theology, and attended Catholic school for 12 years.
The credentials comparison, however, is rather stark. According to Crooks and Liars, Pope Leo XIV holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University, a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union, and a full doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. Hannity, by contrast, attended Sacred Heart High School but holds no formal college degree — having never graduated — though Liberty University did award him an honorary one. Crooks and Liars
One man spent decades immersed in rigorous academic theological study. The other has a primetime cable slot. Both, apparently, feel equally qualified to interpret Christian doctrine in 2026.
“As of Today, I No Longer Consider Myself a Catholic”
Perhaps the most jaw-dropping moment came when Hannity didn’t just critique the Pope — he quit the Church entirely, live and in full view of millions.
As reported by the Irish Star, Hannity declared on air: “As of today, I no longer consider myself a Catholic,” going on to say he left the Church “in large part because of institutionalized corruption — from the parish level, to the bishop level, all the way to Rome,” and that others “at the Vatican have totally lost sight of the true meaning of the Bible and its teachings.” Irish Star
The announcement landed with a thud across Catholic America — particularly as, per The Daily Beast, some archdioceses recorded their highest number of new Catholics in two decades this past Easter, with Pope Leo enjoying a remarkable surge of popularity among Millennials and Gen Z.
The institutional Church pushed back with measured dignity. As per Prism News, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was “disheartened” by the attacks, stating plainly that “Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician.” Prism News
And the Vatican? Unmoved. According to The Daily Beast, Pope Leo responded that he has “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue speaking out against war, describing a “delusion of omnipotence” as the engine driving global conflict.
The Woman Standing Beside the Man Attacking the Church
While Hannity was busy burning his Catholic membership card on national television, there is a quietly ironic domestic chapter unfolding in his personal life — one built, by his own repeated account, on deep and sincere Christian faith.
As reported by Fox News and confirmed widely, Hannity and Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt got engaged on Christmas Day 2024 at their church in Florida, with the couple stating they “originally bonded over their deep faith” and describing the church setting as the “perfect place” for the proposal. IMDb
In their own words, per the Fox News engagement announcement, the couple said they were “overjoyed and so thankful,” adding that they have placed God first in their relationship — a conviction that made a church proposal feel not just romantic, but spiritually necessary. Fox News
Earhardt is no passive bystander in matters of faith. According to Wikipedia’s profile of Ainsley Earhardt, she hosts her own Bible study program on Fox Nation, and few subjects animate her more than stories about what she perceives as attacks on Christianity. Wikipedia
As per Yahoo Life, the couple has confirmed they will not live together full time even after marriage Yahoo! — navigating their long-distance engagement between New York and Florida on weekend visits, a thoroughly modern arrangement for two people who present themselves as anchored in traditional Christian values.
There is something quietly fascinating about the picture this paints. As Hannity wages a very public, very loud war with the Pope on prime time — renouncing the Church, questioning Scripture with the pontiff, and volunteering himself as a papal interviewer — his fiancée is, in another studio, hosting Bible study. Whether Ainsley Earhardt has offered her own theological review of Sean’s on-air religious resignation is, one suspects, a conversation happening far away from any microphone.
The Bigger Picture: Faith, Power, and Political Consequences
Strip away the theatre, and what remains is a genuinely significant cultural collision.
As per Archyde, Pope Leo’s April 2026 apostolic exhortation condemned rising nationalism, warned against what he called the “idolatry of sovereignty,” and called for a renewal of Catholic social teaching — widely read as a direct rebuke to the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies and its conservative media allies.
According to Media Matters, Hannity stated on his radio show that he does not “blame the president for fighting back,” insisting Trump was “right in challenging what this pope is suggesting,” and dismissing the Pope’s calls for peace by saying he does not think “all war is horrible and evil.”
Meanwhile, per The Daily Beast, Trump was elected in 2024 with support from a majority of Catholic voters — but polls now show his support among Catholics has dipped below 50 percent amid the ongoing war in Iran.
In attacking the Pope to defend the President, Hannity may be winning the ratings battle on any given Thursday night while quietly accelerating that Catholic voter erosion. When a man who attended seminary publicly lectures the head of the worldwide Catholic Church on biblical interpretation — and then resigns from the faith entirely because the Pope refuses to endorse military strikes — the audience watching is not only Fox News loyalists. It is the very Catholic middle that neither Trump nor the Republican Party can afford to lose heading into the next electoral cycle.
The altar boy has left the building.
Whether the congregation follows him out — or stays to hear what the Pope has to say — is the question American politics may soon be forced to answer.
Published April 19, 2026 | Media & Politics Desk Sources: HuffPost, The Daily Beast, Irish Star, Crooks and Liars, Prism News, Fox News, Media Matters, Archyde, Yahoo Life