In an essay published by the National Review said Trump is "manifestly unfit to be president of the United States."

The essay, "An Appeal to Our Fellow Catholics," was co-written by Princeton professor Robert P. George and St. John Paul II biographer George Weigel.

The call has been supported by about three dozen lay Catholics, many of whom are active in conservative academic and nonprofit circles.

The group called on Catholics "to reject [Trump's] candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination by supporting a genuinely reformist candidate."

The article criticized Trump's "appeals to racial and ethnic fears and prejudice" that are "offensive to any genuinely Catholic sensibility" and his promise to kill the families of terrorism suspects.

"There is nothing in his campaign or his previous record that gives us ground for confidence that he genuinely shares our commitments to the right to life, to religious freedom and the rights of conscience, to rebuilding the marriage culture, or to subsidiarity and the principle of limited constitutional government," read the article.

After a visit to the US-Mexico border last month, Pope Francis said politicians who advocate building border walls aren't Christian. Trump then lashed out at the pope, saying it was offensive for the pontiff to question anyone's religious beliefs.

Several US bishops have condemned Trump's rhetoric on immigration, suggesting the candidate is engaging in modern-day nativism, resurrecting the kind of bigotry once directed at Catholics.

Sources

• National Review
• Christian Today
• The Washington Times
• Breitbart.Com
• Crux
• Image: AP/The Washington Times

As Republicans were promoting themselves as a multiracial party from the platform in Tampa two weeks ago, an ugly incident on the convention floor suggested not everyone had got the memo. From the podium a range of speakers of Haitian, Mexican, Cuban and Indian descent spoke of how their parents had overcome huge barriers so they could succeed in the US. In the audience, a successful black woman who works for CNN was being pelted with peanuts by a convention-goer, who said: "This is how we feed the animals." Read more

Sources

• Gary Younge in The Guardian
• Image: Breaking News

Gary Younge is a feature writer and columnist for The Guardian based in the US.

With Mitt Romney's recent choice of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as running mate, this campaign is the first in which Catholics are on both major party tickets. Vice President Joe Biden and Ryan are lifelong Catholics who attend Mass regularly and credit the church with shaping their views.

At the same time, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan plans a prime-time appearance next week by giving the benediction at the Republican National Convention after Romney becomes the first Mormon presidential nominee from a major political party. Read more

Sources

• Rachel Zoll in The Philadelphia Inquirer
• Image: NY Daily News

Rachel Zoll writes about religion for Associated Press.