Why Sean Hannity Departed from the Catholic Church
Fox News host Sean Hannity is sharing his reasoning for leaving the Catholic Church well before President Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV.
“As of today, I no longer identify as a Catholic. I’m a Christian,” Hannity, age 64, stated during the Thursday, April 16 episode of his primetime program Hannity. “I left the Catholic Church primarily because of the widespread corruption, from the parish level up to the bishops, cardinals, and all the way to Rome.”
Though he avoided naming specific cases, Hannity condemned the scandals and “despicable behaviors” within the Catholic Church that he claimed were “not only unchecked but never fully addressed or remedied.”
“Others within the Vatican have completely lost sight of the true meaning of the Bible and its teachings,” he added.
These remarks followed Pope Leo’s comments regarding the ongoing war that the U.S. is involved in with Iran.
In turn, Trump decided to attack the leader of the Catholic Church on his Truth Social.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and disastrous for Foreign Policy,” Trump tweeted on April 19. “He talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, yet fails to mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, along with all other Christian Organizations, faced during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everyone else for conducting Church Services, even when socially distanced by ten or twenty feet.”
Pope Leo responded to Trump’s remarks the following day, telling reporters, “I have no fear of the Trump administration or in speaking boldly about the Gospel message, which I believe is my purpose here.”
During his Fox News broadcast, Hannity reflected on his Catholic upbringing during childhood.
“Like millions of Americans, I was raised Catholic. I attended Catholic school for 12 years,” he recalled. “I even spent time in a seminary during high school, where I studied theology, Latin, and attended Mass daily. I gained a lot from that experience.”
While Hannity disapproves of certain teachings of the Catholic Church — even suggesting Pope Leo is “seemingly relishing a public fight” with Trump — he acknowledges that there were positive aspects of his upbringing.
“My parents were devoted Catholics, and although I wasn’t particularly engaged with the teachings of the Catholic Church as a young person, they nevertheless influenced my consciousness,” he explained. “[It] helped me become a better person and has positively impacted my life in numerous ways.”
Hannity airs on Fox News weeknights at 9 p.m. ET.
