A new controversy erupted online after Senator Ted Cruz publicly praised an essay that harshly attacked Traditional Catholics and described them in deeply hostile terms.
On March 15, Cruz reposted a lengthy online essay written by the account “Insurrection Barbie,” telling his followers to read it closely. According to the post shared on X, Cruz wrote:
“READ every word of this. It’s the best & most comprehensive explanation of what we’re fighting.”
The article, which spans thousands of words, accuses a group of Catholic thinkers and commentators of influencing American conservatism and challenging evangelical Protestant support for modern Israel. According to LifeSiteNews, the essay claims that the Republican Party is being influenced by what the author describes as a bloc connected to “the world of the Latin Mass hardliners.”
The essay specifically references groups such as the Society of St. Pius X and mentions Catholic media and apologetics organizations including Catholic Answers.
The author also criticizes a number of prominent public figures, including media host Tucker Carlson and commentators Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes, accusing them of amplifying theological ideas associated with traditional Christianity.
The rhetoric used in the essay quickly drew outrage among many Catholics. According to LifeSiteNews, the author described the Catholic bloc as “parasites,” accusing them of engaging in “theft” and “the slow poisoning of existing institutions.”
The essay also characterized traditional Catholic theological arguments as outdated, criticizing Catholics who reference the writings of Thomas Aquinas and accusing them of “deploying a medieval theological framework.”
Much of the article centers on a theological disagreement over “Christian Zionism,” an evangelical belief that the modern state of Israel fulfills biblical prophecy and retains a special covenantal role in salvation history.
According to LifeSiteNews, the essay claims modern American conservatism rests on the belief “that God made an eternal, unconditional covenant with the Jewish people, that the modern state of Israel is a fulfilment of biblical prophecy, and that Christians who ‘bless Israel’ are obeying a direct divine command.”
The author expresses concern that Catholic thinkers who reject this theology could reshape the future direction of American conservatism. The essay warns that if this trend continues, “by the early 2030s… the Republican Party will have a fundamentally different theological character.”
In the author’s view, this shift could replace what he calls the “Judeo-Christian vocabulary” used by Republican leaders since the era of Ronald Reagan with language centered on what the essay calls “Christian civilization.”
Critics say the argument revives old anti-Catholic suspicions that Catholics represent a foreign influence in American politics. According to LifeSiteNews, the essay’s language echoes themes once used by the nineteenth-century Know Nothing movement, which warned Americans to “Beware of Foreign Influence” and fueled violent anti-Catholic riots.
The controversy also comes amid a broader series of tensions involving Catholics in American public life.
Earlier this year, Cruz sparked criticism after describing the phrase “Christ is King” as an antisemitic “online code word,” according to LifeSiteNews. Meanwhile, political debates over Zionism and Catholic teaching have intensified following the removal of Catholic convert Carrie Prejean Boller from a federal Religious Liberty Commission.
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According to LifeSiteNews, Cruz later attempted to soften his earlier endorsement, writing that Catholics and evangelicals must remain united politically. In a follow-up post, the senator said:
“We desperately NEED to preserve the strong union of faithful Catholics and Evangelical Protestants—it has been the foundation of the modern conservative movement.”
However, critics argue that praising an essay that attacks Traditional Catholics undermines that very unity.
For many faithful Catholics, the controversy highlights an uncomfortable truth: anti-Catholic rhetoric has not disappeared from American political life.
And when Catholics are openly called “parasites” simply for defending their faith and its teachings, many believers see the moment as a reminder that the Church has always faced hostility—both from outside the faith and, at times, from unexpected allies.
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