Throughout his new term, President Donald Trump has said he was “saved by God” to make America great again. In Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney rarely evokes religion in public; his victory speech in April never used the word God. As Canada and the U.S. skirmish over Trump’s tariff threats and occasional bullying, the leaders’ rhetoric reflects a striking difference between their nations. Religion plays a far more subdued role in the public sphere in Canada than in the U.S. Trump posed outside a vandalized Episcopal parish house gripping a Bible. He invites pastors to the Oval Office to pray with him. Such religion-themed displays would be unpopular in Canada, where political leaders generally keep quiet about their faith.

Faith leaders across the U.S. are hoping a bipartisan bill in Congress might finally provide relief to an immigration issue that has been vexing them for more than two years. In March 2023, the Biden administration made a sudden change in how the government processes green cards for religious workers that has threatened the ability of thousands of them to continue ministering in the United States. While the bill only tackles one small part of the problem, the vocations leader of a Catholic missionary order serving rural America says he would “weep with joy” if it passes. Two-thirds of the order's younger members are foreign-born and affected by the snag.