Greek Catholic priest Jason Charron opened Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania and was there during the assassination attempt.
In an interview with Voice of America, Fr. Jason Charron recounted how he ended up at the rally and what he discussed with Trump.
"Representatives from Trump’s campaign reached out to me a few days before the rally, asking if I would open the event with a prayer. They were aware of the large crowd expected but made no demands or inquiries about the content of my prayer, imposing no restrictions whatsoever. I found this initiative very impressive and without any conditions. So, I said ‘yes,’" noted the priest.
Fr. Jason Charron was the only clergy member on stage.
"Well, among thousands of people, there could have been priests, pastors, or rabbis, but on stage, in the official delegation opening the rally, I was the only one," he remarked.
The priest shared that he managed to speak with Trump at the rally. At one point, he sensed danger for the former President.
"I said I had done my part by praying. But now they had to pray for his safety because there are people who want to shoot him... I’ve never said this publicly before, but I walked and hoped that people would truly pray earnestly," Fr. Jason said. He sees divine providence in the fact that Donald Trump survived.
"July 13, when the attack occurred, is the day of the Third Apparition of the Virgin Mary to the shepherd children in Fatima (this refers to the prophecy of the Virgin Mary, who appeared to the shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, on July 13, 1917. The prophecy, which greatly influenced Pope John Paul II and Catholics worldwide, said that Russia must be converted to the righteous path, otherwise it will ‘spread its errors throughout the world, causing many wars and the death of many nations’).
It was during that apparition that Mary spoke about the future danger of Russia spreading its errors. And President Trump and I talked about Russia’s war against Ukraine," recalled the priest.
He said Donald Trump assured him that he supports Ukraine’s right to self-defense.
"I mentioned that during his tenure, he sent Javelin missiles, while the Democrats did not; about the patrol ships sent to Ukraine to destroy the Russian Black Sea fleet, and the blocking of Nord Stream so Russia wouldn’t have additional financial leverage," he noted.
"So I thanked him for that, and then we briefly talked about the situation in Ukraine. I won’t go into details now, but I will say this: as a Ukrainian Catholic, I left that very short meeting feeling very encouraged," emphasized Fr. Jason Charron.
Background information:
Fr. Charron is the pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. He actively fights against abortion and works on establishing the Shrine of Our Lady of Protection in Pittsburgh, dedicated to gratitude for the overturning of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that protected the right to abortion.
The priest is a popular media figure, frequently appearing on television programs and podcasts discussing the Christian faith. Together with his wife, Halyna, he raises seven children.
He grew up in a completely non-religious environment and converted to God at the age of 16. He studied at a Roman Catholic seminary and later at the Lviv Theological Academy (now the Ukrainian Catholic University), where he met his future wife, Halyna.