The progressive National Catholic Reporter has called for an investigation into the U.S. bishops for their criticisms of Joe Biden and their failure to sufficiently excoriate Donald Trump.
The editors of the Reporter, a paper known for its unapologetic repudiation of Catholic teaching, take issue with a statement by Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, president of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference, issued after the January 6 Capitol riot.
Although Archbishop Gomez forcefully condemned the violence, he “did not name Trump, did not condemn the white supremacy that obviously animated many of the protesters or Trump’s despicable election disinformation campaign, and did not go beyond the level of platitude,” the editors lament.
On the other hand, in his statement for the inauguration of President Biden, a Catholic, Gomez dared to point out areas where Biden promotes “moral evils.”
“I must point out that our new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender,” Gomez wrote in his statement. “Of deep concern is the liberty of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences.”
The archbishop’s statement reflected the bishops’ ongoing vocal concern over Biden’s full-bore support for Planned Parenthood, his opposition to school choice, his attacks on the Little Sisters of the Poor, his support for gender transition even for minors, his promises to repeal legislation protecting U.S. taxpayers from financing abortion domestically and abroad, his promotion of same-sex marriage, and other related issues, all of which fly in the face of Catholic teaching.
“It’s time for Pope Francis to order an apostolic visitation to investigate what has gone wrong with an organization that began during World War I as a model of cooperation and national audacity and is now a symbol of division and national embarrassment,” the Reporter editors pronounce, apparently without irony.
The editors also protest the fact that the bishops praised Trump for his pro-life efforts, suggesting that such praise was undeserved.
“Worse even, Gomez and other conference officials took part in an April conference call with Trump where the (former) liar-in-chief called himself the ‘best [president] in the history of the Catholic Church,’” the editorial declares.
The Reporter’s diatribe against the bishops follows on its recent call for retribution against pro-life Catholics who voted for Trump, demanding they sever their relationship with “white Catholic nationalism.”
This is, of course, the same paper that last summer proclaimed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as “the future of the Catholic Church,” noting her frequent references to “Catholic values” and her “passion for justice.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.