Dear CV Friend,

This morning President Trump and the First Lady visited the
National Shrine of St. John Paul II.

According to a spokesperson for the shrine, the visit was long
planned to mark the signing of an Executive Order by the
President on international religious freedom. The order includes
several provisions, all of which will help protect religious
minorities around the world, especially vulnerable Christians in
the Middle East.

But get this... the Catholic Archbishop of Washington D.C.
attacked him for it.

Archbishop Wilton Gregory, former Archbishop of Atlanta, and
recent replacement for the defrocked Theodore McCarrick, called
Trump's visit to the Catholic shrine "reprehensible."

He did what???

Shockingly, the Archbishop of Washington took the opportunity to
attack the President for clearing Lafayette Park yesterday
evening -- the same park where rioters faced off against police,
where monuments were defaced, where Secret Service agents were
injured, and where the historic St. John's Episcopal Church was
set ablaze.

A little bit ago, I released this statement to the media:

"The fact that the President of the United States chose the
shrine of Saint John Paul II to announce a new Executive Order
protecting religious minorities should have been celebrated by
all those who love the Church, religious freedom, and the
courageous example of St. John Paul II.

"It is regrettable that the Archbishop of Washington chose this
occasion to engage in a partisan attack on the President,
especially when the country is in desperate need of healing and
unity. Millions of Catholics in the United States, including many
within the Archbishop's own flock, are grateful for today's
Executive Order. The protection of religious minorities is a
bipartisan issue that has enjoyed unanimous support in Congress
as well as the Trump and Obama administrations. Today's
unfortunate partisan attack needlessly politicizes this important
issue, and distracts from the plight of vulnerable religious
minorities around the world."

Given the terrible plight of vulnerable Christians in the Middle
East, you would think the Archbishop of Washington would have
thanked President Trump for prioritizing this issue at a time
when he is understandably occupied by the threat of anarchists
sowing violence around the country.

But Archbishop Gregory chose otherwise.

You may also be interested to know that Archbishop Gregory has
allowed radical pro-abortion politicians to not just visit a
shrine, but to participate in a Mass! Just months ago, Archbishop
Gregory allowed Nancy Pelosi to deliver remarks at the funeral
Mass of ABC's Cokie Roberts at St. Matthew's Cathedral in
Washington, DC.

What to make of all of this?

There is no doubt that in this difficult hour, we need pastors
and shepherds who will help heal divisions, not try to score
political points. Archbishop Gregory is a leading bishop in the
United States. He deserves our respect and prayers. But we
vehemently disagree with his decision to attack the President.
And as laypersons, we have every right to say so. To refuse to
speak out would be to surrender to an unfounded and unjust
clericalism.

It's no secret that our Church is politically divided. Some
Catholics admire the President, some detest him. Likewise for
many priests and bishops. Just ask Cardinal Dolan. He took the
lead last month in pushing for relief for Catholic schools, and
had the gall (gasp!) to compliment the President for pledging to
help. The Catholic Left has been relentlessly attacking Cardinal
Dolan ever since.

Sadly, today politics reigns over all, even at the expense of our
kids.

Likewise, back in March liberal Catholics were incensed that
President Trump would have the audacity to host a Catholics for
Trump event in Milwaukee. They demanded that Milwaukee Archbishop
Jerome Listecki attack the President for hosting such an event.

Archbishop Listecki responded with dignity, by making clear to
all Catholics and to the media that the event was Trump's alone
-- and not an official event of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. And
the archbishop was right to clarify that.

But Archbishop Listecki refused to take the bait of the Catholic
Left by attacking Trump:

"The mission of the Church is religious, not political. For
reasons that are both theological and legal, the Church's
involvement in public life does not extend to endorsing
candidates for election to public office nor calling for their
defeat."

That's our job -- the laity.

This is why CV exists.

And we refuse to stay silent.

If you want to help us stay in the fight, you can chip in here:
[link removed]

Brian


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