Catholic Group Calls on Biden to Condemn Alarming Rise in Attacks on Catholic Churches, Beliefs
MADISON, WI – CatholicVote, a national faith-based advocacy organization, is calling on presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to publicly condemn the disturbing rise in attacks on Catholic symbols, churches, statues, and beliefs. Citing the alarming number of arson-related church fires, desecration of sacred symbols and statues by extremist mobs, and even the hate-filled rhetoric of leading members of the Democratic party, CatholicVote said Joe Biden, a baptized Catholic, has a responsibility and duty to Catholics to publicly condemn these attacks.
CatholicVote President Brian Burch commented: “Catholic churches across America are literally burning, and Joe Biden has said nothing. Leading members of the Democratic Party have fueled a climate of hate against Catholics, and these attacks have now led to acts of vandalism and violence. These attacks on the Church raise serious questions about the commitment of Joe Biden, a self-professed Catholic, to stand up to the rising climate of anti-Catholicism across the country.”
Former Congressman and CatholicVote Senior Political Adviser Tim Huelskamp added: “Many of these statues and churches were built centuries ago by faithful Catholics and remain powerful symbols for Catholics today. All good and decent Catholics are offended by this growing anti-Catholic rampage. Joe Biden’s deafening silence during this hate-filled epidemic speaks loudly of his consent to this shocking assault on our religious freedoms.”
- Just this week, another Catholic church was attacked when a Molotov cocktail was thrown at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Weymouth, MA. Officials said this marked the sixth act of arson or vandalism against a Catholic church this year in Massachusetts alone. Among these attacks were the desecration of statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary outside of Boston.
- Last week, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the statue of Fr. Damien of Molokai in the U.S. Capitol an example of “patriarchy and white supremacist culture.” Fr. Damien was honored by the state of Hawaii for giving his life in service to a leper colony on the island of Molokai.
- According to the Wall Street Journal, over a dozen attacks on Catholic churches and statues occurred in just one week last month. Among those attacks, Queen of Peace Church in Ocala, Florida, was set ablaze while parishioners were preparing for morning mass. Elsewhere, the roof and much of the interior of the 250-year-old Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in Los Angeles County was destroyed by fire. Likewise, in California several statues of St. Junipero Serra, an 18th century Spanish missionary, were violently pulled down by demonstrators.
- Separately last month, vandals painted satanic symbols on the doors of St. Joseph’s Church in New Haven, CT. In a statement, the Diocese of New Haven said, “The underlying motive of these sacrilegious attacks is clear: to intimidate and instill fear in the hearts of those who worship Christ.”
- In November 2018, Senators Mazie Hirono and Kamala Harris submitted questions for the record interrogating Brian Buescher, a Catholic federal district court nominee from Nebraska, about his affiliation with the Knights of Columbus.
- In September 2017, California Senator Dianne Feinstein famously attacked judicial nominee Amy Coney Barrett saying, “the dogma lives loudly in you, and that’s a concern,” implying Barrett’s deeply held Catholic faith was incompatible with her ability to act impartially as a judge.
CatholicVote.org is a national faith-based advocacy organization. With full-time staff in five states and thousands of volunteers, Catholic Vote plans to reach over five million active Catholics in battleground states during this election cycle.