USA: Thousands call for Archbishop who attacks Biden to be removed from committee

Archbishop Joseph Naumann - Wiki image

Source: Faithful America

More than 22,000 Christians are calling on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to replace Archbishop Joseph Naumann as chair of the bishops' committee for pro-life activities, after his repeated attacks on President Biden's faith.

The open letter, organized by Faithful America and Faith in Public Life, comes in response to interviews in both Catholic World Report and the Atlantic magazine in which Archbishop Naumann said President Biden "should stop defining himself as a devout Catholic" and refrain from receiving Communion because of his support for reproductive rights. The archbishop also praised a South Carolina priest who denied President Biden Communion in 2019.

"While Archbishop Naumann accuses President Biden of 'usurping the role of the bishops and confusing people,' nobody is confused about the church's position on abortion," the letter reads in part. "The real confusion comes when bishops like Joseph Naumann weaponize the Sacraments, malign the faith of sincere Catholics, and refuse to give equal attention to other pro-life issues." Signers include more than 400 priests, sisters and brothers. The letter highlights how the archbishop's culture-war attacks on the president's faith contrasts with the approach of Pope Francis, who has expressed his desire to find common ground with the administration.

"Claiming that President Biden isn't a real Catholic and commending a priest who politicized the Eucharist during the election is a form of pastoral malpractice that does nothing to change hearts and minds," said John Gehring, Catholic Program Director at Faith in Public Life Action. "Archbishop Naumann consistently demonstrates he is more interested in being a culture warrior than a pastor. There is a respectful way to engage President Biden on areas of sincere disagreement without questioning his faith, burning bridges with the White House and alienating millions of Catholics who are proud of how this president demonstrates his faith is core to his character and his commitment to the common good."

"I know President Biden is a man of faith," said Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. "He not only studies Catholic social teaching, but also strives to live it in his actions. No one, even a bishop, should attack a fellow Christian or disparage that Christian's faith. If there's a pastoral concern, that concern should be taken up by President Biden's pastor, not other church leadership."

"I urge Archbishop Naumann to respect our church's long-standing episcopal norms and refrain from weaponizing pastoral care," said Stephen Schneck, Executive Director of Franciscan Action Network. "The archbishop is not President Biden's personal confessor or parish pastor. In taking what should be a private, pastoral matter into the political limelight, the archbishop risks the appearance of scandal. At a moment when American Catholics are bitterly divided by politics, I urge all bishops and priests to look to our Holy Father for guidance instead of launching public, ad hominem judgments that risk furthering divisions among the faithful."

"Archbishop Naumann has offered more criticism of President Biden in only a few months than he ever gave Donald Trump, despite Trump's anti-life record on immigration, climate change, and a host of other life issues where the Biden administration and the Catholic Church are in close alignment," said the Rev Nathan Empsall, Faithful America's Campaigns Director. "Faithful America's grassroots members are tired of seeing this kind of right-wing partisanship from far too many Christian leaders. Pope Francis takes a different approach, an example we hope more US bishops will emulate. They can begin by replacing Archbishop Naumann as chair of the USCCB's pro-life committee."

Read the full letter here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-attacking-bidens-faith-and-replace-archbishop-naumann-as-committee-chair