Posted: Sept. 15, 2020
The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast pretends to be non-partisan -- yet nearly every year, the event hosts primarily Republican leaders like Rick Santorum, Paul Ryan, Mike Pence, and George W. Bush.
At this year's breakfast, the right-wing Catholic organization plans to give a major award to Attorney General William Barr for "service in the Lord's vineyard." This is the same William Barr who provides legal cover for Donald Trump's efforts to steal the election, cruelly teargassed peaceful protests for the president's cynical Bible photo-op, and reinstated the federal death penalty.
Without even a hint of irony, the award will be given the very same week that Barr's Justice Department carries out its next two executions. That's shocking for any Christian organization, but especially a Catholic one: Pope Francis has updated official Church teaching to oppose the death penalty under all circumstances.
Given Barr's record of unjust, corrupt authoritarianism, it's clear that the NCPB's award for Barr is simply a political stunt, hijacking the Church to boost Trump's reelection chances -- and that's something that grassroots Catholics and other Christians cannot allow.
Sign the petition:
Love thy neighbor.