As Catholic bishops gather, protesters from right and left too

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Protesters opposing a plan to deny communion to pro-choice politicians marched through Baltimore on November 15 ahead of the meeting of US bishops. (Photo courtesy of the Women’s Ordination Conference)

Protests are common at U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops‘ gatherings, which often touch on national politics or attract media scrutiny, such as at the height of the Catholic sexual abuse crisis.

But this year’s annual gathering of American bishops in Baltimore, convened from November 15 to 18, is expected to host at least two exceptionally visible protests that present the growing spectrum of American Catholic thought.

On the first day of the meeting, a coalition of liberal-leaning Catholic groups demonstrated outside the hotel where the bishops were to meet in a closed-door executive session. Calling their demonstration “Bread, not stones,” about fifty participants marched, prayed and delivered speeches expressing their disapproval of what they described as the bishops’ efforts to politicize the Eucharist.

The event focused on a planned debate at the meeting of American bishops on a document on communion. While the document is expected to be less political than some critics originally feared, the controversy surrounding its creation gained international attention after some bishops have suggested denying the Eucharist to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.

Bro. Paul Kalchik, left, Michael Voris, founder and CEO of St. Michael's Media, center, and Milo Yiannopoulos speak with a court officer before entering the Federal Courthouse on September 30 in Baltimore.  (AP Photo / Gail Burton, file)

Bro. Paul Kalchik, left, Michael Voris, founder and CEO of St. Michael’s Media, center, and Milo Yiannopoulos speak with a court officer before entering the Federal Courthouse on September 30 in Baltimore. A federal judge has blocked Baltimore city officials from banning conservative Roman Catholic media from holding a prayer rally at a city-owned pavilion during the meeting of US bishops in November. Militant Church’s planned ‘prayer rally’ protest is slated to produce Nov. 16 (AP Photo / Gail Burton, File)

The signs included messages such as “Who would Jesus deny?” “; “Communion is for all”; and “Eucharist: food for a hungry soul. Organizations helping to mount the event include Catholics for Choice, Women’s Ordination Conference, DignityUSA and FutureChurch.

“We are here standing today for all Catholics, the vast majority of Catholics, who cherish the Eucharist and who do not want to see this central sacrament of our church militarized for culture war purposes,” said Marianne Duddy-Burke, Executive Director of DignityUSA, which supports justice, equality and the full inclusion of LGBTQI people in church and society.

“We are here to prevent the bishops who lead the Catholic Church in the United States from denying Communion to any of our elected Catholic leaders or officials because their conscience leads them to support pro-choice policies. or pro-equality in our pluralist society, ”she said.

Duddy-Burke said the protesters believed “fellowship shouldn’t be coercion.”

“We are here because we know that the Eucharist represents the love of Christ for all of God’s people,” she said. “It should not be allowed to become a reward for obedience to the will of a group of bishops.”

Later, a rowdy interrupted Jamie Manson, executive director of Catholics for Choice, by shouting “Get out of my sight” and accusing LGBTQ people of being a “violation of natural law” and a “sin against nature.”

A second protest, the planned “prayer rally” by Church Militant, a controversial conservative Catholic media outlet known to espouse inflammatory rhetoric that is sometimes condemned by critics as inflammatory, racist and homophobic, was particularly busy. The event, which organizers say is designed to express a range of grievances with American bishops, is scheduled to take place on November 16 at a pavilion that sits next to the Baltimore Waterfront Marriott, the hotel that hosts the conference of American bishops.

Church Militant, which is based in Detroit but has been reprimanded by local archdiocese leaders, has staged similar protests outside the Marriott at previous US bishops’ meetings. But this year’s effort drew additional attention for its range of speakers – particularly the inclusion of Milo Yiannopoulos, a far-right agitator, and Steve Bannon, former adviser to former President Donald Trump.

News of Yiannopoulos and Bannon’s participation sparked concern among Baltimore city officials, who sued to stop the demonstration in September. Lawyers for the city spoke of security concerns, noting in their legal file that violence had erupted during past events featured by Yiannopoulos and that Bannon had previously called for the beheading of political opponents, namely, to suggest it would place the heads of infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray “on pike.” “

In addition, lawyers have accused Church Militant founder Michael Voris of praising those who attacked the United States Capitol on January 6. reference to the widely debunked allegations of massive voter fraud in the 2020 elections.

Church Militant, also known as St. Michael’s Media, rejected the city’s arguments and insisted their rally was legal, citing their First Amendment right to free speech. They finally prevailed: a federal judge ruled in their favor in October, paving the way for the demonstration.

“We are disappointed with the court’s decision and remain concerned about the potential threat to public safety to Baltimore property posed by the rally,” Cal Harris, mayor’s communications director, in a statement. “Protecting the people of Baltimore and their property is our top priority, however, we will respect the direction of the courts. “

A spokesperson for Church Militant told Religion News Service that the rally, known as the Enough is Enough rally, is intended to “provide a place and a voice for hundreds of thousands of victims of the abuse of bishops (physical, financial, spiritual, liturgical) and doctrinal). ” According to the Associated PressYiannopoulos testified that he wanted to speak at the event because he is a priest sexual abuse survivor and wants to encourage others to “confront the facilitators and the abusers.”

As to unease over the potential violence, the spokesperson said Church Militant “has no concerns about violence emanating from legitimate participants in the rally,” adding that the organization is taking “various precautions” to avoid disruption. .

“St. Michael’s Media is a Catholic non-profit organization entirely dedicated to peace and has never condoned violence, despite the city’s fraudulent claims, which were dismissed by the court,” read a statement. of the group.

The spokesperson confirmed a speaker recently had a “change in their plans” regarding the event, which is expected to include a number of controversial conservative Catholic figures. The spokesperson did not name which speaker might drop out, but noted that it was “not Bannon.”

Bannon was charged with contempt of Congress November 12 for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6 insurgency. Prior to his court appearance on November 15, Bannon visited an FBI field office in Washington. But prosecutors did not seek to arrest Bannon before trial, and he was released.

It was not immediately clear how the indictment would impact his apparent presence at the rally.

A spokesperson for the meeting of US bishops declined to comment on the Church Militant rally.

Other groups have launched virtual protests ahead of the rally, such as a petition calling on Archbishop of Los Angeles José Gomez, the current president of the American bishops’ conference, to apologize for a recent speech in which he called “pseudo-religious” social justice movements. The petition, which has garnered more than 12,600 signatures as of November 15, is a joint effort of liberal-leaning groups Faith in Public Life and Faithful America.

Catholic bishops and other religious leaders should be on the streets with these movement organizers – without demeaning them with language that only emboldens opponents of racial equity,” the petition says.

Another Catholic group, Pax Christi USA, also published an open letter Gomez this week, decrying his remarks as a “negative and misleading stereotype.” “

Heidi Schlumpf contributed to this report.

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