Pro-Abortion Obama Faith Advisor Harry Knox Reaffirms Catholic Church Bashing
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 17, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Harry Knox, the former staffer of a pro-abortion organization who now serves on President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, has re-affirmed his bashing of the Catholic Church in a new interview.
Knox has been the subject of concern for pro-life groups since Obama named him to the panel.
He is the director of the religion and faith program at Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group known for its strong abortion advocacy as well.
Knox came under fire for attacking the Pope, who recently said that condoms are not the answer to the AIDS/HIV crisis in Africa. He called Pope Benedict XVI a liar and said he should "start telling the truth about condom use" and claimed the Catholic leader was "endangering people’s lives" and "hurting people in the name of Jesus."
In a new interview with CNS News, Knox refused to back down from the comments.
When asked whether he still holds that view, Knox said, "I do."
“He is simply incorrect in his assertion. All the other evidence of science shows otherwise," Knox added when told Edward Green, a Harvard researcher in AIDS prevention, said the pope was correct.
The conservative news web site also featured a quote from Knox attacking the Pope at about the time Obama appointed him to the position.
"Until he [Pope Benedict] is willing to do that and able, he’s doing a great deal more harm than good – not just in Africa but around the world," he said.
Opposition to Knox from pro-life Catholic circles has resulted in the St. Michael Society sponsoring a petition calling for Knox to step down.
Rep Mike Pence, a leading pro-life Republican in Congress, has also called on Obama to withdraw Knox’s appointment over his comments.
"Unfortunately, the President’s recent appointment to his advisory council makes a mockery out of the religious beliefs of countless Americans," he told LifeNews.com. "This selection furthers the divisive politics the American people have rejected and the President promised to abandon."
"Appointing a man who has publicly attacked the Pope and other religious leaders … is deeply offensive to millions of Americans and the faith-based community he is appointed to serve," Pence added.
"I call on the President to withdraw this appointment and select a person who can serve the faith-based community with the respect and dignity it deserves," he said.
Knox isn’t the only abortion advocate on the panel.
Rev. Peg Chemberlin, the president-elect of the National Council of Churches USA, a collection of mainline Protestant churches — many of which hold pro-abortion positions, serves on it.
Nancy Ratzan, board chair of the National Council of Jewish Women, has also been named to the White House office and her group is a longtime abortion supporter as well.
Previous members Obama put on the White House faith council included Joshua DuBois, a 26-year old political activist who headed up religious outreach for the Obama campaign.
They also included Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Washington-based Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, a political group that also co-sponsored the pro-abortion march.
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