By now you may have heard of the shocking emails sent by political operatives affiliated with the Hillary Clinton campaign that demean, denounce, and hold in contempt the Catholic Church and Catholic teachings.
The emails, which were never meant to see the light of day, but have been revealed by Wikileaks, feature remarks about the Church made five years ago by
- John Podesta, the man now running Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign,
- Jennifer Palmieri, the communications director for the Clinton campaign, and
- John Halpin, a longtime official with the Center for American Progress, a pro-abortion “progressive think tank” founded by Mr. Podesta.
All are deeply connected to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and all hold in contempt Catholics who adhere to the Church’s teaching on abortion and contraception.
In one email, Mr. Podesta admits that he and others “created” the liberal groups Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good in order to undermine Catholic teaching.
In another email, Mr. Halpin writes that socially conservative Catholics “must be attracted to the systematic thought and severely backwards gender relations” he says are in the Church. He called those whom he labels as “conservative” (one may assume this includes pro-lifers) as adhering to a “bastardization of the faith.”
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In response, Ms. Palmieri declares that prominent Catholic converts only join the Church because “they think it is the most socially acceptable politically conservative religion.”
To say that these individuals, all of whom in positions of influence in or around the Clinton campaign, have disdain for the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of human life is an understatement. To say that they disrespect people like you and me who believe what the Church has taught for millennia is to state the obvious.
And these bigots could soon be setting and implementing government policy.
That’s why I’m asking you not only to call on Hillary Clinton to fire Mr. Podesta and Ms. Palmieri and distance herself from Mr. Halpin and the Center for American Progress, but also to urge your priests, your Senators, and your Member of Congress to do the same.
Discrimination against Catholics was once prevalent in the United States. It is becoming so once again. We cannot allow it to spread.
Please call your priests, Senators, and Congressman or Congresswoman. Ask them to denounce anti-Catholic bigotry and to demand that Mrs. Clinton separate herself from those who hold traditional Catholics in contempt.
We have already lived through one attack after another on the Church by government officials. We do not need to suffer any more anti-Catholic regulations or policies put in place by those who seek to undermine Catholic teaching.
LifeNews.com Note: Father Frank Pavone is the national director for Priests for Life.
