A planned rally in Milwaukee launching "Catholics for Trump" fizzled and was cancelled, with the Trump campaign now only doing a digital launch. But even though it never happened, the Catholic Archbishop of Milwaukee issued a clear and firm statement that the group was not a recognized Catholic organization or in any way affiliated with the Catholic Church.
Trump campaign operatives are concerned that Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, will have a unique advantage with Catholic voters. Biden frequently speaks about his faith on the campaign trail, while Trump has little connection with religion and rarely, if ever, speaks of any spiritual values.
Trump will have a difficult time presenting himself as a candidate for Catholics. Pope Francis has publicly lectured him about his inhumane immigration policies and many Catholic leaders have decried Trump’s approach to issues from health care to climate change as inconsistent with their church’s teachings.
Even with the abortion issue, which is important to many Catholics, few are convinced the womanizing, thrice married Trump, with a sordid personal history, is a sincere pro-life advocate.
Biden has moved quicker to assemble a Catholic outreach operation with phone banks and house parties directed at Catholic voters. Trump's so far feeble Catholic outreach has not matched his campaign's aggressive courting of white evangelical Protestants including many ministers with a history of anti-Catholicism.
No comments:
Post a Comment