Speaking to Crux during the Synod of Bishops on Synodality in Rome, Cardinal Gregory stressed the need for Catholics to have a comprehensive view of the nation's key issues.

"No political party and certainly no individual candidate that I've experienced embraces the full range of Catholic social, moral teaching" he says. "Obviously, the reverence, the respect of human life is a dominant concern."

The cardinal questioned whether Catholics should engage in single-issue voting based solely on a candidate's stance on abortion without considering their other positions.

"Yes, it is foundational, the dignity of unborn life, but does it dispense with all of the other awful proposals that are out there?" Gregory asked.

Umbrella of respect for human life

Gregory highlighted several issues that fall under what he described as the "umbrella of respect for human life". These include immigration, capital punishment, poverty, racism and mental health.

The cardinal noted that issues such as race, gender and gun violence have also come to the forefront of the election. The cardinal pointed to the ongoing violence in the US and internationally as areas voters should consider carefully.

He also mentioned economic issues including the challenge of earning a living wage, child care and racial disparity, which remain pressing concerns in American life.

Lesser of two evils

Pope Francis recently urged American Catholics to choose the lesser of two evils in the upcoming US presidential election, criticising both Donald Trump's immigration policies and Kamala Harris' support for abortion rights.

The pope condemned the refusal to welcome migrants as a "grave sin" and described abortion as an "assassination".

Francis said both candidates' policies are "against life".

"Whether it is the one who is chasing away migrants or the one who kills children, both are against life."

Sources

Catholic Herald

CathNews New Zealand

The conference, held from 2 - 4 August, brought together LGBTQ Catholics, clergy and many others with a vested interest to discuss faith and inclusivity within the Church.

According to the conference's website, Outreach "gathers LGBTQ laypeople, clergy, scholars, artists, educators, students and family members to build community, share best practices and worship together".

Outreach is a Catholic LGBTQ resource group founded by Jesuit priest and theologian Father James Martin.

In his homily, Cardinal Gregory acknowledged the complexity of LGBTQ issues within the Church and emphasised the necessity of addressing these matters with "sincerity and genuine compassion".

"This gathering is an opportunity for people to listen to one another in love, knowing full well that we might see another's position as difficult to understand and to accept" Gregory stated.

He expressed concern for the state of the Church and nation, decrying an "increase in violence, the forfeiture of civility in public discourse and the disavowal of once well-known hallowed values".

Gregory noted that the Church and the nation are at a critical juncture, requiring open and respectful dialogue.

The cardinal highlighted that unity within the Church does not mean uniformity but rather a shared spiritual connectedness or "communion" that respects diverse perspectives.

Act of synodality

Gregory's participation marked the first time a cardinal had presided over the conference's Mass which he celebrated at Georgetown's Dahlgren Chapel.

His involvement received support from Pope Francis who, in a note to Father Martin, expressed his spiritual closeness to the event and offered his blessings.

The cardinal praised conference attendees for being "dedicated to the pursuit of our becoming a more inclusive family of faith, welcoming others in spite of our differences".

He said that such a pursuit is an "act of synodality" and that "sincerely and openly speaking and listening to one another under the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit is the way that the Church grows in perfection".

Sources

Catholic News Agency

Outreach

CathNews New Zealand

Speaking on Face the Nation, Gregory expressed his view on Biden's faith, acknowledging sincerity but highlighting inconsistencies.

"I would say that he's very sincere about his faith. But like a number of Catholics, he picks and chooses dimensions of the faith to highlight while ignoring or even contradicting other parts" Gregory replied.

"There is a phrase that we have used in the past, a "cafeteria Catholic"- you choose that which is attractive and dismiss that which is challenging."

Biden a "devout Catholic"

Biden has repeatedly described himself as a "devout Catholic" who attends church regularly. The White House has also used the term to describe Biden when defending his aggressive pro-choice stance on abortion.

CBS News host Ed O'Keefe pressed Gregory, asking the country's first Black cardinal to identify aspects of the faith that Biden had forgotten.

Gregory told the host that while he admires him "tremendously", he hoped Biden would be more explicit in his personal belief as it relates to "life issues" instead of manipulating dimensions of the faith for his "political advantage".

"I would say there are things, especially in terms of life issues, there are things that he chooses to ignore, or he uses the current situation as a political pawn rather than saying 'Look, my church believes this, I'm a good Catholic, I would like to believe this.' Rather than to twist and turn some dimensions of the faith as a political advantage" Gregory said.

Abortion stance "incoherence"

Biden's stance on abortion, diverging from Catholic doctrine, has drawn criticism from many Catholics.

Pope Francis himself criticised Biden's views on abortion in July 2021. Francis argued that Biden's faith and pro-choice views were a display of "incoherence".

His observance of National Transgender Visibility Day on Easter Sunday prompted accusations of overshadowing the Christian holiday.

However, Biden wrote on Easter Sunday: "Jill and I send our warmest wishes to Christians around the world celebrating Easter Sunday. Easter reminds us of the power of hope and the promise of Christ's Resurrection."

Biden is the second Catholic US president after the late John F Kennedy.

Sources

Fox News

The Gazette

CathNews New Zealand

Gregory (pictured), the archbishop of Washington DC, spoke at an event hosted by Georgetown University's Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.

He noted that the pope's emphasis on caring for those on the peripheries and the environment had challenged American political ideologies.

Cardinal Gregory stated, "Francis makes it possible for us to say, if you really want to be adaptable, you've got to embrace the whole church's social teaching".

"So, you can't be comfortable with just the pro-life banner; you can't be comfortable with just the progressive social (issues) — you've got to have them all."

Gregory also acknowledged the heightened political polarisation in the United States, saying that the country must urgently address its associated challenges.

However, he stressed the importance of speaking to each other with civility, honesty and charity, and approaching complex issues with reverential deference to the truth.

Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Brownsville, Texas, praised Pope Francis for "breaking down barriers" and encouraging the church to get out of its "bubble" to meet "those who are at the margins".

Pimentel emphasised the importance of seeing the faces and hearing the stories of marginalised people to understand the pope's message.

EJ Dionne, a columnist at The Washington Post and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, praised Pope Francis for challenging both progressive and conservative Catholics on issues related to social justice and abortion.

He said that the pope forces Catholics to think hard about their beliefs regarding church teaching and Catholic social thought.

Despite the discomfort that Pope Francis' teachings may cause, Cardinal Gregory praised the pontiff for his accessible papacy and his ability to connect with people.

"It's hard to dislike a person who likes you," he said.

As Pope Francis prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of his pontificate, his message of caring for the marginalised and the environment continues to challenge American political ideologies and inspire Catholics worldwide.

Sources

UCA News

National Catholic Reporter

The 73-year-old was elevated to the College of Cardinals last November. He spoke from his titular church in the northern outskirts of Rome, Santa Maria Immacolata in Grottarossa.

"Francis has provided extraordinarily generous, kind and sensitive leadership to the church throughout the world," Gregory told NCR. "And I hope, in whatever way I can, to assist him in that, to support him in that. And to be available to do whatever he might ask me to do and buttressing and supporting his papal ministry."

The US church is facing two dilemmas: race and the leadership of the US church.

Both Francis and Gregory have indicated they would like to have warm relations with the new president. In contrast, other US bishops have advocated for Biden to be denied Communion, given his political support for abortion rights.

At the US bishops' meeting last June, Gregory spoke against such measures. He warned that in his 38 years of being a bishop, he had never seen the bishops' conference so divided.

He told NCR, "I certainly do still see the divisions there, and they trouble me," the cardinal said. "They sadden me."

Looking ahead to the next assembly of US bishops in November, Gregory said the US bishops need to look to Pope Francis' emphasis on "encounter" to overcome their own divisions.

"What I think we have to do more frequently and more effectively is something that Pope Francis has urged the entire church to do. We have to encounter each other," he said.

"We have to see in each other, even when we disagree, that this is a brother or sister in Christ, for whom Christ has a measurable love, and invites me to love them in return," he added.

Sources

National Catholic Reporter

Discussing a new Texas law that bans abortions after six weeks, Biden recently said he did not agree that life begins at conception.

"I respect those who believe life begins in the moment of conception — I respect that... (I) don't agree, but I respect that," Biden said.

Biden's new comments on September 3 represent a departure from his previous statements on the matter and follow those made by Jen Psaki, Biden's White House press secretary on September 2.

The New York Post reports Psaki snapped at a EWTN male reporter who asked: "Why does the president support abortion when his own Catholic faith teaches abortion is morally wrong?"

The press secretary then said Biden believes "it's a woman's right, it's a woman's body and it's her choice".

Reporter Owen Jensen followed up: "Who does he believe, then, should look out for the unborn child?"

"He believes that it's up to a woman to make those decisions, and up to a woman to make those decisions with her doctor," Psaki shot back.

"I know you've never faced those choices nor have you ever been pregnant, but for women out there who have faced those choices, this is an incredibly difficult thing. The president believes that right should be respected."

As a presidential candidate, Biden said he was "prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at the moment of conception," but added that to impose that belief upon others through the application of the law would be "inappropriate in a pluralistic society."

"The Catholic Church teaches and has taught that life, human life, begins at conception," Gregory said, according to the Washington Times.

"So the president is not demonstrating Catholic teaching."

"Our Church has not changed its position on the morality of abortion. And I don't see how we could, because we believe that every human life is sacred," he later added.

While stating that the church teaches human life begins at conception, Gregory noted that he served as an auxiliary bishop with the late Chicago Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who emphasised the "consistent ethic of life, which says that life issues are linked."

Gregory then also criticized the death penalty, saying: "We've discovered over time, it's not always equally applied.

"The poor, people of colour, immigrants are more susceptible to having death penalty sentences handed down than the wealthy affluent who can afford the best legal defence available."

In June, US Catholic bishops voted 168-55 for the drafting of a "teaching document" that many of them hope will rebuke Catholic politicians, including Biden, for receiving Communion despite their support for abortion rights.

Gregory did not hint at any ecclesiastical consequences for Biden on Wednesday.

Previously Gregory said he planned to approach the President on areas of agreement and disagreement in a respectful way.

"He's not going to be on speed dial, and I hope I'm not on his speed dial," Gregory told Al Roker of the Today Show in February.

"But there will be moments when I will be able to speak to him about faith, about the works that he is trying to accomplish that we can be supportive of, but also areas where we're not going to agree. But I'm going to always try to do it in a respectful way."

In Biden's 36 years in the Senate and eight years as Vice President to President Barack Obama, Biden has reversed himself a number of times on the issue of abortion.

Sources

• New York Post
• NCR
• Crux
• CathNews NZ
• CathNews NZ

In the prayer, Gregory asked God to "grant eternal peace to all our sisters and brothers lost to this disease."

"Let us now open our hearts to recall those who have died from the coronavirus," Cardinal Gregory prayed. "Strengthen those families and friends who remain behind, to comfort one another and to wipe the tears from our eyes. May each one find peace and let the memory of our loved ones itself be a blessing."

The cardinal called it "a great honor and privilege" to offer the prayer at the invitation of Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent, on the program "We Remember 500,000: A National Memorial Service for Covid-19."

The United States surpassed 500,000 deaths due to the coronavirus on Feb. 22.

More than 28.2 million Americans have been infected by the virus.

On Monday evening, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their families gathered at the White House to mark a moment of silence for those who have died from Covid-19.

Shortly before the ceremony, Mr Biden delivered remarks. He noted the milestone comes during Lent, which he called "a season of reflection and renewal." He said that many Americans died from Covid while being isolated in hospitals, away from family and loved ones.

"As a nation, we can't accept such a cruel fate. While we have been fighting this pandemic for so long, we have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow. We have to resist viewing each life as a statistic or a blur or on the news. And we must do so to honor the dead, but equally important, care for the living and those left behind," Mr Biden said.

Mr Biden urged Americans to continue to take precautions to fight the spread of the coronavirus and to get vaccinated when possible. If those steps are taken, he said, life will return to normal sooner rather than later.

As of Feb. 22, close to 13% of the U.S. population has received the first round of the Covid-19 vaccine. Approximately 6% of Americans had received both shots by that date.

Sources

Catholic Philly

America Magazine

On the way, he says he faced plenty of discrimination due to his skin colour.

"I don't know of any African American who hasn't tasted the bitter cup of discrimination," the 73-year old says.

"Now as long as I am formally dressed, I'm treated with great respect and affection. But if I take off my clerics to go out, to go shopping or run an errand, I'm in the pool of every other African American man in Washington."

One time Gregorywas treated poorly occurred 15 or so years ago.

"I was being hosted at a very exquisite Palm Springs golf club. So I was there, dressed to play golf, and another individual ... said, 'You can put my clubs on the golf cart.'

"And I had to say, 'Well, I can have somebody retrieve your clubs, but I'm here to play golf.' I never forgot that."

While many Catholics may be surprised America had to wait until 2020 for its first black cardinal, Gregory understands the reason.

"When a moment occurs like this, the reaction of a lot of people is, 'Why did it take so long?'

"Well, it took so long because we're still grappling with racism and with exclusion. That's still a part of the world in which we live."

Gregory says ongoing racial unrest is "a reminder that in spite of all that we've been able to accomplish, the issue is still there."

It is a "sobering" fact he says.

Dialogue is one of the best solutions to this societal tension, he says.

"We have to listen to each other.

"Dialogue demands both motions. You have to say what's in your heart, but then you have to say, 'Now, what's in your heart?' with the real intent of hearing what another says."

As a boy from a Catholic school on the Southside of Chicago, Gregory says he never expected to stand in front of the pope.

"The priests and the sisters in that parish were just extraordinary human beings, and I was just mesmerized by them. And so I decided after about six, seven weeks, that I was going to be a priest," he says of his Catholic education.

Nor did Gregory expect to have the US President (Joe Biden, the country's second Catholic president) as one of his parishioners.

While Gregory doesn't expect he'll always agree with the president, he has a plan for how to handle it.

"... there will be moments when I will be able to speak to him about faith, about the works that he is trying to accomplish that we can be supportive of, but also areas where we're not going to agree.

"But I'm going to always try to do it in a respectful way."

Source

• Today
• Image: Catholic News Agency