Pope Francis meets with Cardinal Cupich after Biden inauguration statement dispute
By Courtney Mares for CNA
Vatican City, Jan 30, 2021 / 08:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis met with Cardinal Blase Cupich on Saturday, 10 days after the cardinal publicly criticized the U.S. bishops’ official statement on the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
The private audience occurred in the Apostolic Palace on the morning of Jan. 30. Cardinal Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, has been in Rome for a meeting of the Vatican Congregation for Bishops. The Holy See Press Office did not release any further information on the meeting other than that it took place.
On Jan. 20, the day of the U.S. presidential inauguration, Cupich took to Twitter to criticize a statement from Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference.
In his four-part Twitter thread Cupich said that “the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued an ill-considered statement on the day of President Biden’s inauguration. Aside from the fact that there is seemingly no precedent for doing so, the statement, critical of President Biden, came as a surprise to many bishops, who received it just hours before it was released.”
“The statement was crafted without the involvement of the Administrative Committee, a collegial consultation that is a normal course for statements that represent and enjoy the considered endorsement of the American bishops,” he said.
“The internal institutional failures involved must be addressed, and I look forward to contributing to all efforts to that end, so that, inspired by the Gospel, we can build up the unity of the Church, and together take up the work of healing our nation in this moment of crisis.”
In the statement that Cupich said was “ill-considered,” Archbishop Gomez wrote that while there are numerous issues of concern to the bishops’ conference, abortion is the preeminent issue that cannot be ignored.
Gomez said that “abortion is a direct attack on life that also wounds the woman and undermines the family. It is not only a private matter, it raises troubling and fundamental questions of fraternity, solidarity, and inclusion in the human community. It is also a matter of social justice. We cannot ignore the reality that abortion rates are much higher among the poor and minorities, and that the procedure is regularly used to eliminate children who would be born with disabilities.”
“Rather than impose further expansions of abortion and contraception, as he has promised, I am hopeful that the new President and his administration will work with the Church and others of good will. My hope is that we can begin a dialogue to address the complicated cultural and economic factors that are driving abortion and discouraging families,” he continued.
U.S. President Joe Biden, a Catholic, issued a statement with Vice President Kamala Harris two days later on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision which mandated permissive abortion laws nationwide.
The president and vice president stressed their commitment to legal abortion, saying “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to codifying Roe v. Wade and appointing judges that respect foundational precedents like Roe.”
Biden also issued a presidential memorandum on Jan. 28 repealing the Mexico City Policy. His act allows for the U.S. to again fund international pro-abortion groups through family planning funding and global health assistance.
In his sweeping order “Protecting Women’s Health at Home and Abroad,” Biden stated his administration’s commitment to promoting women’s “reproductive health.”
The U.S. bishops’ conference (USCCB) responded that, under Biden’s order, the U.S. would be contributing to abortions and abortion advocacy in the developing world.
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, chair of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee, and Bishop David Malloy of Rockford, chair of the bishops’ international justice and peace committee, issued a statement on Jan. 28.
“It is grievous that one of President Biden’s first official acts actively promotes the destruction of human lives in developing nations,” the bishops said.
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F1, Blaise, Toobin… Mr mccarrick products all… their lack of resolve against abortion, so-called ss “marriage” & support for all things “progressive” is disheartening, at best..
I guess they’re trying to come up with their next slate of pro-abortion politicians to support.
How do I anonymously write priest in my diocese or the bishop?
Typed letter, unsigned, mail to the bishop’s office. No return address. Easy.
Please have the courage not to write anonymously! We must stand resolved in and as the body of Christ/GOD to stop this atrocity against the innocent unborn children!
The two men in the photograph are frauds, they do not have the voice of the good shepherd. As their like-minded cohorts, they have “the mind of McCarrick,” with whom they remain in full communion, having required no public apology or confession of guilt, despite a lifetime of what are publicly known mortal sins, both sexual abuse and financial with the Papal Charity.
Serious disciples of Jesus will pray that such men will not be permitted be the ones that choose the next fraud as Pontiff, because such as they delight in their carnival of deceit.
May God in his justice and mercy confound them.
I cannot believe any true Catholic would attack the Pope like this. There are way too many Priests and cardinals and voices in the Church which I grew up in and love, attacking the Shepherd (Peter’s replacement) chosen by the Holy Spirit to lead our Church. I am, have always been and will always be Pro Life. I have marched in protests, been Secretary of our local chapter and I am disappointed that Biden is not supporting the Pro Life movement. However too many in the Pro Life Movement are complicit in the evil that Trump and his administration did during his 4 years that was a direct attack on LIFE – minorities, immigrants, refugees, women as well as causing by the denial and lies about the pandemic causing by this failure the death of so many, many thousands of American citizens who’s lives are also precious to God that did not need to die. Where were these pro life voices when he was causing the death of so many through his lies and his empowerment of White Supremicists and Neo Nazis. Shame.
The heart warming smile that seems to be there on many an occasion when ever the Holy Father meets with persons – even if he may not agree with The Way in which such persons are still learning to discern and live in The Divine Will .. same ? a result of being in Oneness in The Will , in which he is in the Act of continually bringing the love , adoration and gratitude , on behalf of all , into every Wound of The Lord and His Mother , with its deep trust and peace in The Sanctifier to bring the healing and holiness where needed ..
Wait…why are they meeting IN-PERSON and not via Zoom or Microsoft Teams? Did they quarantine or self-isolate after their long flight?
.
It seems incredibly irresponsible to fly and meet in person right now.
Now that these two have met, Gomez had better watch out.
48 years of working in the Devils “Workshop” has brought Mr Biden to the illegally exalted position he now enjoys.RBG is holding the boat for him on the River Styx.Mr Biden has forgotten the old axiom . “Giving The Devil His Due”
No surprises here. He also had a meeting with James Martin. Seems the more liberal your theology, the more likely you are to get an audience with Pope Francis.
Times of tribulations we must not be fooled by false prophets. Follow Jesus.
Although science is greatly advancing, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ are still the polar opposites of each other.
Does the Catholic Church give free-for-all abortions the ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’??????
Just before leaving the US on one of his Papal trips, St. John Paul the Great said this to all US citizens, “The peace of your Nation depends on your response to Abortion”. St. John Paul the Great was a mystic through the Third order of Lady of Mt. Carmel. We must take him seriously today more than ever. With president Biden and vice-President Harris could we be one of the Nations annihilated as foretold by Our Lady of Fatima? God is the supreme being who is a God of Justice, a God of divine wrath. Just ask the inhabitants of hell. Someone commented, “Gomez had better watch out”. Bergoglio and Cupich just may have plotted the destruction of Gomez in that private audience. Bergoglio has done this only to good men.
It is so sad to see so many radical, liberal cardinals and bishops who are promoting evil. I will no longer give one penny to Chicago diocese when you have such horrible people as Blase Cupich and James Martin who promote anything but family values. Shame on them and shame on their ideology which is anti-Catholic. So many are leaving the church because of these radicals. The pope has a huge problem in keeping people in the church when he endorses China, pure communist, to help appoint bishops, change the readings in church honoring them first, and killing Catholics and christians all over. This is not my Catholic church and I am ashamed of Chicago’s liberal radicals who have no concept of the teachings of the church or just don’t care. Cardinal George disciplined Martin many times but now this creep seems to have full reign of idiocy. Not sure how long I will continue in the church when I see the liberal nuns around here as well. What an evil. Satan has infiltrated the church big time.
I believe it is possible that His Holiness was reminding Cupich that publicly upgrading a clergyman for upholding established Catholic doctrine is unseemly to say the least.
It is difficult to know where to start with this one. Narrowing it down to two items : first, air travel in the age of “climate change”, for one cardinal? Where is Greta when she is really needed? Second, this is the Covid era. International travel is discouraged, and in some places, forbidden. Yes, Zoom would have been the answer, but only for plebeians. Modern day aristocrats are exempt from what is mandated for the masses.