Earlier this month, a Catholic bishop in Michigan spoke out about the inconsistency between President Biden’s policies and his professed Catholic faith, offering “forgiveness” for the president’s “foolishness.”
Bishop Robert Grouse of the Diocese of Saginaw mentioned Biden in “.Forgiveness as the center of Christianity,” Lecture given at the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on April 5th.
During the discussion, Gruss cited his own experiences growing up with an alcoholic father and the letters he wrote as an adult to forgive the trauma of his adolescence, as well as his commitment to condemnation of others. He appealed to his followers to let go of productive anger and resentment.
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President Joe Biden (left) waves alongside his son Hunter Biden after attending Mass at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Johns Island, South Carolina. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
The bishop called on the faithful to interrogate their own hatred and resentment, pointing out that this destructive lack of forgiveness applies not only to individuals they know, but also to public figures and organizations.
“If you have bad, negative, angry feelings toward the president, you are not free,” Groos said. “Otherwise, you’re letting him control you and your thoughts, words, and actions. And if he’s a problem for you, those thoughts, words, and actions are negative.” I guarantee you they will come out.” Then we sin. That is sin. ”
The bishop urged the faithful to be wary of such destructive resentment when seeking the “Sacrament of Reconciliation,” a practice in which Catholics believe God will forgive confessed sins.
“How many times have you confessed your anger toward the president?” the bishop asked, eliciting unintentional laughter from the audience. But the bishop continued, “I’m serious, I’m not kidding. If you have it, you should confess it. If you don’t, you’re not free.”
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The sign of confession inside the church of Mary Queen of the Universe. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Groos compared sustained anger and resentment to a “ball and chain” that harms you more than the other person.
The bishop reflected on his feelings about Biden, who embraces a public relationship with Catholicism while also supporting abortion, gender ideology and other policies contrary to the teachings of the church, and said he sympathizes with him.
“I’m not angry at the president. I feel sorry for him. I’m not angry at him. He’s just a stupid person,” Grus said.
The comment drew fresh laughter from the audience, but the bishop remained serious.
“That’s not stupidity in the pejorative sense, but stupidity in the following sense.” […] He does not understand the Catholic faith. ”
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President Joe Biden speaks at an abortion rights event on the campus of George Mason University in Manassas, Virginia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Mr. Gruth’s comments are just the latest example of Catholic prelates’ increasingly vocal opposition to Mr. Biden’s self-identification as a Catholic.
After a heated debate over the validity of the bishop’s remarks, the Diocese of Saginaw released a statement regarding the meeting that clarified Bishop Groos’s points.
“I spoke in the context of forgiving the president and people in government who hurt us by their words and actions. We cannot harbor resentment towards them, because it is sinful to do so,” Groos said. .
Gruse apologized for using the word “stupid” to refer to the president, saying he should have chosen a more accurate word.
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Biden arrived at St. Edmund Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
“I used the word ‘stupid’ in reference to President Biden because I recognize that my choice of words was a poor judgment,” Groos said. “I didn’t mean to be disrespectful, and I apologize.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Diocese of Saginaw and the bishop’s office but did not receive a response.
Pope Francis himself, as an avowed Catholic, previously commented on Biden’s “inconsistency” on the issue of abortion.
“I’ll leave it to you. [President Biden’s] “I keep my conscience in mind and speak to bishops, pastors and parish priests about that contradiction,” the Pope said in 2022.
