Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick condemned President Trump’s comments regarding Pope Leo in a statement released on April 13. Fitzpatrick said the president’s remarks were offensive to Catholics and called for Trump to withdraw them and apologize.
The issue has drawn attention because of the large number of Catholics worldwide and the importance of the papacy as a religious institution. Fitzpatrick, who is a lifelong Catholic, addressed what he described as an affront to both the Church and its followers.
“I condemn President Trump’s remarks about Pope Leo in the strongest possible terms,” Fitzpatrick said. “The Holy Father is the successor to Saint Peter, the shepherd of the Church, and a moral voice for more than 1.4 billion Catholics around the world. He is not a partisan figure, and the papacy is not an institution to be mocked, politicized, or diminished.”
Fitzpatrick continued: “To suggest that a Pope somehow owes his place to a politician is absurd. As a lifelong Catholic, these comments as an insult to the Church, an affront to the faithful, and to many Catholics, plainly sacrilegious. Demeaning the Holy Father while elevating oneself is not strength. It is arrogance.” He also stated: “Pope Leo has every right—and indeed the solemn responsibility—to speak clearly on matters of faith, conscience, war and peace, and human dignity. That is his role. And no one—president, politician, or public figure—can intimidate, demean, or bully the Church for carrying out its mission.”
“President Trump’s comments were disgraceful, beneath the dignity of the presidency, and offensive to Catholics in every corner of the world,” Fitzpatrick added. “He should withdraw them and apologize.”
Brian Fitzpatrick currently serves in Congress representing Pennsylvania’s 1st district after replacing Mike Fitzpatrick in 2017 according to Wikipedia. He was born in Philadelphia in 1973 at age 49; he now lives in Levittown according to Ballotpedia. Fitzpatrick graduated from La Salle University with a Bachelor of Science degree before earning his law degree from Pennsylvania State University at Carlisle in 2001 according to Vote Smart.
The response by Congressman Fitzpatrick reflects ongoing debates over religion’s place within politics as well as expectations regarding respect between political leaders and religious figures.
