Archbishop Jose Gomez has rebuked an online claim that he plans to vote for Joe Biden in the November presidential election, stating that an alleged conversation in which he disclosed his voting plans never actually took place.
“In all my years as a priest and a bishop, I have never publicly or privately endorsed a political candidate or told anyone who I might be voting for. It is disgraceful that some would use the media to spread misinformation and try to confuse and divide people,” Gomez, the president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, said in an Oct. 20 statement.
Cleanthechurch.com, a website based in California, published a blog post Tuesday evening which alleged that in February 2020, Gomez and a “wealthy ex-donor to the church” met over breakfast at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles.
The blog post claimed that Gomez told the individual that he is “voting [for] and supporting Jose [sic] Biden because he did not ‘like the way Trump talks.’”
“[T]he president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is voting for a pro-abortion, pro-gay-marriage, socialist because he ‘does not like the way Trump talks’…. I am sure that he is also forcing priests in the archdiocese to support Biden… So infuriating!” the blog reads.
Gomez denied the alleged conversation, and even the breakfast, ever took place.
A spokeswoman for the archdiocese told Catholic News Agency (CNA) on Wednesday that the archbishop had no breakfast meetings on his calendar during the month of February.
In his statement, Gomez urged Catholics to pray and reflect on the U.S. bishops’ voting guide, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility.”
Since 2007, the bishops of the United States have issued the “Faithful Citizenship” document to help Catholics decide how to cast their vote; it was most recently updated in 2019.
“And let us pray for the grace to treat one another as brothers and sisters, with dignity and respect,” Gomez concluded.
The “ex-donor” who made the claim against Gomez plans to release an affidavit doubling down on his claims, based on an alleged audio recording of the conversation, according to John Paul Norris, one of the founders of Cleanthechurch.com.
According to Norris, the accuser, who has declined to be named publicly, had— before the alleged February conversation— been meeting with Gomez at least once a year, and was a significant donor to the archdiocese.
“Everyone in the diocese knows him very well,” Norris told CNA.
Norris told CNA the accuser has an audio recording of the alleged conversation with Gomez stored on his cell phone, but has no plans to release it to the public. He said the recording includes Gomez stating that if Biden earns the Democratic nomination for president, Gomez would vote for him “because he’s Catholic.”
In 2019, Norris was removed from the Los Angeles cathedral after confronting Gomez about Cardinal Roger Mahony and the McCarrick scandal.
Norris’ blog post this week was appended to a petition on Change.org, which Clean the Church created in 2018, calling for criminal prosecution of Mahony, who led the Los Angeles archdiocese from 1985 to 2011. Mahony has faced scrutiny for his handling of the sexual abuse crisis during his tenure as archbishop of Los Angeles, and been accused of covering up serial acts of abuse.
The petition calls on all of Los Angeles’ bishops to “act now or resign from their posts….”
Joe Biden, a Catholic, has in recent months doubled down on his support for legal abortion.
In July, the pro-abortion group NARAL endorsed Biden for president, just over a year after the group issued a scathing statement demanding he reverse his support for the Hyde Amendment, which bars taxpayer funding for abortions. Biden withdrew his decades-long support for the Hyde Amendment and announced in 2019 he was opposed to the policy.
This month, Biden repeated his pledge to codify a right to abortion into federal law should the Supreme Court overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision….
The above comes from an Oct. 22 story on the site of the Catholic News Agency.
Don’t see the relevance of the Jonathan Club. Or did I miss something? Did look a little like a Bishop’s residence I’ve been in.
That’s where the breakfast meeting was. Read.
I wonder if a waiter at the Jonathan Club overheard this conversation? Often the waitstaff is privy to table talk. Of course the entire breakfast meeting is denied by all Diocesan parties, including the AB himself, lets all be honest here for Pete’s sake.
Does anybody really not know who he will be voting for? Please, he’s all about Biden and the democrats, whether he says it directly or not. Duh.
As much as I despise Gomez and think he’s inept, at least he’s responding to a charge that implies he’s uncatholic even if he’s only weakly (if you read his words) distancing himself from reports that he will vote for pro-abortion Biden. Contrast that with the pope, who has not disputed reports that he endorses same-sex unions.
I agree with Kevin, at least the Archbishop denies the accusation of evil. Some prelates don’t deny the evil and lead many of the faithful astray with the confusion that they cause.
The Church needs a purge of all the heretical bishops who are leading the flock astray.
My boo boo The Jonathan is mentioned once.
About a month ago, we asked Gomez to republish the following anti-Biden / anti-abortion statement from 2008 – so far, he has not responded to our request – Back In 2008 when Archbishop JOSÉ GOMEZ was in TX – he challenged Biden’s “moral reasoning.”
“It is confusing that Biden, who is Catholic, said that while he was ‘prepared to accept the teachings of my Church,’ he refuses to ‘impose’ his views on others by seeking to ‘criminalize’ abortion. This opinion both ducks the hard business of governing in a democracy and reveals a blindness to the gravity of the abortion issue.”
A Catholic is duty-bound to ask: Is a candidate fit to hold office if he or she believes it should be legal to kill even a fully developed child in the last weeks of a pregnancy…?”
“Can we make real progress on any of the critical issues that we face as a nation if we can’t agree to protect the smallest and most defenseless among us?”
Asking these questions does not “impose Catholic beliefs on other Americans,” he continued. “This is the political contribution that a morally mature people must make in a democracy. “
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/archbishop_of_san_antonio_asks_is_abortion_solely_a_catholic_issue?fbclid=IwAR1Kxve9V8-akq7LhbY5N09bF4UI1_4xgv6Rnn_d_HGGd-Rk2L6wHrK8wh0
We also asked Bishop Vann to PLEASE, REPUBLISH this Oct 2008 statement (when he was in TX)
“In October of 2008 Bishop Vann, along with his brother Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas, issued a joint statement clarifying the meaning of the USCCB’s Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship document. The statement asserted the absolute centrality of legalized abortion to our culture. (All emphases in the original)
As Catholics we are morally obligated to pray, to act, and to vote to abolish the evil of abortion in America, limiting it as much as we can until it is finally abolished.”
He (Bishop Vann) is very serious about this… In 2004, he said he would deny Communion to pro-abortion politicians.
“Therefore, we cannot make more clear the seriousness of the overriding issue of abortion – while not the ‘only issue’ – it is the defining moral issue
On the 2008 statement, Bishops Vann and Farrell go on to say:
“Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship(’08), in paragraphs 34-37, addresses the question of whether it is morally permissible for a Catholic to vote for a candidate who supports an intrinsic evil – even when the voter does not agree with the candidate’s position on that evil. The only moral possibilities for a Catholic to be able to vote in good conscience for a candidate who supports this intrinsic evil are the following:
a. If both candidates running for office support abortion or “abortion rights,” a Catholic would be forced to then look at the other important issues and through their vote try to limit the evil done; or,
b. If another intrinsic evil outweighs the evil of abortion. While this is sound moral reasoning, there are no “truly grave moral” or “proportionate” reasons, singularly or combined, that could outweigh the millions of innocent human lives that are directly killed by legal abortion each year.
To vote for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion or “abortion rights” when there is a morally acceptable alternative would be to cooperate in the evil – and, therefore, morally impermissible.” https://www.cal-catholic.com/breaking-news-new-bishop-for-diocese-of-orange/
https://www.prolifedallas.org/Ministries-Civic-Vote-Bishop?fbclid=IwAR17j-
When they were in TX in 2008, Gomez and Vann were very bold and clear, that voting for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion would be to cooperate in the evil – and, therefore, morally impermissible. Now they are in calif in 2020 and they are silent on this. So sad.
BISHOP VANN (& bishop Farrell) TX, 2008..
– STATEMENT ON CATHOLIC VOTING – “to vote for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion would be to cooperate in the evil – and, therefore, morally impermissible.”
https://www.prolifedallas.org/Ministries-Civic-Vote-Bishop?fbclid=IwAR17j-
https://www.cal-catholic.com/breaking-news-new-bishop-for-diocese-of-orange/
We have asked Bishop Vann multiple times to republish this statement. He has refused.
Now that these bishops are here in Calif & it’s a 2020 election, they stand silent on this – leaders at our diocese say that it’s morally permissible to vote for pro-abortion candidates as long as you aren’t voting because of their pro-abortion stance. Many Catholics are being misguided – 50% of Catholics think abortion should be legal! So sad. Praying for fortitude for our priests and bishops.
Gomez, McElroy and Barnes will be voting for the same guy. Was there ever any doubt?
With kudos to the punchline of the famous Charlie the Tuna Starkist ads:
“Sorry, Jose, no red hat ” – even if you said your were going to vote for the Pope’s favorite 2020 U.S. presidential candidate. There’s only one red hat for America, and that’s going to DC Abp. Wilton Gregory.
Can someone please tell me exactly when President Donald Trump released his Tax Returns?
This president claimed he paid a $750 filing fee fo file his federal tax forms. Did you pay a filing fee to file your tax forms? No, of course you did not. Why do you allow this president to get away with such a lie about his own taxes?
He’s gonna release ’em as soon as you release yours.
I have joined several Novenas to fast and pray for the upcoming elections. May we all cast our votes in a manner that is most pleasing to God! May America be transformed in the grace of God, and become a Christ-like nation, very pleasing to Him! And may God give us leaders who are very pleasing to Him! All for His praise, honor and glory!
Biden is personally opposed to abortion. He agrees with the Supreme Court which said in no uncertain terms that the Constitution does not allow states to outlaw abortion. Two very very different things. If you want the Constitution to outlaw abortion, you need to amend the Constitution, not settle for Donald Trump, who probably procured more abortions than the entire Democratic House members.
YFC, Biden officiated at a same sex wedding, that’s not Catholic. Do you support gay marriage?
YFC, Yes, “Personally” Biden is a Saint, but outwardly he is in “wolf’s clothing”
Actions speak louder than words. You watch what people do, not what they say.
Biden plans to amend the constitution to allow abortion
and to undo Trump’s work in removing abortion support from US International relief and Title X funding.
Roe vs. Wade, by inferring that the “right of privacy” found in the “liberty” protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, allowed abortion.
By this maneuvering, it overturned existing law in all 50 states. It legislated from the bench against state’s rights.
The Constitution says that whatever is not specified in the constitution, is left to the jurisdiction of the states.
So the court blatantly overruled the constitution and the states.
But Roe vs. Wade did allow states to ban abortion after the viability of the fetus if the Mother’s life is not endangered.
” for the stage subsequent to viability, the State in promoting its interest in the potentiality of human life may, if it chooses, regulate, and even proscribe, abortion
except where it is necessary, in appropriate medical judgment, for the preservation of the life or health of the mother.”
You have no right to calumniate Trump with your imaginings and “probably(s)”
What a bunch of nonsense. The Constitution says nothing about abortion. The Court in Roe invented a right to privacy out of thin air. This poster knows as little about the Constitution as about the Catechism.
It’s like saying: “I personally oppose slavery; however, if you want slaves you are free to have them? Does it make sense?