President Joe Biden has been criticized by a Catholic bishop for the disparity between his proclaimed faith and his actions. Bishop Robert Gruss of the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, addressed this issue during a speech titled “Forgiveness as the Heart of Christianity” at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption on April 5, as reported by Fox News. In his speech, Bishop Gruss shared his personal experience of growing up with an alcoholic father and eventually forgiving him for the pain it caused. He emphasized the importance of extending this forgiveness not only to those we know personally but also to public figures, including celebrities.
“If you’re harboring bad, negative, resentful feelings towards our president, you’re not free,” he said. “Otherwise, you’re letting him control you and your thoughts and your words and your actions. And I guarantee that if he is a problem for you, then those thoughts, words, and actions are negative — they’re gonna come out, and then we commit sin. That’s what sin is.”
“How many times have you confessed your anger towards the president?” he asked, drawing some laughter from the audience. “I’m serious; I’m not kidding. If you have it, you should confess it. Otherwise, you’re not free.”
He proceeded to discuss his personal opinions regarding Biden and expressed his perspective on his faith: “I don’t have any anger towards the president. I feel sorry for him. I’m not angry at him, he’s just stupid,” the bishop said. “It’s not stupidity in the derogatory way. It’s stupidity in the sense of […] he doesn’t understand the Catholic faith,” he said.
Following a series of controversies arising from his remarks, the bishop released a clarification subsequent to his speech, expressing remorse for his choice of the term “stupid.”
“I was speaking in the context of forgiving the president and any people in government who offend us by their words and actions — that we cannot harbor resentment toward them because in doing so, it would be sinful,” he said.
“I used the word ‘stupid’ in reference to President Biden, recognizing that it was poor judgment in my choice of words,” he said. “It was not meant to be disparaging, and I apologize.”
In a recent development, President Biden dedicated a portion of his schedule to express his disapproval of a state Supreme Court decision pertaining to an abortion law that traces its origins back to 1864. According to reports from the Washington Examiner, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld this law, which effectively prohibits the majority of abortions. However, it is important to note that an exception is made in cases where the life of the mother is at risk. Additionally, healthcare providers who carry out the procedure may face imprisonment for a period ranging from two to five years, as mandated by the law.
“Millions of Arizonans will soon live under an even more extreme and dangerous abortion ban, which fails to protect women even when their health is at risk or in tragic cases of rape or incest,” he said, according to a statement released by the White House.