On Tuesday, American president Donald J. Trump visited the Saint John Paul II Shrine in Washington, D.C. with his wife Melania, both to pay their respects to the man and
issue an executive order on religious freedom in the United States.
This visit had been planned for months, long before the riots currently underway in America began.
Despite this, D.C. Archbishop Wilton Gregory strongly condemned the President's action in a
statement, even going so far as to call it "baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles."
Leaving aside the mere absurdity of the statement - Gregory has time to compose an attack against his President while he could be working to implement measures to reopen the churches under his jurisdiction? - I want to note that Wilton Gregory is not being consistent.
In late September last year,
pro-abortion journalist Cokie Roberts died and was given a grand Catholic funeral Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, the Catholic cathedral in Washington, D.C. Gregory presided at that Mass, despite the clear statements from the Church that anyone who promotes abortion in a public fashion is
automatically excommunicated, and does not have the dignity of a Catholic funeral. At that Mass, he waxed glowingly about Roberts, calling her an "extraordinary, professional servant of the truth, [who] believed in God's word ... accepted it and fashioned her life around that word."
At that same Mass, well-known Catholic pro-abortionist Nancy Pelosi gave a similarly glowing eulogy about Roberts, where she called the deceased "a national treasure."
Archbishop Gregory, where was the bafflement and reprehensibility when Nancy Pelosi "so egregiously misused and manipulated" the Catholic lectern "in a fashion that violates our religious principles?"
Where was it then? Why is the outrage and disgust only coming out now? (I need not mention that you failed then to extend those same sentiments to yourself.)
You're not being consistent, Archbishop Gregory. One could even call you a hypocrite.
As for President Trump, I note that he has been expressing a growing appreciation towards S. John Paul II for some months. I suspect Melania is working on him, similar to how S. Monica worked on S. Augustine. In all likelihood, he could become Catholic at some point in his life.
When Trump dies, it could very well be that he is greeted with a hearty "well-done" while Gregory and Pelosi are denied that same grace.
May God bless Donald J. Trump, and offer the chance of repentance to Wilton Gregory and Nancy Pelosi.