About Rush Limbaugh's Attacks on Pope Francis: Total Silence from U.S. Bishops

By William D. Lindsey
The Bilgrimage
December 8, 2013

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And in case you happen to have missed this:

 

I've noted in recent postings (here and here) some of Rush Limbaugh's acerbic comments about Pope Francis. Limbaugh has stated that Francis is espousing Marxism, and that someone else must have  written Francis's recent work condemning the exploitation of the poor and trickle-down economics, or someone has "gotten to" the pope. I shared a petition last week by Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good calling on Limbaugh to apologize for his attacks on Pope Francis.

 

How have the U.S. Catholic bishops responded to Rush Limbaugh's statements about Pope Francis? In a word, zip. Their lips appear zipped, as Molly Redden notes last week for Mother Jones. When asked why the bishops are being silent about Rush (since, God knows, they can loosen their tongues about all kinds of other issues), USCCB spokeswoman Sister of Mercy Mary Ann Walsh says that "we don't follow" Mr. Limbaugh.

 

Speaking out in defense of Pope Francis and against Rush Limbaugh would, I gather, set the bishops at odd with some of their most important friends in the Republican party, and with the super-rich handlers of the GOP. 

 

And so now, there's another petition, this one from Faithful America, asking the U.S. Catholic bishops to make a public response to Rush Limbaugh in support of Pope Francis. It's here, in case you're inclined to sign it.

 

(I'm grateful to Fred Clarkson at Talk to Action for the link to the Mother Jones article.)