PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, May 13, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The bishop of the smallest U.S. state strongly criticized those who claim to be Catholic yet think it’s no problem to defend abortion.
In a tweet sent out on May 7, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island said one cannot be an “authentic” Catholic and hold a pro-abortion position.
“Just saw a headline in a Catholic newspaper with the phrase ‘pro-abortion Catholic.’ Sorry. That’s a contradiction in terms. You can’t be a Catholic, at least not an authentic one, and be ‘pro-abortion.’ Or ‘pro-choice.’ It’s the same thing,” said Tobin.
On May 7, the National Catholic Register ran an article with the headline “Running for President as a Pro-Abortion Catholic, Is Biden a Problem for US Bishops?”
PETITION: Support pro-lifers threatened and arrested for praying outside of abortion facilities! Sign the petition here.
Former vice president Joe Biden, who says he is a practicing Catholic, is the Democratic Party’s de facto nominee for president and is pro-abortion.
In 2019, Biden was refused Communion. He said afterward that he is“a practicing Catholic.”
One respondent to Tobin said on Twitter, “You also can’t be pro-life and a catholic if you support someone like Trump who is responsible for 70,000 deaths, lies, cheats, and steals on a daily basis.”
However, many of the replies seemed to be supportive of Tobin. One commenter praised him for speaking the truth about the Catholic faith.
“Thank you for re-stating this Truth of the Catholic Church, Bishop Tobin. Prayers for confused Governor of RI and so many in RI General Assembly,” replied this respondent.
The current governor of Rhode Island, Democrat Gina M. Raimondo, is a Catholic who just last year signed an extreme pro-abortion law in her state.
While many prominent celebrities and politicians who say they are Catholic openly support the pro-abortion Democrat Party, Tobin in the past has held firm in his resolve to hold Catholics to account to the teachings of the Church.
In 2009, Tobin made headlines after asking then–U.S. representative Patrick Kennedy not to receive Communion because of his pro-abortion political stance.
In 2016, Tobin asked faithful Catholics to vote pro-life in Rhode Island’s primary election, saying “never to vote for any candidate, of any party, who supports abortion.” He also drew the ire of LGBT activists in 2019 after he said in a Twitter message that “Pride Month” activities are harmful to kids.