Yesterday, Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago, and an unnamed Vatican official rebuked Archbishop José Gomez, the President of the United States Conference of Bishops, for his critique of President Biden on the day of his inauguration.

Shortly after the Pope issued a statement to congratulate the President Biden, yesterday, Gomez, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, issued his own. He welcomed the new President’s “call for national healing… on all levels,” and praised Biden’s own “piety and personal story,” but was critical of his having “pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender.”

“My hope is that we can begin a dialogue to address the complicated cultural and economic factors that are driving abortion and discouraging families,” Gomez continued.

He also expressed “deep concern” about the “liberty of the Church and the freedom it delivers to live according to their consciences.”

Cardinal Cupich’s took to Twitter to reprimand the President of the USCCB for his “ill-considered statement.” In his four-tweet thread, Cupich noted that Gomez’s statement “seemingly had no precedent” in its criticism of Biden.

“The statement was crafted without the involvement of the Administrative Committee, a collegial consultation that is normal course for statements that represent and enjoy the considered endorsement of the American bishops.

“The internal institutional failures involved must be addressed,” he said so that “we can build up the unity of the church, and together take up the work of healing our nation in this moment of crisis.”

The response to Gomez’s statement are divided. The Vatican, which is reported to have blocked Gomez’s statement, so that Pope Francis could be issued first have not clarified their stance. However, the Supreme Knight and head of the Knights of Columbus, Carl Anderson, thanked the “the leadership of the USCCB for their balanced and prophetic statement” commending Gomez for his willingness to “work with the new Administration and support his clear statement regarding the defense of all vulnerable people and the preeminent priority of the defense of the unborn.”

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