Crux: U.S. bishops’ meeting draws protesters, activists to Baltimore
At the end of the first public day of the fall general assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, it’s hard not to feel that one has attended the church’s version of the Iowa caucuses. All the heavy hitters of both parties are gathered in one place at one time, and journalists are not far behind.
However, to get a more complete picture of the Church in the United States, it’s healthy to leave the Waterfront Marriott Hotel where they are meeting and just walk around the corner: In a span of a few yards one can find a rally organized by Church Militant, that had originally scheduled former Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon as keynote speaker, and a woman dressed in purple and wearing a Santa Claus hat tired of having religion “mansplained” to her.
Here, then, is a sampling of the sights and sounds of the groups and protesters who surrounded the USCCB 2021 fall general assembly.
On Monday, the Catholic Organizations for Renewal – a coalition of lay-led Catholic progressive groups opposed to the politicization of Communion – held “a prayerful witness calling for ‘Bread, Not Stones’,” on behalf of the U.S. Catholics who “oppose orthodoxy tests at Jesus’ table,” according to their press release.
Kate McElwee, Executive Director of the Women’s Ordination Conference said that they wanted to “urge the bishops to be the ‘listening church’ Pope Francis calls us to be and heed the calls of their people who long for pastoral care and spiritual nourishment. We pray that the bishops take this opportunity to choose unity over division, pastoral care over political projects, and to model Jesus’ inclusive ministry above all else.”