The writers at the Media Research Center have long considered themselves more Catholic than the pope. That attitude surfaced again in an Oct. 2 post by Mark Finkelstein:
It’s a matter of logic.
If you’re not pro-life if you oppose abortion but support the death penalty, then you’re not pro-life if you oppose the death penalty but support abortion.
But it’s not clear that Pope Leo embraces that logic. And no one on the panel on today’s CNN This Morning did.
Substitute host Erica Hill kicked off the conversation by playing a clip of Pope Leo expressing support for Dem Sen. Dick Durbin. He was scheduled to receive a “Lifetime Achievement” award for his pro-immigrant stance. Some bishops opposed the award given Durbin’s staunch support of abortion.
In the clip, Pope Leo said:
“Someone who says I’m against abortion but says I’m in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life. So, someone who says that I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”
Interestingly, Pope Leo didn’t make the converse argument: that someone who opposes the death penalty but supports abortion is not pro-life.
No one on the panel made that argument either.
And whereas there were three explicitly pro-choice panelists, there was no outspoken pro-life member of the “Group Chat.”
Yes, Finkelstein is mad that there wasn’t anyone attacking the pope from the right. Finkelstein didn’t explain why the pope is wrong to oppose both abortion and the death penalty.
Nicholas Fondacaro was similarly angry at the pope in his Oct. 2 hate-watch of “The View”:
Pope Leo XIV’s recent comments, about how being pro-life should influence capital punishment and immigration policy, gave the cackling coven of ABC’s The View the perfect opportunity to thumb their nose and lecture conservatives about what it supposedly meant to be pro-life. Even calling them hypocrites for wanting to defend their lives with firearms.
“I’m at least consistent as a lifelong Catholic,” shrieked self-proclaimed “devout Catholic” Sunny Hostin. “I am against abortion. I’m also against the death penalty. I’m also against guns. I’m also against the starvation of children. I’m a humanitarian above all, because I believe that all life is precious.”
Rather then explaining why the pope is wrong to oppose the death penalty and hostility to immigrants, Fondacaro complained that “Hostin chastised gun owning Christians as hypocrites for wanting to defend their lives,” retorting: “Owning a firearm was very pro-life. It allowed the owner to defend their life as well as the lives of their loved ones and the innocent lives around them.” Fondacaro made sure not to mention the thousands each year who are murdered by firearms.
Fondacaro went on to cheer that “Radio and TV host Jesse Kelly called out Hostin by equating her to the Devil in an X post.” Fondacaro regularly spews lies about Hostin, so he was totally cool with this hateful smear.