EWTN News devoted a six-minute segment to Kamala Harris’ examination of judicial nominees’ memberships in the Knights of Columbus while she was a U.S. Senator. It is not unusual for “progressive” and liberal senators to violate Article VI, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits a “religious test” for office, but Harris’ explicit targeting of three Knights of Columbus bears the character of a campaign against the Catholic fraternal organization.
Tyler Arnold filed a report on the EWTN segment for CNA. Below is an AI-produced summary of the article.1 Beneath that, is the embedded EWTN segment.
- Judicial Nominees and Questions: Harris questioned the nominee Paul Matey, Brian Buescher, and Peter Phipps on their ties to the Knights of Columbus, addressing their stances on issues like abortion.
- Senate Confirmation: Despite intensive questioning, all three nominees were confirmed.
- Republican Response: Sen. Ben Sasse criticized the questioning and introduced a 2019 resolution stating that a religious test for office is unconstitutional. The resolution passed unanimously.
- Criticism and Defense: Mary FioRito, of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and the Archdiocese of San Francisco criticized Harris for her posturing against the Knights, the Archdiocese emphasizing the charity work of the Knights.
- Harris Camp’s View: While her campaign did not respond, “Catholics for Harris” founder Christopher Hale ran cover for the candidate by absurdly asserting that Harris respects core Catholic values, despite her positions on contentious issues like abortion.
- Catholic Teachings: Harris’s policies, including her support for nationwide abortion laws (which would overturn current state laws restricting abortion), and her desire to criminalize the work of pro-life centers, have been at odds with Catholic teachings.
- All AI-produced content on Catholicism.org is clearly marked as such and is reviewed, edited, and, if necessary, corrected, by a human editor before publication (policy implemented Oct. 15, 2024). ↩
