A note from the Diocese of Trenton:The following statement relates to a story that The Monitor chose not to publish – either on its website or in its magazine – which focused on the selection of a candidate for vice president of the United States.We are sharing the statement below to underscore that Catholics should be careful to note that, despite the assertions or commentary published in the media — including some Catholic media — interviews, comments and quotes by STAFF members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) do NOT represent the opinion or teaching of the BODY OF BISHOPS.Please read any statements issued by committees, other groups of bishops or individual bishops within the USCCB carefully.
WASHINGTON – James Rogers, chief communications officer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, released the following statement Aug. 14:
“Earlier today, Catholic News Service (CNS) issued a clarification on its August 12 story in which a member of Conference staff was interviewed for an opinion of a candidate for vice president of the United States. CNS clarified that the quotes were offered in a personal capacity rather than as a representative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“At no point are Conference staff authorized to speak on behalf of the bishops in support of, or in opposition to, candidates for elected office. Because the comments in question may have led to confusion among the faithful, let me be clear. As Catholics, we are each called to evaluate candidates for public office by how closely their policies align with Gospel principles, as expressed by the U.S. bishops in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”
Full text of the Catholic News Service clarification:
In its August 12 story about the selection of Kamala Harris as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Catholic News Service interviewed Donna Grimes as one of several Black Catholics for her reaction. Grimes was not asked to speak on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, nor did she say she was speaking on behalf of the Conference.