Three nuns from the Children of Mary in Cincinnati who sat behind President Trump at his rally in Circleville, Ohio, on Saturday became instant celebrities, and targets. Known now as the “MAGA Nuns” — each wore a mask with Trump’s favorite expression on them — they were immediately asked why they were there expressing their support for the president’s reelection.
They responded in a statement published by LifeSite News:
Thank you to the vast majority who have responded with love and support. To those who have responded with criticism or simply questioned why we would send Sisters to the rally, we are happy to have this opportunity to explain:
There are indeed many issues concerning the quality of life that need to be addressed. However, the pre-eminent issue is the intrinsic evil of taking innocent human life through abortion. We, as faithful Catholics, consider it our duty — a joyful duty — to support a president, regardless of party affiliation, who upholds the Gospel of Life.
Mother Philomena Maria told LifeSite News, “We’re trying to do what we feel the Lord wants us to do.”
Although most responded favorably to the nuns’ public display of support, others weren’t so charitable, including an individual who described himself as a “former” Republican who “doxed” the group on Twitter, claiming that “I like nuns with no political agenda.”
But he appeared to be in the minority. Sister Deirdre “Dede” Tyrne, a sister with the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, spoke at the Republican National Convention this past summer, contrasting Trump’s record as “the most pro-life president this nation has ever had” with the Biden/Harris ticket which she said was “the most anti-life presidential ticket ever, even supporting the horrors of late-term abortion and infanticide.”
Recent polling data from EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) and RealClearPolitics showed that Trump leads Biden among Catholics “who regularly attend Mass.” Overall, according to that poll, Trump leads Biden among Catholic voters by 51-43, with 43 percent of them saying that practicing Catholics should follow the teachings of the Catholic Church and oppose abortion.
Abortion is the most important issue for Teresa S. Collet too. Collet, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law and a well-regarded advocate for the protection of human life, told America, The Jesuit Review:
Had President Trump proven unfaithful to his promises to protect the unborn and religious liberty, I would consider voting for someone else. Had a significant number of his judicial nominees been unqualified or unsuitable, I would be looking at other candidates more closely….
In fact, the president has been faithful to his promises and delivered more than I hoped for when I voted for him in 2016.
Taylor Marshall, another well-known Catholic apologist, advocate for traditionalist Catholicism and board member of Catholics for Trump, excoriated Joe Biden. He told his followers back in July that he was supporting President Trump in his reelection bid because “Joe Biden is vehemently pro-choice, pro-abortion, and supports a number of policies that grind against Catholic doctrine and Catholic school teaching.”
Catholics, according to James Keane, writing in America, are being pushed into the arms of Trump by the now-radicalized Democratic Party. He wrote:
Perhaps no issue in U.S. politics over the last half-century has driven more Catholics from their traditionally Democratic leanings into the arms of the Republican Party than abortion law….
The consistent leftward drift of the Democratic Party on abortion is a huge stumbling block to Mr. Biden’s pursuit of widespread Catholic support.
If nothing else the “MAGA Nuns” have awakened Catholics to the preeminent issue of life, and the threat to it by the positions taken by Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris.
