Peoria Bishop Under Fire For Comparing President To Hitler, Stalin

By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 20, 2012 7:00PM

It's been quite the week for Bishop Daniel Jenky of the Diocese of Peoria, Ill. Jenky compared the proposed health care policies of the Obama administration — a point of contention to many Catholics across the country — to the actions of despots such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, among others, in an overarching defense of religious liberty.

Here is the portion of Jenky's homily that has started a firestorm.

"Remember that in past history other governments have tried to force Christians to huddle and hide only within the confines of their churches like the first disciples locked up in the Upper Room.

"In the late 19th century, Bismarck waged his “Kulturkampf,” a Culture War, against the Roman Catholic Church, closing down every Catholic school and hospital, convent and monastery in Imperial Germany.

"Clemenceau, nicknamed “the priest eater,” tried the same thing in France in the first decade of the 20th Century.

"Hitler and Stalin, at their better moments, would just barely tolerate some churches remaining open, but would not tolerate any competition with the state in education, social services, and health care.

"In clear violation of our First Amendment rights, Barack Obama - with his radical, pro abortion and extreme secularist agenda, now seems intent on following a similar path.

"Now things have come to such a pass in America that this is a battle that we could lose, but before the awesome judgement seat of Almighty God this is not a war where any believing Catholic may remain neutral.

"This fall, every practicing Catholic must vote, and must vote their Catholic consciences, or by the following fall our Catholic schools, our Catholic hospitals, our Catholic Newman Centers, all our public ministries -- only excepting our church buildings - could easily be shut down. Because no Catholic institution, under any circumstance, can ever cooperate with the intrinsic evil of killing innocent human life in the womb.

"No Catholic ministry - and yes, Mr. President, for Catholics our schools and hospitals are ministries - can remain faithful to the Lordship of the Risen Christ and to his glorious Gospel of Life if they are forced to pay for abortions.

Now, references to Hitler and Stalin aside, Jenky really stepped in a pile of dung here. First, there's Jenky's contention that the government is waging war on religious institutions simply because the Obama administration wants to ensure women have access to contraception and ensure their reproductive rights, whether by choice or medical necessity. (Hell, even Pope Benedict XVI recognizes that sometimes contraception is a good thing, so long as a condom isn't being used to keep all those sperm from fulfilling their sacred goal.)

Another problem here is Jenky is using his homily literally as a bully pulpit. His sermon has drawn the attention of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. That organization's director, the Rev. Barry Lynn, filed a formal complaint with the Internal Revenue Service Thursday, alleging that Jenky effectively urged Catholics to not vote for Obama in November.

"To be sure, Jenky never utters the words 'Do not vote for Obama,'" Lynn wrote. "But the Internal Revenue Code makes it clear that statements need not be this explicit to run afoul of the law."

Jenky's homily also ran afoul of the Chicago chapter of the Anti Defamation League. Regional director Lonnie Nasatir called Jenky's comments "outrageous, offensive, and completely over the top." Rabbi Daniel Bogard of Anshai Emeth, Peoria's oldest synagogue, said referencing Hitler was "demagoguery."

The diocese defended Jenky's homily and said he merely provided "historical context" by referencing Stalin and Hitler. Diocese chancellor Patricia Gibson said, "We certainly have not reached the same level of persecution. However, history teaches us to be cautious once we start down the path of limiting religious liberty."

Which leads us to the third point we wanted to make. In exercising his own right to practice religion (while crying that he and Catholics are being persecuted), Jenky is imposing his religion on others. And isn't that a more egregious violation of the First Amendment?