President Joe Biden has been criticized by a Catholic bishop for the disparity between his proclaimed faith and his actions. Bishop Robert Gruss of the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, addressed this issue during a speech titled “Forgiveness as the Heart of Christianity” at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption on April 5, as reported by Fox News. In his speech, Bishop Gruss shared his personal experience of growing up with an alcoholic father and eventually forgiving him for the pain it caused. He emphasized the importance of extending this forgiveness not only to those we know personally but also to public figures, highlighting the need to let go of resentment and anger.
“If you’re harboring bad, negative, resentful feelings towards our president, you’re not free,” he said. “Otherwise, you’re letting him control you and your thoughts and your words and your actions. And I guarantee that if he is a problem for you, then those thoughts, words, and actions are negative — they’re gonna come out, and then we commit sin. That’s what sin is.”
“How many times have you confessed your anger towards the president?” he asked, drawing some laughter from the audience. “I’m serious; I’m not kidding. If you have it, you should confess it. Otherwise, you’re not free.” He proceeded to discuss his personal opinions regarding Biden and his professed beliefs.
“I don’t have any anger towards the president. I feel sorry for him. I’m not angry at him, he’s just stupid,” the bishop said.
“It’s not stupidity in the derogatory way. It’s stupidity in the sense of […] he doesn’t understand the Catholic faith,” he said.
Following some controversy surrounding his remarks, the bishop released a clarification following his speech, expressing regret for using the term “stupid.”
“I was speaking in the context of forgiving the president and any people in government who offend us by their words and actions — that we cannot harbor resentment toward them because in doing so, it would be sinful,” he said.
“I used the word ‘stupid’ in reference to President Biden, recognizing that it was poor judgment in my choice of words,” he said. “It was not meant to be disparaging, and I apologize.”
