One of the nation's top Catholic newspapers lambasted Vice President J.D. Vance after he falsely claimed that 37-year-old slain nurse Alex Pretti was an "assassin" who intended to kill law enforcement.
In an op-ed this week, The National Catholic Reporter's John Grosso noted that Vance was not "choosing to serve" Jesus Christ following Pretti's killing at the hands of federal officers.
"Once again, Vance had the opportunity to call for peace and unity — to lower the temperature of the situation and express empathy with those suffering and mourning. Vance, fresh off a speech at the March for Life, could have leaned into his supposed pro-life beliefs and called for respect for human life at every stage. In fact, that would have been the Catholic response — that's how the bishops themselves responded in their statement," Grosso wrote.
"As a Catholic, Vance could have chosen to share the Gospel message of healing and human dignity. Instead, he chose to offer the MAGA message of division and blame."
"Vance's comments are once again a moral stain on our collective witness of Catholicism — but they are no longer surprising. Given its scandal, the vice president's cafeteria Catholicism must continue to be repudiated by people of faith," he added. "Unfortunately, Vance is not the only Catholic who has chosen MAGA over Jesus."
Grosso noted, however, that many other Catholics "chose Jesus" by condemning the killing.
"It is time for Catholics to choose who our master is. Do we serve Donald Trump? Or do we serve Jesus? Only one of them leads to salvation. We should choose wisely," he concluded.