A Statement from the Chief Communications Officer of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

James Rogers, chief communications officer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, released this statement

WASHINGTON – James Rogers, chief communications officer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, released the following statement:

“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.

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