To: The Most Reverend Thomas Tobin, Bishop of Providence
Tell Rhode Island Bishop: Attacking Nelson Mandela is unacceptable
Bishop Tobin, your shameful and mean-spirited attack on Nelson Mandela is an embarrassment to the church. Please apologize, and spend some time reflecting on Pope Francis' recent warning about the church becoming too obsessed with abortion and gay marriage.
Why is this important?
While the rest of the world mourns Nelson Mandela and celebrates his courageous leadership, one Roman Catholic bishop just issued a statement accusing Mandela of "shameful promotion of abortion."
Pope Francis has warned that the Catholic Church should not focus exclusively on abortion and gay marriage, and his own statement on Mandela's death made no mention of abortion, nor did that of the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Rhode Island bishop Thomas Tobin, who earlier this year said he was "disappointed" with the pope for not speaking about abortion more often, is so single-minded that he can't even mark the passing of one of the world's most beloved leaders without using it as an opportunity to wage culture war.