The United States Council of Catholic Bishops, which has aligned itself with Democrats on immigration, would do well to remember that Democrats are not their friend. Democrats despise the Catholic Church beyond its usefulness to their political agenda, and it shows.
Last year in Washington, Democrats tried to force priests to break the seal of the confessional to report crimes to police. That legislation was thwarted after backlash and court intervention. The Little Sisters of the Poor were dragged through court by the Obama administration and are still facing legal challenges in blue states for refusing to provide contraceptive and abortion coverage to employees. And in New York, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne are gearing up for a legal fight over trans policies.
In Michigan, Catholic Charities was just stripped of funding by state officials over the Church's stance on abortion.
Catholic Charities provides the Lansing, MI, community with vital services fighting poverty, hunger, and addiction, and helping at-risk kids, refugees, and immigrants.
— Kristen Waggoner (@KristenWaggoner) June 29, 2026
But because they hold Catholic views on human life, MI officials investigated them and stripped their funding.… pic.twitter.com/9mDsDvoSKH
"But because they hold Catholic views on human life, MI officials investigated them and stripped their funding," Waggoner wrote on X. "This is blatant religious discrimination. And state officials know better, having lost and settled a similar case in 2019. (Several current officials were named parties in the earlier case.) Clearly, MI officials have a pattern of hostility toward Catholic beliefs—and they’re willing to take it out on the state’s neediest citizens. But the Constitution forbids such state hostility toward people of faith."
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Friday on behalf of a Catholic ministry challenging Michigan officials for trying to force it to abandon its religious beliefs in exchange for serving the public.
For years, Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton & Clinton Counties has faithfully served vulnerable communities in the Lansing region. The Catholic ministry provides healthcare, dental, and mental health services; substance use treatment; counseling; financial coaching; adoption and foster care; assistance with food, clothing, and prescription drugs; refugee resettlement; and immigration legal assistance.
Yet when government officials learned of the ministry’s religious beliefs about abortion and contraception—guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church on the sanctity of life and the dignity of the human person—they launched an investigation, crafted new policies targeting those beliefs, and ultimately stripped the ministry of critically needed state funding.
“Catholic Charities is a force for good in the Lansing region, serving at-risk populations within its community with practical and spiritual resources. Yet because it operates in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church, Michigan officials who disagree with its views on the sanctity of human life have targeted the ministry and withheld public benefits,” said ADF Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus. “The Constitution forbids the government from punishing faith-based organizations in this way, which is why we’re urging the court to restore Catholic Charities’ First Amendment freedom to continue serving Lansing women and families according to its religious beliefs.”
This is a violation of the First Amendment and likely won't hold up in court, even if it has to go all the way to SCOTUS.
Michigan?
— Jack Bauer after dark 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@JackBauerAD) June 30, 2026
Pretend that instead of being Catholic charities it was “Islamic charities.“ Anyone think that the state would be doing the same thing?
Not a chance.
I am curious what the Muslim stance on birth control and abortion are, and if they are similar to Catholic, then are their charities also being stripped of funding?
— Counting Dead Women USA (@Count_WomenUSA) July 1, 2026
That would be (D)ifferent, of course.
Pretty sure we have a SCOTUS ruling in place to deal with this already. https://t.co/GoGNFr2b1b
— Ash and Stems (@cigarsandlegs) June 30, 2026
We do, but when has that stopped the Democrats?
Of course, others are pointing out the Church's aiding and abetting of illegal immigration limits their sympathies.
Can’t back you on this one - not as long as they are using taxpayer funds to support illegal aliens and the Biden agenda, which was obviously to help flood the country with illegals. I am glad their funding has been stripped, though the reasoning of course, is upside down as it… https://t.co/7zEgrN527Z
— Cats without Borders (@russ62960450) June 29, 2026
That's a fair perspective to take, and the lesson here should be that the Catholic Church shouldn't align itself with Democrats on issues that undermine America's borders and sovereignty.
Courts and the First Amendment affirm that the government cannot discriminate against Catholic Charities. But the Left continues to attack religious freedom. This case will go to court and Catholic Charities will win.
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