The archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia on Monday heaped praise on Attorney General William P. Barr, saying the nation’s top law enforcement officer embodies his Catholic faith.
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput hailed Mr. Barr, a Catholic, as a man of faith who can help the church meet the challenges it faces in an increasingly secular society.
“Throughout my life, the men and women I’ve most admired have all had the same qualities: a thinking Catholic brain, a character of substance and a moral spine. Attorney General Barr has all three,” Archbishop Chaput wrote.
“As an added bonus, he’s disliked by all the right people.” he continued. “I want to thank the various and interesting critics of [Attorney] General Barr for confirming me in that judgment.”
Archbishop Chaput also hailed Mr. Barr’s speech last October at the University of Notre Dame where the attorney general blasted efforts to replace traditional Judeo-Christian morals with “secularism” and “moral relativism.”
“I heard him speak at Notre Dame last October, and I was deeply impressed by two things: the content of his remarks, and the fact that he obviously meant them,” he wrote.
Archbishop Chaput’s remarks were scheduled to be delivered at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast set for later this week, which will honor Mr. Barr. The event was initially scheduled for March but moved to September as an online-only event because of the deadly coronavirus crisis.
A scheduling conflict prevented Archbishop Chaput from attending the breakfast this week, so he published his prepared remarks in a religious journal.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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