CurrentReport Blog In a recent lecture titled “Forgiveness as the Heart of Christianity” at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Michigan, USA, Bishop Robert Gruss of the Saginaw Catholic Diocese addressed the discordance between President Joe Biden’s policies and his professed Catholic faith. During the discussion, Bishop Gruss emphasized the importance of forgiveness and urged congregants to release any unproductive anger or resentment towards others.
Drawing from personal experiences, Bishop Gruss shared insights from his own upbringing, including his relationship with his alcoholic father. He recounted a poignant moment in his adulthood when he penned a letter forgiving his father for the trauma of his youth, illustrating the transformative power of forgiveness.
Addressing President Biden’s public affiliation with Catholicism alongside support for policies at odds with Church teaching, Bishop Gruss expressed compassion rather than anger.
He described feeling sorry for the president, attributing the discordance to a lack of understanding of the Catholic faith rather than malice.
Bishop Gruss’s remark, “I don’t have any anger towards the president. I feel sorry for him. I’m not angry at him, he’s just stupid,” elicited laughter from the audience, yet underscored a serious sentiment. Clarifying his statement, Bishop Gruss explained that he meant “stupidity” in the sense of a lack of comprehension rather than as a derogatory term.
