What Trump Did for the Faithful – WSJ

The result was stunning. More than 100 people showed up to the first Mass in history in the White House compound. Not all of them were from the White House. Dozens were career staffers from the nearby federal agencies who had worked under President Obama and now serve in the Biden administration.

The Mass was so successful that it continued roughly every other week until it was shut down for Covid in March 2020. When Mr. Biden took office, I encouraged members of his transition team to resume the services. I pointed out that the benefit wasn t limited to Catholics: After the Mass started, Protestant, Muslim and Jewish services were also held on the White House campus grounds. I reminded my successors that many of those worshippers weren t Trump people. They were simply people, who seemed to want religion in their daily lives.

The answer I got from the Biden team was reasonable: They would look at things after Covid. It s now long after Covid, and, as you can probably guess, neither the Mass or any of the other religious services have resumed.

Perhaps we should be saddened that religion is just as politicized as anything else these days. But the Christian faith has probably been political in some sense since its founding. Like politics, however, maybe religion also falls into the category of things that are best measured not by what people say but by what they do.

Donald Trump, who in 2015 declined to name his favorite Bible verses, allowed a Catholic Mass at the White House. Joe Biden, who says he is a devout Catholic, hasn t.

To those of us who worked there, that speaks louder than any two-for-one special on holy books or declaration praising alternative lifestyles.

via www.wsj.com

Mick Mulvaney.