A Massachusetts-based Catholic organization is not happy with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu..Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle slammed the liberal Democrat, who rarely identifies as a Catholic, for showing up at a congressional hearing with ashes on her forehead. Many Catholics get ashes on their forehead at church on Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent.Wu spoke at a U.S House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on Wednesday. At it, she claimed Boston's approach to illegal immigration works -- sparring with Congressional Republicans on the issue.Boston is one of eight sanctuary cities in Massachusetts, along with Amherst, Cambridge, Chelsea, Concord, Newton, Northampton, and Somerville.The term "sanctuary city" typically refers to a municipality that welcomes illegal immigrants through local government services and limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities.NewBostonPost emailed Doyle for his thoughts about Wu's ashes on Wednesday afternoon. He provided a detailed response later that evening.Here is what he wrote:"Politico identified Michelle Wu as a Catholic when she addressed a climate conference, sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, in the Vatican, in April of 2024. Her own comments on the event, however, omit any reference to her religious faith.Wu's sudden display of Catholicity, on the day she testified before Congress, is unconvincing.Wu's resume makes no mention of any Catholic educational institution.As a Boston City Councilor in 2018, Wu was nominated by Emily's List for the Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award.When Wu sought election as Mayor of Boston in 2021, she was endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts.Planned Parenthood cited Wu's championship of the ROE Act, her support for LGBT friendly sex education in the Boston Public Schools, her promotion of insurance coverage for the 'transgendered,' and her proposal for paid leave for abortion, under the euphemism 'pregnancy loss.' Wu welcomed the endorsement, stating 'Abortion is and will always be critical, life-saving care. I’m honored to have the support of PPAF and look forward to working with them to protect access to reproductive healthcare and connect every person with the care they need.' During Wu's inauguration as Mayor, the invocation was delivered by the Reverend Doctor Arlene Hall, the Pastor of the Deliverance Temple Worship Center in Dorchester. The presence of any Catholic priest or prelate was not evident during the ceremony. As Mayor, Michelle Wu initially excluded Catholic school students from the city's free museum pass program, for which she was criticized by members of the City Council, and by the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts. After public opposition grew, she reversed herself on this issue.Prior to her Congressional testimony, Wu sought the support of faith leaders for her sanctuary city policies. Many, perhaps most, Boston religious leaders oppose immigration enforcement. A cynical interpretation of Wu's unexpected public identification with Catholicism might suggest it is about the optics of legitimizing her opposition to the Trump Administration --- defending lawlessness as Christian solicitude --- while solidifying the support of faith communities in a mayoral election year, where Wu will be facing an opponent with deep pockets.Of course, Wu wearing ashes on Ash Wednesday could be entirely sincere, coincidental, and politically unconnected. The rational mind, however, rebels against such a naive proposition."
A Massachusetts-based Catholic organization is not happy with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu..Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle slammed the liberal Democrat, who rarely identifies as a Catholic, for showing up at a congressional hearing with ashes on her forehead. Many Catholics get ashes on their forehead at church on Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent.Wu spoke at a U.S House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on Wednesday. At it, she claimed Boston's approach to illegal immigration works -- sparring with Congressional Republicans on the issue.Boston is one of eight sanctuary cities in Massachusetts, along with Amherst, Cambridge, Chelsea, Concord, Newton, Northampton, and Somerville.The term "sanctuary city" typically refers to a municipality that welcomes illegal immigrants through local government services and limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities.NewBostonPost emailed Doyle for his thoughts about Wu's ashes on Wednesday afternoon. He provided a detailed response later that evening.Here is what he wrote:"Politico identified Michelle Wu as a Catholic when she addressed a climate conference, sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, in the Vatican, in April of 2024. Her own comments on the event, however, omit any reference to her religious faith.Wu's sudden display of Catholicity, on the day she testified before Congress, is unconvincing.Wu's resume makes no mention of any Catholic educational institution.As a Boston City Councilor in 2018, Wu was nominated by Emily's List for the Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award.When Wu sought election as Mayor of Boston in 2021, she was endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts.Planned Parenthood cited Wu's championship of the ROE Act, her support for LGBT friendly sex education in the Boston Public Schools, her promotion of insurance coverage for the 'transgendered,' and her proposal for paid leave for abortion, under the euphemism 'pregnancy loss.' Wu welcomed the endorsement, stating 'Abortion is and will always be critical, life-saving care. I’m honored to have the support of PPAF and look forward to working with them to protect access to reproductive healthcare and connect every person with the care they need.' During Wu's inauguration as Mayor, the invocation was delivered by the Reverend Doctor Arlene Hall, the Pastor of the Deliverance Temple Worship Center in Dorchester. The presence of any Catholic priest or prelate was not evident during the ceremony. As Mayor, Michelle Wu initially excluded Catholic school students from the city's free museum pass program, for which she was criticized by members of the City Council, and by the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts. After public opposition grew, she reversed herself on this issue.Prior to her Congressional testimony, Wu sought the support of faith leaders for her sanctuary city policies. Many, perhaps most, Boston religious leaders oppose immigration enforcement. A cynical interpretation of Wu's unexpected public identification with Catholicism might suggest it is about the optics of legitimizing her opposition to the Trump Administration --- defending lawlessness as Christian solicitude --- while solidifying the support of faith communities in a mayoral election year, where Wu will be facing an opponent with deep pockets.Of course, Wu wearing ashes on Ash Wednesday could be entirely sincere, coincidental, and politically unconnected. The rational mind, however, rebels against such a naive proposition."
