Patrick Whelan 

Because Harris and Walz champion issues at the heart of the Catholic social justice tradition

We’re supporting Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because as Catholics we believe, like Pope Francis does, that the global warming catastrophe poses an immense threat not only to the Global South but to communities across America that are suffering from record heat, fires, hurricanes, flooding, and tornados. 

We started an organization, Catholics for Kamala, and wrote a book (with former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend) called The Catholic Case for Kamala, which details all the ways that Ms. Harris and Governor Walz are championing the issues at the heart of the Catholic social justice tradition: immigrants, peace and security, stable funding for Social Security, quality day care and education, and minimizing unintended pregnancy through support for women and children. 

We describe the embarrassing history of Catholic outreach for the Republican Party, the connections between Senator Vance and Project 2025, their ties to the extreme Opus Dei religious movement, and the corruption of the religious right through their obeisance to the giant energy companies—subserving an agenda that prioritizes blocking progress in addressing climate change above all else. 

Perhaps, most importantly, because being a person of faith involves a commitment to finding the truth and the underlying meaning in our lives, and the Trump-Vance addiction to total dishonesty all the time is something that most Catholics cannot abide.

Patrick Whelan is the organizer for Catholics for Kamala with a MD and PhD from Harvard Medical School.

Catholics for Kamala is a joint effort by Catholic advocacy organizations working together to elect Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz to this nation’s highest offices and help them advance Catholic social justice priorities in our country.