Catholic Dems mostly silent on targeting of churches by pro-abortion activists

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Fox Nation 101: Overturning Roe v. Wade

Legal scholar Richard Epstein explains the significance of Justice Samuel Alito’s leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.

Some of the most high-profile Catholic Democrats have remained silent on protests and threats against Catholic churches amid the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion that shows the court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

"We have received a number of threats to bomb the church, burn it down," Rev. Brian Graebe of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in New York City said in a Monday appearance on Fox News. "Very hateful and vile messages."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Graebe's church is not the only one to face threats and protests since the Supreme Court leak, but top Catholic Democrats have so far been silent on the issue.

Fox News reached out to the offices of Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Mark Kelly, Joe Manchin, Ed Markey, Dick Durbin, Reps. Tim Ryan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rosa DeLauro, Kathleen Rice, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the threats and did not receive a response.

Pelosi has not been completely silent on the issue of protests, issuing a statement praising the protesters expressing "righteous anger" about the leak.

"While we have seen and heard extraordinary anguish in our communities," Pelosi said, "we have been moved by how so many have channeled their righteous anger into meaningful action: planning to march and mobilize to make their voices heard."

But the threats against Catholic churches have been condemned by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.

Rep. Elise Stefanik. (Tom Williams/Getty)

"The Far-Left’s continued, unhinged actions vandalizing places of worship and terrorizing the homes of Supreme Court Justices and their families in an attempt to obstruct justice should be fully condemned," Stefanik told Fox News over the weekend. "I have faith that, even in the face of such reckless intimidation and obstruction, justice will prevail and uphold the rights of the most vulnerable among us, the unborn."

After initially taking a passive stance on the issue, the White House on Monday condemned" violence, threats, or vandalism."

"@POTUS strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Twitter Monday. "Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said the Biden administration's statement came a "little late."

"A little late, don’t you think - now that leftists are firebombing prolifers and threatening the safety of Supreme Court Justices and their families," Hawley said on Twitter Monday. "Joe Biden could have condemned this violence & harassment and instead encouraged it. He should be held responsible."

Editor's note: A previous version of this story mentioned Sen. Tim Kaine as not responding to request for comment. Fox News made multiple attempts to call Kaine's office and was unsuccessful. He provided the following statement:

"While Fox did not contact me to request a comment, I have often said that threats or violence should never be tolerated. The widespread protesting we’re seeing is overwhelmingly peaceful and shows how fearful people are about losing the right to make their own health care decisions and how important it is that we protect Americans’ right to choose by codifying Roe v. Wade."