(LifeSiteNews) – Famed American political operative Roger Stone revealed that despite being a baptized, rosary-praying Catholic, he goes to a Presbyterian church because after opposing his parish’s COVID measures his local archdiocese informed him he’s “no longer welcome in church.”
“I’m proud to stand with all my fellow Catholics,” Stone said at a March 19 Catholic Prayer for Trump event at Mar-a-Lago. “Now some will say, wait a minute, Stone, we saw you at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church worshipping on a Sunday; it’s true.”
“See, I was going to the local Catholic church, but I had real problems with their masking and their social distancing in violation of Florida state law,” Stone continued. “And when I threatened to sue the archdistrict [archdiocese] I was politely told that I was no longer welcome in church. So yes, I do attend Sunday services at Coral Ridge.”
Florida law prohibits businesses from forcing patrons to mask.
Many Catholic dioceses aggressively shut down in 2020, going above what the government asked of them to do, and in reopening were strident in telling Catholics they ought to follow constantly evolving and often nonsensical “health” advice.
In an email to LifeSiteNews, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Miami denied that the archdiocese had told Stone he is unwelcome.
Coral Ridge “was founded by Dr. D. James Kennedy. It was actually dedicated by one of the greatest men of the 20th century, Reverend Billy Graham,” Stone said. “But let me also say: I say the rosary every single day. Because if you are baptized as a Catholic, you are a Catholic. You will live as a Catholic, you will die as a Catholic, and I am proud of my Catholic faith.”
The Catholic Church requires all her members to attend a Catholic Mass on Sundays and holy days, unless they are unable to do so. This is referred to as “the Sunday obligation” and is rooted in the Third Commandment. Catholics are also not permitted to take part in the worship of non-Catholics, and indeed such activity and has traditionally been considered as intrinsically and gravely evil.
Stone said he was baptized at St. Mary’s in Norwalk, Connecticut, and revealed that he strayed from the faith during his years in politics but returned after the FBI raid on his home in 2019. He was ultimately sentenced to three years and four months in prison for allegedly lying to Congress but was pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Stone said leftist outlets like The New York Times and The New Yorker might “snicker” at his faith, but “I don’t care what they think. I care what He thinks,” pointing upward.
He also told those gathered:
What kind of Catholic am I? I am a Fulton Sheen Catholic. I am a Joseph R. McCarthy Catholic. Yes, I’m a John F. Kennedy Catholic … John Kennedy was an ardent anti-Communist, John Kennedy favored a silver-backed dollar, John Kennedy cut taxes on the working families of America, John Kennedy deeply distrusted the intelligence agencies and he paid for that with his life. What kind of Catholic am I? I am a Pope John Paul Catholic. I may get excommunicated from the Church for saying this, but they can never excommunicate me from Jesus Christ. I don’t recognize this pope; our last legitimate pope was Benedict. And he was forced from the papacy.
The event at which Stone was speaking also featured podcaster and influencer Jack Posobiec, Canadian pastor Artur Pawlowski, Frank Pavone, and Michael Knowles. Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ, spoke right before Stone.