Conservative faith group accuses Kamala Harris of displaying "gross anti-Catholic bias and bigotry."

CatholicVote.org, a "lay movement of committed Catholics" headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, with offices in other cities as well, has labeled Vice President Kamala Harris as one of the most anti-Catholic politicians in history.

A multimillion dollar campaign has been launched in heavily Catholic swing states to defeat her bid for the White House, according to Planet Chronicle.

In an interview with Planet Chronicle, CatholicVote president Brian Burch stated that Kamala Harris is the most vile anti-Catholic threat of any leading presidential candidate in American history. He added that she is a candidate of the hard left and her record and words show a gross anti-Catholic bias and bigotry.

On Monday, James Singer, a campaign spokesperson for Vice President Harris, stated in a comment to Planet Chronicle that Harris is proud to serve alongside the second Catholic president in history. He emphasized that Catholic voters are not defined solely by a single political organization, but by their values, communities, faith in one another, and love for their country. Harris will work tirelessly to earn their vote every day.

Burch initially referenced Harris' 2018 criticism of then-federal judge nominee Brian Buescher's affiliation with the Knights of Columbus (KOC), a Catholic fraternal group.

In her introduction to Sen. Buescher, Harris described the KOC as an exclusive male society, predominantly made up of Catholic men, and led by Carl Anderson.

Did you know that the Knights of Columbus were against a woman's right to choose when you joined the organization? Did you agree with Mr. Carl Anderson that abortion is the killing of the innocent on a massive scale? Were you aware that the Knights of Columbus opposed marriage equality when you joined the organization?

In 1882, Fr. Michael McGivney established the Knights of Columbus as a charitable organization aimed at assisting widows, orphans, and the underprivileged.

While she was California's attorney general, she got a law passed requiring pro-life pregnancy centers to "promote abortion."

Over time, it broadened its influence, frequently engaging in politics.

The KOC helped change the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 to include "under God" and raised millions for various charities, including faith-based and secular ones like the Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity, as well as Sisters of Life, March For Life, Persecuted Christians Fund, and the Ukraine Solidarity Fund.

In an email blast to potential donors, Burch accused Harris of using Buescher's membership in a charitable organization to imply that holding Catholic beliefs on abortion and same-sex marriage made Buescher unfit for public office.

Burch highlighted Harris' perfect score with Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the country, and her successful passage of a law in California that mandated pro-life pregnancy centers to "promote abortion" while she served as the state's attorney general.

(It was eventually struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.)

The "Do No Harm" act, introduced by Harris in Congress, aims to weaken the 1983 Religious Freedom Restoration Act by compelling doctors and other Catholic health professionals to perform abortion and transgender surgeries, despite their religious beliefs.

But is Harris anti-Catholic?

Some are puzzled by how she could be anti-Catholic while serving as Vice President under President Biden, who is the second Catholic president in American history.

Professor Mathew Schmalz of the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts portrayed Harris in a more positive manner.

Schmalz stated that he does not view her as anti-Catholic but rather as expressing a distinct political perspective that conservative Catholics might not agree with.

Catholics or people of faith's characterization of Harris and her potential presidency is influenced by their stance on policy, particularly the issue of abortion.

"In the Catholic electorate, some find Planned Parenthood and others praise her commitment to social justice," he said.

The Vatican, located in the Eternal City, serves as the nerve center and doctrinal authority for the world's nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.

"The key segment here is going to be those Catholic voters in the middle."

The Church's teachings, which have been passed down for 2,000 years and are updated regularly to reflect cultural changes, are upheld by the pope, the Bishop of Rome, and the Roman Curia, the Church's governing body.

In March, Pope Francis released his statement "Dignitas Infinita," which addressed certain "serious breaches of human dignity," including "abortion, surrogacy, gender theory, and transgenderism."

Lay Catholics may not always receive the same message as the Vatican and the pope.

According to Pew, 56% of U.S. Catholics believe abortion should be legal in most cases, while 42% believe it should be illegal in most cases.

Catholics who attend Mass regularly have different opinions on abortion. While 30% of them believe it should be legal in all or most cases, 68% think it should be illegal in all or most cases.

The Catholic vote is difficult to determine based on the Church's teachings. Schmalz stated that Catholicism is the largest religion in the United States, encompassing a wide range of socioeconomic, ethnic, and lived experiences.

In the early 20th century, the Catholic vote was closely associated with labor and the Democratic Party. Politicians like Biden and former Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California profited from the support of "cradle Catholics" who were raised in the Catholic tradition and voted for Democrats.

Schmalz stated that there is a more vocal and well-organized conservative aspect that has begun to change.

And that conservative Catholic voice has become the target of liberal vitriol.

In May 2021, during a commencement speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, Kansas City Chief's kicker Harrison Butker shared his traditional Catholic beliefs about gender, women, and life. As a result, the mainstream media labeled his remarks as controversial, anti-women, and anti-LGBTQ.

Some voices on the left labeled former President Donald Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, as a "firebrand" pro-life Catholic racist when he was announced at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

In 2019, Vance became a Catholic, making him an untested political animal compared to those who were born into the faith.

Burch stated that converts tend to be more passionate about their faith because they have actively chosen its tenets and truths, rather than inheriting them through family tradition.

Anthea Butler, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, stated that Vance supports the idea of "Catholic integralism," which involves using a "soft-power" approach to impact society as Christians.

The Catholic version of Christian nationalism is directed against evangelicals who openly express their devotion to God and country.

Schmalz stated that Christian nationalism and Catholic integralism reflect the debate over whether the United States should define itself as a Christian nation and what that entails, which is a highly divisive issue with strong opinions on both sides.

Burch stated that CatholicVote's campaign targets crucial states, including Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

At least 20% to 25% of these states, he stated, are self-identified as Catholic.

According to Burch, the crucial group in the current political climate are the Catholic voters who are in the middle, those who have traditionally been Democrats but have become disillusioned with the party and have shifted to the center, or some of whom have moved to the right with Trump.

The political adage, "So goes the Catholic vote, so goes the election," is based on historical election outcomes.

"You'll find people with very passionate views on each side of that question."

Catholics have consistently supported the winning candidate in every presidential election since 2000, alternating between Republicans and Democrats.

In 2000 and 2004, George W. Bush received support from Catholics, while in 2008 and 2012, they backed Barack Obama.

In 2016, Catholics voted for Donald Trump by 52%-44%.

In 2020, the Catholic vote was evenly split between Biden and Trump, with 49% and 50% respectively.

The 2024 presidential contest could come down to the Catholic vote.

Predicting the behavior of an elusive electorate is similar to predicting the trajectory of a hurricane. While computer models can provide valuable insights, they cannot account for unforeseen events that may cause the outcome to deviate from the predicted path.

Burch told Planet Chronicle he is taking no chances in the matter.