By William S. Smith, Crisis Magazine, October 8, 2020
With the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, Catholics should buckle their chinstraps for the torrential cascade of anti-Catholicism that will be belched up by her opponents. The vituperative attacks on Catholics will probably rival the Know-Nothing riots that rocked the nation in the 1840s and 1850s. But this time, there will be a role reversal: 19th-century Catholics were largely Democrats, whereas this time the attacks will be launched largely by Democrats.
Even before Justice Barrett was nominated, Politico kicked things off with a hit piece by liberal theologian Massimo Faggioli. Professor Faggioli had incorrectly written that all the “most important rules” of charismatic Christian groups were “unwritten” and “passed down orally.” To keep the paranoia going, Professor Faggioli also added that members of Opus Dei take a “vow of obedience.” ….