Bishop Strickland and a hundred priests - many of them cancelled and
without assignments - gathered at Mar-a-Lago on March 19 for a lavish
gala dinner, speeches and a Eucharistic adoration.
Mar-a-Lago is a luxury resort owned by Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida.
Monsignor Strickland prayed that Trump would embrace the Catholic faith.
The event was organized by the group "Catholics for Catholics", which was founded in 2022.
Attendees
had to pay to be at the resort. The organizers made it clear in their
press releases that "this event is not authorized, approved, endorsed,
or otherwise coordinated or affiliated with President Donald J. Trump."
John
Henry Westen revealed on LifeSiteNews.com on March 20 that "I learned
sadly that the Florida bishops forbade their priests from attending the
event, but many priests were present."
However, Catholics for
Catholics wrote on X.com that they had the support of the local Diocese
of Palm Beach and Bishop Gerald Barbarito: "We respectfully went out of
our way to notify them of this event as well as extending invites to
them. They were most gracious and responsive in their communications."
Also
on stage were pro-life activists who were convicted and/or arrested
under Biden's administration, such as Jean Marshall, William Goodman,
and Rev. Dave Nix.
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