The Word ‘Devout’ Has Become A Political Sticking Point
20th April 2021
Tal Kopan, Washington correspondent of the San Francisco Chronicle, popped up on Twitter to say: ‘This is fascinating — Biden goes to church every week and is known to be a devout Catholic.’ The word ‘devout’ is the sticking point here. It has always clung to the word ‘Catholic’ in media parlance; as ‘staunch’ does ‘Protestant’.
Since Biden took office, however, ‘devout Catholic’ has become a political shibboleth. For liberal media commentators, it’s a vocal genuflection to the President. But for many Republicans and traditional Catholics — and the overlap between the two is huge — it’s accompanied by eye-rolling or a snicker. Devout Joe Biden? Give me a break.
“Devout Catholic” is (apparently) a Good Thing when Joe Biden does it but a Bad Thing when a Republican Supreme Court nominee (such as Amy Barrett) does it.