A quick recap: My local church and the archdiocesan newspaper, The Pilot, reprinted an opinion piece by a Denver bishop that essentially endorsed Trump because he (now) opposes abortion.

And neither were many readers of my Wednesday column, in which I assailed the tacit support for Donald Trump’s poisonous presidential campaign that I found printed in my parish bulletin last Sunday morning.

I haven’t heard this much condemnation from my fellow Catholics since I jabbed Gary Innamorati in the arm with a No. 2 pencil during a parochial-school math class. The nuns were not happy.

Never mind that Trump embraces policies you certainly won’t find in the Baltimore Catechism. To him, women are slabs of meat. He wants to deport millions of immigrants. He mocks disabled people. He belittles Gold Star parents. He’s a racist and an accomplished liar. He’s been cavalier about the use of our nuclear arsenal.

Surely, I argued, the Catholic Church can’t support this madman because of his stance on abortion alone.


Since then, my inbox has been aflame, filled with angry words from “true Catholics’’ who would like to take me out behind the gymnasium and beat some sense into me.

Here’s a synopsis:

I am a hypocrite. I am a moron. I am a disgrace to the Catholic Church. My mother would be ashamed of me. I am a sinner. Have fun in hell, you pathetic loser.

Here’s a sampling:

■ “You support a person who is in bed with the enemies of America —the Muslims, Arabs, and foreign entities that want America destroyed. You are a supporter of the enemies of the Roman Catholic Church.”

■ “Thomas, you are tainted. I pray for your soul.’’

■ “The next time you attend church, ask the Holy Spirit to remove your human way of thinking and ask to be filled by the Truth of God’s word. But also ask to be humbled because humility will overcome the evil of pride.”


■ “Why are you attending Mass if you do not value the teachings of the Catholic Church? You cannot pick and choose Scripture. It’s a package deal. You are intentionally misleading people.’’

■ “The moral principle for Roman Catholics is that it is intrinsically morally wrong to take an innocent life. I am sure you know Mrs. Clinton’s position, which makes it morally wrong to vote for her. You labeled yourself a cafeteria Catholic. It certainly is your right. However should you wish to be a good Christian, then be one.’’

■ “We are all familiar with the Ten Commandments. These are not meant to be an a la carte menu of options that we pick or choose what is fitting to our personal likings. It is a minimal requirement for being a decent Catholic person. ‘’

■ “Stop being a fair-weather Catholic.’’

■ “A ‘cafeteria’ Catholic is not a practicing Catholic. A true committed Catholic is in complete accord and agreement with the doctrines of the Church. The Church is not a democracy. We don’t get to pick and choose.’’

■ “If you were an infant in your mother’s womb, who would you vote for?’’

■ “Thanks for saying the words ‘Cafeteria Catholic,’ because that sums it all up nicely. You then go on to justify your pick and choose choices with poll and survey results that back your position — as if that makes it right. . . . You, sir, are part of the problem.’’


■ “You’re either with Christ or not. Those who are not are not considered Catholics. I am a daily Mass communicant and strongly disagree with your opinions.’’

■ “The problem with the Catholic Church today is that most Catholics are Catholic in name only — who don’t know the teachings of the Church, who have never heard of, let alone studied, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or can even recite — in order — the Ten Commandments.’’

■ “You jerk. Who is paying you for this garbage? You are so biased and crooked. Shame on you.”

There was a fair amount of holy water among those flames, sprinkled by those who agree that Trump cannot be the choice of those who favor compassionate policies and a social support network that would help reduce abortion in America.

■ “Thank you so much for your article in today’s Boston Globe, explaining the utter lunacy of a Catholic endorsement of a Trump presidency. I am a practicing (albeit ‘cafeteria’) Catholic, and I agree wholeheartedly with all of your points. I wish you luck in dealing with the inevitable onslaught of hate mail you will receive. Please be assured that most of your readers are sane, rational people!”

Still, many readers angrily demanded an Act of Contrition. So in that spirit, I have this message for the “true Catholics’’ who condemn me: Peace be with you.

And to my old classmate Gary, a great guy who went on to gridiron glory as quarterback of our high school football team, here’s something I’ve been meaning to say since that bloody day in math class at St. John’s School:


I’m sorry. Please forgive me.