'People are going to try and kill him': Catholic priest who gave rally benediction recalls assassination attempt on Trump



The man entrusted with giving the invocation at former President Donald Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, recalled his experience that fateful day both before and after Trump was nearly assassinated.

A few days before the event, members of Trump's team contacted Fr. Jason Charron — a Ukrainian Catholic pastor in charge of churches in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, and Wheeling, West Virginia — to see whether he would be willing to lead rally attendees in prayer. Charron agreed.

'We are called to a bloody faith,' Charron claimed. 'Christ calls us to get dirty and to have a nail go through the hand sometimes and a crown of thorns through the temple.'

So on Saturday evening, Charron stood before the podium on the rally stage and asked God to send His Holy Spirit to help make America and the world "great again in God's sight."

"Through Christ, Our Lord, amen," his prayer closed to thunderous applause from the crowd, which Trump estimated to be some 55,000 people.

Charron had to leave the rally shortly thereafter, but before departing the main area, he instructed a small group of a couple dozen people to pray for God's protection over President Trump. "The reason I said that is because people are going to try and kill him," he said. "They're going to try and shoot him."

His words were remarkably prescient.

By the time Charron reached his car just a few minutes after the benediction, he heard reports of gunshots and then witnessed an eruption of chaos. "That's how the devil works," the good father explained. "He loves chaos."

Charron then left the rally and soon after sat down for an interview with popular Catholic YouTube channel "Pints with Aquinas." In fact, the interview began so soon afterward that Charron learned from the host about the death of beloved father, husband, and former fire chief Corey Comperatore and the injuries to two other individuals.

When asked about a priest's role during such horrific tragedies, Charron resolutely insisted that suffering is a necessary part of the Christian experience, pointing to Christ's suffering on the cross as the example all Christians must follow.

"We are called to a bloody faith," Charron claimed. "Christ calls us to get dirty and to have a nail go through the hand sometimes and a crown of thorns through the temple."

Regardless of circumstances, Charron continued, all Catholics — and Catholic priests in particular — must stand firm in their faith "without apology."

"It's important that we Catholics and particularly me, as a priest, that I be present to advocate for the gospel of Christ in the public square without apology," he said.

When some raised objections to Charron appearing at a Trump rally despite Trump's quibbling about abortion — an act that the Catholic Church calls a "moral evil" — Charron claimed that far too many people fall for "the fallacy of perfection," which convinces them not to vote for any candidate who is not "absolutely perfect."

Even though Charron unequivocally opposes abortion and "the anti-life culture in general," he expressed admiration for Trump — whom Charron believes to be a "baptized Christian" — and his work appointing pro-life justices who overturned Roe v. Wade.

Though grateful for the ending of Roe, Charron takes issue with some of Trump's beliefs regarding abortion. In fact, Charron views abortion as the source of almost all the violence plaguing America today.

"We have raised generations of of children with the understanding that it is okay to butcher and dispose of precious human life in the most sacred place, the womb of a mother," Charron explained with conviction. "And if that sacred gift is disposable in that sacred place, then we are all up for extinction."

But abortion, Charron insisted, is not the only pro-life issue. As a man of Ukrainian descent, he also sees the war in Ukraine as an important component of it, and he admires Trump for sending "defensive weapons" to Ukraine while in office in contravention to policies established under Barack Obama.

During a brief meeting with Trump just before the rally, Charron had the opportunity to thank the former president for his work on behalf of the Ukrainian people. "I said, 'Thank you,' and he was very grateful and he said, 'You know, it's heartbreaking to see what's happening in Ukraine with all these young men dying, and it's because weakness was projected,'" Charron recalled of their conversation.

In addition to his pitch for grace for Trump, Charron also encouraged Americans to offer forgiveness to the shooter, whom Charron characterized as "a madman."

"There are only two responses in the face of such evil like this. ... One is you become the evil, and the other is you forgive it," Charron claimed. "And the sooner we can go through that valley and come out on the other side, the better it is for us and for the lost souls in this world."

Charron suggested on "Pints with Aquinas" that Trump forgive the shooter and share this forgiveness with the public, citing Christ's forgiveness of his executioners and Pope John Paul II's forgiveness of his would-be assailant as models of Christian forgiveness properly understood.

"I think if President Trump is going to win over his enemies, then the greatest opportunity to win over the undecided and the hostile will be found the day when he can forgive his would-be assassin."

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Suspect breaks into rectory in small Nebraska city, stabs Catholic priest to death just hours before Sunday morning mass



A Catholic priest in Nebraska died violently over the weekend after a suspect broke into the church rectory and repeatedly stabbed him.

At 5:05 a.m. on Sunday morning, deputies with the Washington County Sheriff's Office received a report of an attempted break-in at the rectory of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, a small town of fewer than 1,000 residents about 20 miles north of Omaha. According to a statement from the sheriff's office, deputies arrived on the scene in six minutes.

Despite their speed, deputies discovered a gruesome scene: Father Stephen Gutgsell — who lived at the rectory — was suffering from multiple stab wounds, and a "black male" suspect — later identified as 43-year-old Kierre L. Williams — was still inside the building. Medics rushed Fr. Gutgsell to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he soon afterward died from his injuries.

Meanwhile, Williams was arrested and taken to the Washington County jail. He has been charged with homicide and use of a weapon to commit a felony. According to jail records, he has already been denied bond.

The usual 8:30 a.m. Sunday mass at St. John the Baptist was canceled after the attack, and Deacon Tim McNeil told WOWT that the church will remain closed for the time being. The Archdiocese of Omaha also released a statement about the "invasion at the rectory of St. John the Baptist parish":

The Archdiocese of Omaha is praying for Father Stephen Gutgsell, who was assaulted during an invasion at the rectory of St. John the Baptist parish in Fort Calhoun early Sunday morning. Father Gutgsell was transported to Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, where he died of his injuries. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, and there are no further details at this time. Please join Archbishop George Lucas in prayer for the repose of Father Gutgsell, for his family and for the St. John the Baptist parish community in this tragic time

At the time of his death, Fr. Gutgsell was an associate pastor with the archdiocese, serving at St. John the Baptist and the St. Francis Borgia parish in Blair, about nine miles away. Mike Fitzgerald, a parishioner at St. John the Baptist, called Gutgsell a "very holy man" who "did a lot of things for the community."

Other St. John the Baptist parishioners told news outlets that Fr. Gutgsell served the people faithfully for 11 years. However, if he did, he did so despite a shocking criminal conviction. In 2007, Gutgsell pled guilty to charges related to embezzling $127,000 from another church and was subsequently sentenced to probation and restitution.

After church leaders determined that Fr. Gutgsell had demonstrated sufficient contrition, he was assigned to a new church. Washington County Sheriff Mike Robinson stated that the fatal attack on Fr. Gutgsell is likely unrelated to his prior conviction.

Gutgsell's brother, Michael — who was also once a priest with the Archdiocese of Omaha — was likewise convicted of stealing from church-related coffers. In 2021, Fr. Michael Gutgsell was arrested for allegedly stealing $155,000 from "an incapacitated retired priest who had willed his estate to the archdiocese," WOWT reported.

That Fr. Gutgsell, who had power of attorney over the unnamed disabled priest, claimed at the time that he had given the money to a homeless man. He later pled no contest to two counts of attempted theft and was sentenced last summer to two years' probation. He was also relieved of his parish duties.

Catholic priest in Nebraska dies after attack in church | NewsNation Prime www.youtube.com

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'Diversity and tolerance'

Catholic priest prays for God to 'open our hearts' to unborn children in DNC closing prayer



A Catholic priest mentioned the sanctity of life and prayed for hearts to be opened to unborn children at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, a message that aligns with Catholic beliefs but is rarely, if ever, espoused by members of the Democratic Party establishment.

Father James Martin, a Jesuit, prayed for a variety of people, asking God to "open our hearts to those most in need."

"Loving God, open our hearts to those most in need," Martin began. "The unemployed parent worried about feeding his or her children. The woman who is underpaid, harassed or abused. The black man or woman who fear for their lives. The immigrant at the border, longing for safety. The homeless person looking for a meal. The LGBT teen who is bullied."

"The unborn child in the womb," Martin continued. "The inmate on death row. Help us to be a nation where every life is sacred, all people are loved, and all are welcome. Amen."

Father @JamesMartinSJ promised me he'd mention the Catholic teaching about the sacredness of innocent unborn life d… https://t.co/sOMZKgIr37
— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JERRY DUNLEAVY)1597980955.0

A Catholic priest advocating for the sanctity of unborn life isn't, or at least shouldn't, be surprising. However, the Democratic Party's stance on abortion has gotten increasingly liberal in recent years, to the point where a politician who advocates for any limitation on abortion rights faces criticism from the left.

Abortion rights have been rebranded in the Democratic Party platform under the label "reproductive health, rights, and justice."

"Democrats are committed to protecting and advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice," the party's 2020 platform reads. "We believe unequivocally, like the majority of Americans, that every woman should be able to access high-quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion."

The platform goes on to advocate for restoring full federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, and repealing the Hyde Amendment, which currently prohibits the use of federal funding for abortion in most cases.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who publicly professes to be a Catholic, said in June 2019 that he supported the ban on federal funding for abortion. The revelation kicked off a firestorm of criticism from other Democrats and pro-abortion advocates, so one day later, he totally flipped his stance to support repeal of the Hyde Amendment.

In October 2019, Biden was denied communion at Saint Anthony Catholic Church over his abortion advocacy. The priest, Father Robert Morey, said "any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching," CNN reported.

Biden has said he personally opposes abortion, but doesn't believe he has the right to tell women what to do on the matter.