Home > Facts About the National "Catholic" Prayer Breakfast

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National Catholic Prayer Breakfast - www.catholicprayerbreakfast.com

The National "Catholic" Prayer Breakfast is sponsored by an independent 501(c)(3) of the same name comprised of five Republican political operatives. These partisan activists use the event to foster the false notion that the Catholic Church supports the policies of the Bush Administration and the Republican Party. This year's event, at which President Bush is scheduled to speak, is expected to serve as a "jumping off" point for John McCain's Catholic outreach activities. Previous speeches by President Bush have often been featured in the past on the RNC Catholic outreach website.

The event is expanding year by year. In 2007, it added a full day of conservative policy discussions. Obvious omissions to the agenda include: the war in Iraq, Comprehensive Immigration Reform, poverty, and health care – all critical issues to the Catholic Church.

This year the Catholic Prayer Breakfast will coincide with Pope Benedict’s visit to the U.S. The Pope is scheduled to fly to New York the morning of the breakfast and will not attend. The NCPB's decision to scheduling the breakfast at a time when the pope is delivering an important speech to the U.N. is highly suspect.

Catholics United will hold a peaceful and prayerful demonstration outside the event.

Of the five members of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast Board of Directors, three have official advisory positions on the McCain campaign and have publicly endorsed McCain, and one co-chairs Catholic outreach for the RNC.

National "Catholic" Prayer Breakfast board bios:

Joseph J. Cella, President

  • Cella currently serves on the McCain campaign's the National Catholic Steering Committee.
  • Cella also serves on the McCain campaign's Virginia Family Issues Committee.
  • Cella ran Religious Outreach for the Fred Thompson for President Campaign.
  • Cella is the former head of an ultra-conservative group called Fidelis, which has four legal entities: Fidelis, Fidelis America, Fidelis Center for Law and Policy, and the Fidelis Media Fund. They focus on electing conservative candidates, confirming conservative judges, and pushing conservative legislative policy.

Austin Ruse, Vice President

  • Ruse currently serves on the McCain campaign's National Catholic Steering Committee.
  • Ruse is also currently serving on the McCain campaign's Virginia Family Issues Committee.
  • Ruse has introduced Bush at previous prayer breakfast events, calling him "The Second Catholic President."

  • Ruse was active in the wake of the 2004 election, claiming that Catholics helped deliver the election for Bush and calling on the Administration to take more conservative positions. He said: "Those 25 percent of voters who said moral values were the animating issues in this election, that is us... We understand that President Bush is a very loyal guy, and we believe that President Bush will be loyal to those who put him there in a very tough time." [New York Times, 11/6/04]

Jacqueline Halbig, Treasurer

  • Halbig currently serves on the McCain campaign's Virginia Family Issues Committee.
  • Jacqueline Halbig is a Bush Administration Republican appointee as the Deputy Director, Center for Faith and Community Based Initiatives, U.S. Department of Labor.
  • Halbig formerly worked as the Government Relations for The Christian Coalition.
  • Hablig is an RNC donor.

Leonard Leo, Board Member

  • Leo currently serves as the National Co-chair of Catholic outreach for the Republican National Committee.
  • Leo is a former VP for the Federalist Society who advised the Bush Administration on judicial nominees.
  • Leo was an advisor to the Bush-Cheney campaign on Catholic voters in 2004.
  • Introducing the president in 2005, Leo said: "Bush deserves praise for his "unflinching devotion to the culture of life" and for removing "the stranglehold of tyrants around the world." [National Catholic Reporter, 6/3/2005]

Bill Saunders, Board Member

  • Saunders works at the Republican-leaning Family Research Council, as the Human Rights Counsel, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Human Life and Bioethics.
  • He was appointed by President Bush to serve on the United States delegation to the UN Special Session on Children in 2001/02.
  • Saunders is Vice Chair for Religious Liberty for the Federalist Society.