Democratic Rep. John Delaney, a Catholic from Maryland, had to admit during an interview Friday that he doesn’t follow the Church’s teachings on abortion.
WATCH:
Delaney appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to talk about the direction of the Democratic Party, but the two conservatives on the panel guided the conversation back to abortion.
MSNBC contributor Peggy Noonan asked Delaney to share his position on late-term abortions, and Delaney asserted that he and his wife personally follow the Catholic Church’s teachings on abortion, but they don’t tell others to abide by the same rules.
Tim Carney, a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner, pointed out Delaney’s hypocrisy on Church teachings.
“I’m a Maryland Catholic like yourself, but I think your answer implies falsely that the Catholic Church just prescribes how you ought to behave on abortion,” Carney explained. “The Catholic Church and the Catechism, Papal documents, says clearly that abortion should be illegal.”
“How do you square the fact that you’re saying abortion ought to be legal when the Church says abortion is always evil and that politicians may not allow it to be legal?” he asked.
Delaney immediately got a worried look on his face, and responded, “I love my Church, but that doesn’t mean I agree with every specific doctrine in my Church.”
“You reject the Catholic Church’s teaching on the legality of abortion,” Carney pressed.
“Look, I respect the law of the land of the United States of America and support women’s reproductive freedom,” Delaney admitted. “So that does, in fact, conflict with some things my Church advocates for.”
Cohost Joe Scarborough apologized for throwing Delaney into the lion’s den and not giving him the softball interview he was apparently expecting.
“I didn’t think I was walking into Vatican III,” Delaney exclaimed.