TBT: That time Beto O’Rourke Berated a Catholic Priest

With the former congressman now in the 2020 race, here’s an interesting ThrowBack Thursday clip for you, from 2011.

The story: 

Candidate for U.S. Senate, Congressman Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) is seen on video disparaging the Catholic Church during his time as an El Paso City Councilman in 2011.

The video begins with O’Rourke demeaning a Catholic priest about the “moral failings of the church you represent, especially as you try to take the moral high-ground in this debate.”

The debate began over a council vote on same-sex marriage benefits which Father Rodriguez urged them to vote down in accordance with traditional teachings.

O’Rourke says, “Luckily, I don’t need your approval to move forward. I want to know why this, for you, has become the burning issue of the day… I can think of two obvious cases where the church has failed on a global level.”

He continues by alleging that the Pope went to Africa and discouraged people from using condoms before revisiting child-abuse allegations.

Read the rest. And watch the clip below.

Worth noting: O’Rourke himself is identified in his biographies as Catholic. He has declared his support for legal abortion and several years ago received a “100% pro-choice rating” from NARAL.  He has also called marriage equality a “core civil rights issue.”