WASHINGTON — The National Council of Churches, an umbrella organization representing dozens of Protestant denominations, usually steers clear of Supreme Court nominations.
When Republican senators refused to hold a vote on Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee the NCC didn’t say a word. When President Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch and the Senate confirmed him, the NCC stayed silent.
But on Wednesday, the NCC broke its silence on Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s latest nominee whose confirmation process is causing a deep rift across the nation, and in many of the churches that the NCC includes.
“We believe he has disqualified himself from this lifetime appointment and must step aside immediately,” the group, which represents about 30 million U.S. parishioners, wrote in a statement.
“During his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Kavanaugh exhibited extreme partisan bias and disrespect towards certain members of the committee and thereby demonstrated that he possesses neither the temperament nor the character essential for a member of the highest court in our nation,” the statement said. “We are deeply disturbed by the multiple allegations of sexual assault and call for a full and unhindered investigation of these accusations. In addition, his testimony before the Judiciary Committee included several misstatements and some outright falsehoods.”
Jim Winkler, the president and general secretary of the NCC who authorized the statement, said Thursday that he hopes and believes that members of Congress will take notice, as they prepare to vote on the nominee. “Many have told me, ‘We definitely pay attention to what the faith community says,'” Winkler said.
The NCC does not speak for all Christians. A consortium of denominations, it includes mainline Protestants as well as Orthodox, historically African-American and other churches. It does not include the Catholic church, the largest religious group in America. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has not made a statement about Kavanaugh, though the Jesuit magazine “America” initially endorsed the judge and then pulled its endorsement after the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing which included testimony by both Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school.
