ORLAND HILLS, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Several parishioners walked out during a recent sermon given by Father William Corcoran at St. Elizabeth Seton Church in southwest suburban Orland Hills.
The reason?
They didn’t like what he said about President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead.
During Corcoran’s homily that took place the following Saturday, he talked about finger-pointing in this day and age and blamed himself, in part, for the deadly insurrection involving far-right extremists and police in the nation’s capital.
Several members of the mob self-identified as pro-Trump supporters who, upset with the presidential election results, were seen saying in circulating video footage and social media posts that they stormed the U.S. Capitol complex at the president’s behest.
In the days following and with President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday, Trump has urged "all Americans" to avoid acts of violence, lawbreaking or vandalism.
Despite his efforts, Trump was impeached Wednesday by the U.S. House of Representatives on the single charge, incitement of insurrection, in lightning-quick proceedings. The U.S. Senate will likely begin Trump's impeachment trial after Biden is sworn in.
The pastor told the Chicago Tribune that there were many times he failed to speak out against Trump's ugly behavior. He spoke about how facts do matter, and that we have to teach our children this. Corcoran even talked about how the Catholic Church in Germany once failed to speak up against Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
According to the Tribune, some parishioners have told Corcoran they didn't like this and hoped to find peace in church, not confrontation.
“One that struck me very hard was someone who didn’t feel welcome or that, because they support Trump, they don’t belong here anymore,” Corcoran told the Tribune.
But Corcoran said he has to care for all his parishioners, and that also means caring for them by speaking the truth.
“When you lance a boil, it’s messy, it’s painful, it’s smelly,” Corcoran said. “But it lets the poison out. We need to let some poison out of the system for the process of healing.”