Dan Lipinski talks about the divisive state of politics at the annual Red Mass

Former congressman Dan Lipinski, a socially conservative Democrat from Illinois, discussed the divisive state of American politics and the role of Catholic identity in public service at the Red Mass banquet Thursday evening, Sept. 26, in Good Shepherd Hall at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita.

Lipinski, currently the Pope Leo XIII Fellow on Social Thought at the University of Dallas, talked about his experiences in Congress, including his opposition to taxpayer funding for abortion, his efforts to protect religious liberty, and his party’s support of abortion that eventually cost him his seat.

Please raise your hands

After his introduction, the former Congressman asked those attending to raise their hands if they had a law degree. “I came very close to going to law school 35 years ago. And I like to say that I didn’t go to law school because I did not want to be part of a profession considered by many to be dishonest and unethical. So, I went into politics.”

He said the guidance of the Holy Spirit was especially needed today because of the times and a widespread fear of where we are headed.

Soon after he left Congress, Lipinski said a colleague of his told him he no longer considered himself an Evangelical Christian but a non-denominational Protestant because he saw too many Evangelicals who thought their faith needed to serve their politics. His colleague said this was adding to the crisis of dividing the country, as well as tearing churches apart and undermining their Christian witness.

“This comment didn’t completely surprise me, but then he said something that really did surprise me. This Protestant told me that his hope for our nation to overcome the highly problematic divide now lies in the Catholic Church.”

An amazing statement

Given the anti-Catholic history of the country, Lipinski said, that was an amazing statement.
“I know that Catholics are the hope for a nation, but only if we have the courage to be Catholic first,” he said.

The country is in danger because of partisanship, he said.

“Partisan identity is so powerful for some people that not only does it determine or change their policy preferences as they choose their party, then that determines their preferences on some policies, but it can also change their self-identified religion, class, or sexual orientation. That’s really incredible.”

Lipinski said he didn’t want to suggest that anyone who is a member of a political party is necessarily a sectarian, however, an increasing number of Americans are doing so. As a result, he added, they are eliminating real debate and compromise which is necessary for our republic to survive.

Dems voted GOP

When he was first elected, Lipinski said his district was home to many Reagan Democrats, blue-collar voters who were pro-life, anti-communist, and concerned about high taxes and crime. But the numbers were dwindling. “They called themselves Democrats but had no problem voting for a Republican, especially for president.”

He disagreed with many Democrats over issues such as marriage and religious freedom. “But I did not believe it would be a major hurdle to being reelected, as long as I did a good job serving my constituents. My record in Congress was strongly pro-life and strongly pro-union as well as pro-environment.”

More than a few times someone would approach him telling him he voted Catholic. He took that as a compliment, Lapinski said, but later is became a criticism. Many didn’t understand why he continued to do so.

“But it’s a simple answer. It was and is because of God’s grace and the unique gifts of the Catholic faith. Catholics are grounded in our conviction that our relationship with God must be our primary identity.”

Millennia of guidance

Catholics are blessed with 2,000 years of rich and deep thought guided by the Holy Spirit about how to live out their mission, he said. “This includes not just how we love God for our personal life, but also how we’re to serve the common good. Catholics are to be guided in the public square by Catholic social thought, which derives from faith and reason.”

Our mission as Catholics is to promote the good of families, the poor, workers, and God’s creation, Lipinski said.

“It’s also important to recognize that this teaching – that the life and dignity of the human person must be respected – is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching.

Religious liberty

“One other gift that the Catholic Church gives us is an explicit teaching about the basic right of religious liberty. As Americans, we are guaranteed by the First Amendment the free exercise of religion, although it is often falsely referred to as freedom to worship.”

Americans are guaranteed the free exercise of religion, he said, but many Americans don’t understand that which makes it harder to defend, although it is critical we do so.

After explaining how the Democrat Party continued to evolve away from family values and embraced pro-abortion policies, his own party began targeting him. “By 2018 we were down to only a couple of pro-life Democrats in Congress. Pro-choice groups, along with the Human Rights Campaign, poured more than $3 million into a primary against me, painting me as a heretic, an enemy within the party.”

He survived that election, but not the 2020 campaign. Lipinski said that resulted in an identity crisis which was resolved when he began writing his concession speech after someone suggested that one of the questions he would be asked is: What would he have done differently?

His speech talked about how he would never give up standing for the millions of babies and that he would never stop advocating for the most vulnerable.

Peace after defeat

“After I concluded that press conference, I went home with Judy. I got a lot of calls, texts, and emails that came in supporting me, supporting what I had said, and what I had done. I felt more at peace than I ever imagined I could in defeat.”

All Catholics today need special sustenance, Lipinski said, because it has become more difficult to live a faithful Catholic life, in whatever profession they’re in.