Beverly Hills resident sounds alarm on official-looking 'Catholic' political propaganda
BEVERLY HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Chances are you are getting more and more political mailers as next week's presidential election gets closer but one newspaper claiming to be part of the Catholic Church, is anything but.
A Beverly Hills resident is blowing the whistle on a newspaper she got in the mail, appearing to be from the Catholic Church.
But local church officials say it’s a fake, riddled with political statements just in time for a pivotal presidential election.
"This was as extreme as it gets," said the woman who wants to remain anonymous. "I was very offended by this paper. It’s political propaganda."
She walked us through page after page of content in the "Michigan Catholic Tribune" which looks like a traditional newspaper at first glance - complete with a gothic typeface and conventional layout.
"The worst was mutilation surgeries occurring in Michigan and they have a whole list," she said.
It comes with articles that promote former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris. It's been spotted in multiple mailboxes across Metro Detroit and as far away as Grand Rapids.
"My partner, who doesn’t go to church, brought it to me and says, 'You know what? This is why I won’t go to church,'"she said. "I was taught to express love, acceptance and help others that are struggling. And this paper does not reflect that one bit."
Catholic Church officials say the "Tribune" is connected to a right wing media network, with similar versions distributed in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada according to independent news outlet ProPublica.
The Archdiocese of Detroit released a statement on the matter, saying in part:
"This publication is not endorsed by, nor is it affiliated with the Archdiocese of Detroit. To our knowledge, it does not have the proper authorization required by Canon (Church) law to call itself Catholic.
"The Archdiocese takes the opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to engaging in appropriate political and electoral activity for Catholic organizations, as directed by the Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops ..."
"There’s other issues to consider about the dignity of human life," the resident said. "People have to consider helping poor, helping immigration, the rhetoric that’s out there (are) against many different groups."
FOX 2 contacted a website that appeared to be affliated with the publication for comment but have not heard back.