Catholic Charities USA, the organization dedicated to carrying out the domestic humanitarian work of the Catholic Church in the United States, responded Oct. 31 to “disturbing” recent remarks by a social media influencer threatening its staff.
The right-wing social media influencer Stew Peters said in Oct. 28 comments that Catholic Charities helps “coach illegals on how to get admitted here.”
“We need troops on the border that will shoot people that are trying to invade our country,” he said. “That’d be a good first step. But you know what a better second step would be? Shooting everyone involved with these fake charities.”
The comments were livestreamed from Fall Freedom Fest in Vero Beach, Florida, on the social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Rumble. As of Oct. 31, the video appeared to be removed from Rumble, but was still accessible on X.
Kevin Brennan, a spokesperson for Catholic Charities USA, said in a statement provided to OSV News Oct. 31 that “these comments are deeply disturbing and could endanger Catholic Charities staff members and volunteers, who on a daily basis selflessly serve people in need in every corner of this country.”
Peters doubled down on his comments about Catholic Charities in an Oct. 30 post on X linking to an article about them and writing, “These people are enemy combatants who are facilitating the invasion and overthrow of our country. They should be treated accordingly.”