The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast is an annual lay prayer event and banquet that takes place in

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It was created in response to Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

's call for a new evangelization, and involves a keynote speaker each year. According to progressive Catholic commentator Fr

Thomas J. Reese Thomas J. Reese, (born 1945) is an American Catholic Jesuit priest, author, and journalist. He is a senior analyst at Religion News Service, a former columnist at National Catholic Reporter, and a former editor-in-chief of the weekly Catholic magaz ...

, SJ "The conservative tilt of the NCPB has led some Catholics to call on it to change its name to the National

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Prayer Breakfast."Reese S.J., Thomas J., "National Catholic Prayer Breakfast award for Barr divides Catholics", Religion News Services, September 21, 2020
/ref>

History

It was established in 2004 and its "founding circle" members included

Joseph Cella Joseph James Cella ( ; born November 14, 1969) is an American diplomat and political advisor, who served concurrently as the United States Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu from 2019 to 2021. A prominent Roman Catholic, C ...

, Leonard Leo, and

Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate's third ...

, among others. It connected prominent Catholic politicians and representatives of the Catholic clergy, businessmen, political and religious activists.Gehring, John
The Francis Effect: A Radical Pope's Challenge to the American Catholic Church
Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015, p. 25. Similar to the more established

National Prayer Breakfast The National Prayer Breakfast is a yearly event held in Washington, D.C., usually on the first Thursday in February. The founder of this event was Abraham Vereide. The event—which is actually a series of meetings, luncheons, and dinners—has ...

, it has attracted notable political speakers to discuss the issues of the day facing modern Christians. It featured President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

as a keynote speaker in the 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 assemblies. Archbishop

Raymond Leo Burke Raymond Leo Burke (born June 30, 1948) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. A bishop, cardinal, and the incumbent patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, he led the Archdiocese of St. Louis from 2004 to 2008 and the Dioce ...

delivered the keynote address at the 2009 prayer breakfast, which also featured Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia as guest speaker. House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke at the 2016 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast event. The 2020 event was held virtually, and honored US Attorney General William Barr with the organization's Christifideles Laici Award. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet; and the Respect Life Office of the

Archdiocese of Santa Fe The Archdiocese of Santa Fe ( la, Archidioecesis Sanctae Fidei in America Septentrionali, link=no, es, Arquidiócesis de Santa Fe, link=no) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the southwestern region of the United States in ...

were among a number of Catholic organizations protesting the award to Barr, who reinstated the federal death penalty. A federal execution was conducted the day before the breakfast, and another scheduled on the day after. Others who opposed the group's honoring Barr included representatives of

Pax Christi Pax Christi International is an international Catholic peace movement. The Pax Christi International website declares its mission is "to transform a world shaken by violence, terrorism, deepening inequalities, and global insecurity." History ...

"200 Catholic leaders call for AG Barr to reject award from National Catholic Prayer Breakfast", Pax Christi, September 22, 2020
/ref> and the Franciscan Action Network. The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests "accused Barr of showing “disrespect for sacred space when he was party to a recent show of force to enable the President to use the grounds and building of an Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square to hold up a bible in front of the church as a prop for a political photo op.” The 2021 event is set to feature Bishop Steven J. Lopes, head of the

Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter is a special Catholic diocese for Anglican and Methodist converts in the United States and Canada. It allows these parishioners to maintain elements of Anglican liturgy and tradition in thei ...

External links

National Catholic Prayer Breakfast
(official site)

References

{{reflist Catholicism and politics Catholic Church in the United States Annual events in Washington, D.C.