The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno is speaking out against city council candidate and registered child sex offender Rene Campos for holding a press conference in front of its cathedral.
The diocese issued a statement on Wednesday condemning Campos for using the Roman Catholic Church as a prop “in his theater of politics.”
The backstory: Campos, a candidate for Fresno City Council District 7, held a press conference last Friday in front of Saint John’s Cathedral in downtown Fresno, the mother church of the Fresno diocese.
St. John’s Cathedral is located across the street from Big Picture Elementary School, which released its own statement condemning Campos’ press conference due to the proximity to the school given that children were on campus.
Campos held the press conference to respond to city councilmembers who shared their concerns about his candidacy during last week’s council meeting. The council said it will consider legislation to ban registered sex offenders from running for public office.
What they’re saying: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno said it had not received prior notice of the press conference and urgently communicated concern to Big Picture Elementary School when finding out about the event.
“While the event occurred on a public sidewalk, the Diocese takes seriously its unwavering commitment to Child& Youth protection,” the diocese wrote in a statement. “Mr. Campos independently and irresponsibly chose the location for the press conference and used the Catholic Church and the School as props in his theater of politics. Bishop Joseph Brennan and the Diocese of Fresno strongly condemn Mr. Campos’s decision.”
The diocese noted its longstanding history of civic engagement with elected officials and candidates, adding that Campos clearly did not have a spirit of collaboration.
“The Diocese of Fresno wishes to make it abundantly clear that while the Catholic Church has a responsibility to engage with civic leaders, the Church does not endorse Mr. Campos or any other candidate,” the diocese said. “We charitably pray for all elected officials and candidates, that they will hold themselves accountable and work to unify our communities.”