The Daily Beast report Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley is Catholic.
Verdict: False
According to multiple sources, Hawley is Protestant. The Daily Beast has published a correction.
Fact check:
Hawley has spoken out for Christian nationalism at the National Conservative Conference. NewsweekAfter his comments went viral, he doubled down on them, the outlet reported.
The Daily Beast reported that Hawley is a “devout, Bible-believing Catholic” who “has repeatedly asserted his Christian nationalist bona fides at conservative conferences.”
The claim that Hawley is Catholic is false. The New Republic Identified A 2019 article described him as a “devout evangelical Presbyterian.” A 2018 article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch report He attended a Presbyterian church while running for the Senate.
Hawley's office confirmed to Check Your Fact that he is not Catholic. Hawley quote-tweeted a tweet from American Moment president Saurabh Sharma, who identified Hawley as Protestant.
Hahahahaha https://t.co/QLN89Xrv6L
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 9, 2024
After being contacted by Check Your Fact, The Daily Beast removed the claim and attached an editor's note to the article, which read, “Editor's note: This article previously referred to Josh Hawley as a Catholic. He is an Evangelical Presbyterian.”
The article also claimed that Leo and Roberts were members of Opus Dei, a Catholic organization whose mission is to “spread the Christian message that all people are called to holiness and that all honest work is sanctified.” WebsiteOpus Dei is also “a personal Prelature of the Catholic Church worldwide” and “composed of prelates, their clergy, and the laity, both men and women.”
It also notes that Leo was president of the conservative Federalist Society. Leo He served as vice president of the organization and currently serves as co-chair. Eugene Meyer He was the first and current president of the Federalist Society.
Leo received the award in 2022 from the Catholic Information Center (CIC), which is affiliated with Opus Dei. National Catholic Reporter. Leo: CICDemocracy Lab state Roberts “has not hesitated to speak at Opus Dei's CIC public events and in partnership with the Napa Institute, which has ties to Opus Dei.”
Democracy Lab is a project of the Tide Advocacy Fund. WebsiteTides Advocacy Fund is a “left-of-center advocacy organization” and “the only 501(c)(4) social welfare organization in the Tides Nexus, focused on founding, fundraising, and consulting for a variety of left-of-center organizations.” Influence WatchIt is run by the conservative Capital Research Center.
Brian Finnty, director of communications for Opus Dei, said:[o]To respect the privacy of individuals, I will not discuss their personal details.”
“To verify whether these people are members of Opus Dei, we recommend contacting them directly,” Finnty told Check Your Fact in an email.
After being contacted by Check Your Fact, The Daily Beast removed all mentions of Leo. The outlet also removed claims that Leo and Roberts were members of Opus Dei.
Check Your Fact has reached out to the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation for comment.
