Michigan Catholic bishops say Gov. Whitmer video mocks Eucharist

Michigan’s Catholic bishops have expressed “profound disappointment and offense” after that state’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appeared to mock the Eucharist in a social media video posted by feminist author and podcaster Liz Plank.

The Michigan Catholic Conference issued a statement Oct. 11, two days after Plank posted a video to her Instagram account, feministabulous, showing Whitmer laying a Dorito brand snack chip on the tongue of a kneeling Plank.

As a smiling Plank — dressed in an oversized pink sweater and matching hair ribbons — rolls her eyes and shakes her head in delight, the camera pans to an expressionless Whitmer, who gazes at the camera wearing a dark blue dress and a camouflage baseball cap embroidered with “Harris” and “Walz,” the surnames of the Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates.

The short clip, set to a few bars of the song “Dilemma” by rapper Nelly, is accompanied by text from Plank referencing both the 2022 bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act and the Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump.

“If he won’t, Gretchen Whitmer will,” says the text. “Chips aren’t just delicious, the CHIPS Act is a game-changer for U.S. tech and manufacturing, boosting domestic production of semiconductors to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers! Donald Trump would put that at risk.”

The social media platform TikTok features numerous videos of users feeding friends (although the trend is less evident on the Instagram platform) — but in their statement, the Michigan Catholic bishops said the Plank-Whitmer clip was out of bounds even for that genre.

“The skit goes further than the viral online trend that inspired it, specifically imitating the posture and gestures of Catholics receiving the Holy Eucharist, in which we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present,” said Paul A. Long, Michigan Catholic Conference president and CEO. “It is not just distasteful or ‘strange’; it is an all-too-familiar example of an elected official mocking religious persons and their practices.”

Long said that “while dialogue on this issue with the governor’s office is appreciated, whether or not insulting Catholics and the Eucharist was the intent, it has had an offensive impact.

“People of this state and across the country have grown tired of and continue to express their alarm at the bar of civility and respect toward people of faith lowering by the day,” he said in the statement. “Michigan is a religiously diverse state and includes thriving communities of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim believers. The time is now for those in public office, their handlers, and strategists to return a level of respect, civility, and appreciation for those who have found peace and fulfillment in life by worshiping God and serving their neighbor.”

In a statement to the Fox 2 Detroit television station, Whitmer apologized, saying her team had “spoken to the Michigan Catholic Conference.”

“Over 25 years in public service, I would never do something to denigrate someone’s faith. I’ve used my platform to stand up for people’s right to hold and practice their personal religious beliefs,” said Whitmer. “What was supposed to be a video about the importance of the CHIPS Act to Michigan jobs, has been construed as something it was never intended to be, and I apologize for that.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, quoting the Second Vatican Council document “Lumen Gentium,” describes the Eucharist — in which the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ is fully present — as “the source and summit of Christian life,” containing “the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself.”

OSV News contacted Whitmer and Plank for detailed comment and was awaiting a response.

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