Washington D.C., Nov 1, 2016 / 15:00 pm
Several black Christian leaders suggested the "Catholic Spring" leaked emails showed "open contempt for religious freedom" and asked Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton whether their own communities would be safe.
"The black church has served the poor for over two centuries; our response to Christ's call to care for all people has strengthened the black community and contributed to civil society in important ways. Freedom to do all this must be guaranteed to the Black Church," more than two dozen leading black clergy, activists and intellectuals said.
The leaders from Pentecostal-Charismatic Christian denominations signed the Oct. 30 letter, "An Open Letter to Hillary Clinton Regarding Religious Freedom for Black America."
For the signers of the open letter, several hacked emails published on Wikileaks indicated an effort "to subvert Catholic teaching on sexuality by planting externally funded groups in the church to advance a politically correct agenda."
The February 2012 emails exchanged between Clinton's present campaign manager, John Podesta, and progressive leader Sandy Newman questioned whether a controversy over mandated contraceptive coverage could be an opportunity to "plant the seeds of revolution" among Catholics against their bishops, in Newman's words. The emails invoked the imagery of the "Arab Spring" revolts.