CNA Staff, Oct 14, 2024 / 14:55 pm

After Michigan’s Catholic bishops condemned a video of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, saying she was “mocking” the Eucharist, Whitmer has apologized for how the video “had been construed.”

The viral video shows Whitmer feeding Liz Plank, a Canadian author, journalist, and influencer with 611,000 followers on her Instagram page “feministabulous,” a Dorito chip during a session of “Chip Chat.”

The video garnered controversy last week as many Catholics interpreted Plank’s posture and the placement of the Dorito on the tongue as a mockery of the reception of holy Communion. Some noted that Plank appears to be kneeling in the video.

Michigan Catholics have since protested outside Whitmer’s home in a “Rosary Rally for Religious Respect” organized by CatholicVote, a political advocacy group.

Michigan’s Catholic bishops on Friday condemned the video after it went viral, with its president and CEO, Paul Long, saying that “whether or not insulting Catholics and the Eucharist was the intent, it has had an offensive impact.”

But Whitmer said in a recent statement that mockery was not her intention.

“Over 25 years in public service, I would never do something to denigrate someone’s faith,” Whitmer said in a statement shared with CNA. “I’ve used my platform to stand up for people’s right to hold and practice their personal religious beliefs. My team has spoken to the Michigan Catholic Conference.”

“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,” Whitmer said.

The caption of the video, which was edited, references the CHIPS Act, a 2022 Biden administration law known as the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act.

“If he won’t, Gretchen Whitmer will,” the caption of Plank’s Instagram post read. “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.”

Defenders of Whitmer assert that the video was part of a TikTok trend in which a person is fed by another person. A clip of “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert and “Bear” star Jeremy Allen White taking part in the trend went viral in June.

“I will also note, Liz is not kneeling in the video. She is seated,” Whitmer’s press secretary, Stacey LaRouche, told CNA on Monday.

“No one was on their knees. I’m sitting on a couch that’s visible in the shot,” Plank said in a post on X on Sunday.

Plank has also criticized the media’s attention to the controversy in a post on her Substack, saying it takes away attention from the CHIPS Act.

“In the last 24 hours, I’ve become the target of a right-wing conspiracy accusing me of performing satanic rituals with Doritos,” Plank wrote. “I wish I were kidding — but apparently, snack-based witchcraft is where we’re at in this election cycle!”

In response to the governor’s apology, Michigan’s Catholic bishops reiterated their call for respect toward people of all religious backgrounds.

“It is our hope the governor and her team now more fully understand and appreciate the hurt that has been caused,” Long told CNA. “We reiterate our call for elected officials to be respectful and civil towards persons of religious faith, be they Christian, Muslim, or Jewish. Mockery of religious persons and traditions have regrettably become too prevalent in our state and country — it must end.”

“With prayers for all elected officials and their service to promote the common good in our state, community leaders up to and including the governor must recognize how their words and actions become the norm for broader society,” Long continued.

Long had said on Friday that the video “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.”

“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 continued. “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.”

Long noted that Michiganders and others 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.”

“Michigan is a religiously diverse state and includes thriving communities of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim believers,” Long noted, calling on members of public office “to return a level of respect, civility, and appreciation for those who have found peace and fulfillment in life by worshipping God and serving their neighbor.”

The Dorito video was part of a larger interview with Whitmer where she and Plank discussed various issues, including abortion — in the full video on Plank’s YouTube channel, Whitmer, known for her defense of abortion in Michigan, joked about “post-birth abortions” in reference to Trump’s comment about the abortion bill signed into law by Minnesota governor and 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

Later in the video, Whitmer noted that she was open to dialogue with those who disagree on the abortion issue.

“For people who don’t agree with me on reproductive rights, I’m confident there are other things we could find common ground on,” Whitmer said. “But it starts with talking to one another. It starts with listening and it starts with actually asking someone else questions and not judging them, but trying to understand.”

This article has been updated.