The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic “out of concern for guests and speakers,” a spokesman on Monday confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
The annual breakfast, slated this year for March 30, is typically frequented by conservatives in the Catholic Church and in government. Attorney General William Barr and former Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput were scheduled to address the event. Both Barr and Chaput are outspoken critics of the growing trend of “secularism” in public life.
Barr was expected to receive the Christifideles Laici Award, which the prayer breakfast gives to Catholics in public service. Event organizers explained in a press release that Barr would be honored for his “long history of dedicated public service and his commitment to the defense of the vulnerable and religious liberty.”
The prayer breakfast is the latest in a slew of canceled large gatherings, including most major league sports and campaign rallies. The Trump administration canceled “Catholics for Trump,” an event similar to the prayer breakfast and set to be held this week, because of coronavirus fears.
Over the past several years, the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast has often featured members of the Trump administration. Vice President Mike Pence addressed the event in 2017, and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney headlined it in 2019.
