(LifeSiteNews) — After a video went viral of “Christian nationalist” preacher Doug Wilson saying that Catholics should be banned from having Marian and Eucharistic processions and calling them acts of “idolatry,” one diocese immediately sprang into action, proposing that massive Eucharistic processions should be held across the country on the Feast of Corpus Christi this year.
“All Roman Catholics: mark your calendars for June 7, 2026 – the Feast of Corpus Christi,” the Archdiocese of Portland urged on social media.
“Let’s organize even larger Eucharistic processions in our cities and parishes this year,” encouraged the archdiocese, which shared photos of recent beautiful, large processions.
All Roman Catholics: mark your calendars for June 7, 2026 – the Feast of Corpus Christi.
Let’s organize even larger Eucharistic processions in our cities and parishes this year. https://t.co/r91Xcz2FGm pic.twitter.com/66ZXksWL9l
— Archdiocese Portland (@archdpdx) March 13, 2026
Catholic news and opinion site Catholic Arena said on X that the Portland archdiocese had responded “defiantly” to Wilson’s “anti-Catholic rant.”
Wilson, the co-founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) who frequently preaches on “Christian nationalism,” has previously been invited to the Pentagon by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to lead a worship service. Hegseth himself attends a CREC church.
As reported yesterday by LifeSiteNews’ Antonino Cambria, Wilson emphasized that in an ideal America, Catholics would be allowed to keep their churches and ring their church bells. However, they would not be permitted to hold public Marian processions, and they would likely not be allowed to hold public Eucharistic processions because, according to Wilson, these would constitute public acts of “idolatry,” even comparing them with Hindu processions.
“We are a Christian nation, so church bells are OK, but a Muslim call to prayer in the public space would not be OK,” Wilson said in the clip. “Catholic church bells would be OK, but a parade in honor of the Virgin Mary, carrying an image of the Virgin Mary down Main Street, no!”
Secretary Pete Hegseth Pastor who was Invited to Pray at Pentagon Says Publicly Eucharist and Marian Procession Should NOT be Permitted in Public. See more here: https://t.co/5fpjjd1ff8 pic.twitter.com/iKJg1bPCuI
— John-Henry Westen (@JhWesten) March 13, 2026
When the host interjected to ask Wilson if Eucharistic processions would be allowed, Wilson said it would depend on how they are conducted, but probably not, adding that all “public displays of idolatry” as defined by the Protestant foundation of the law would be banned from the public square, erroneously comparing them with pagan Hindu processions.
“Basically, public displays of idolatry, what the Protestant foundation of the law would consider to be idolatry, would not be allowed,” he said. “So you wouldn’t have a Hindu procession with a Hindu god, you wouldn’t have a procession of the Virgin Mary.”
The controversy stirred up by Wilson’s ludicrous views is still fresh, so it remains to be seen if other dioceses will follow Portland’s lead.
