Jesuit Priest Bluntly Fact-Checks Catholic Group's Claim That Pete Buttigieg Doesn't 'Have A Husband'

James Martin, a Jesuit priest and the editor-at-large of America Magazine, came to the defense of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg after the Catholic League claimed in a tweet Buttigieg's marriage to his husband—educator, author and activist Chasten Buttigieg—is a "legal fiction."

Earlier, the Catholic League published a tweet claiming the Transportation Secretary is indeed "legally married, [but] that is a legal fiction."

The organization linked to an article in which it criticized Buttigieg for defending his marriage in a recent interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, who suggested Buttigieg should not have taken his husband as part of an official delegation to the Netherlands for the Fifth Invictus Games.

Bill Donohue, the Catholic League's president, said Buttigieg doesn't actually "have a husband" because he "has been disqualified by nature."

You can see the organization's tweet below.

The tweet soon caught Martin's attention and he replied saying Buttigieg is "legally married," adding:

"Like it or not, Pete Buttigieg is legally married. You may disagree with same-sex marriage (or not). But [Buttigieg] is married in the eyes of the state, and his church, as much as anyone else is. To claim otherwise is to ignore reality."

You can see Martin's tweets below.

Many praised Martin for speaking out.

Others leveled criticism at the Catholic League directly.

Martin has previously made headlines for speaking out against Republican politicians for politicizing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In early 2022, Martin criticized Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson after Johnson chastised people who trust COVID-19 vaccines over the "natural immunity" he attributes to God.

After Johnson downplayed the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and insisted that natural immunity poses a more valuable hinderance to the virus, Martin tore into Johnson for lacking "brains" and has since continued to chastise Republicans for spreading lies about vaccines and COVID-19 immunity.