LACROSSE, Wis. – Former Catholic Bishop Raymond Burke of LaCrosse, now a cardinal, continued to struggle with Covid on a hospital ventilator, according to a statement from the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Shrine, which has assumed a role as Burke’s spokesperson, said he was sedated in serious but stable condition. A Shrine update said that Burke’s family and the cardinal himself have “great confidence” in the care he is receiving. The Shrine declined to disclose where Burke was hospitalized. It is known that he was stricken while visiting family in Wisconsin. The nearest critical-care ventilators are are at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and Gundersen and Mayo hospitals in LaCrosse.
Vaccine naysayer
Burke is among the most theologically and politically conservative prelates in the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Throughout the Covid pandemic he has been critical of social distancing, masking and vaccines. Without evidence he has pushed conspiracy theories about microchips in Covid vaccines. He has used the Trump phrase “Wuhan Virus” as a backhanded slap at China, where the virus was first identified. Burke has never confirmed whether he himself ever accepted the vaccine.