Time to call a spade a shovel?
By Joe Burns, Commission member
I think that, probably like many people, I have been a bit of a rabbit in headlights when it comes to things that Donald Trump and his coterie have been saying and doing since the end of January. When faced with such Orwellian ‘Newspeak’ I find myself scrambling to find the right way to respond.
A recent public letter from a parish priest in Ohio to his Bishop has helped me to put it all in perspective. It is so good that the rest of this article is some extended quotes from it.
Our new Secretary of State, the Catholic Mr. Marco Rubio, says that the United States is not in the business of doling out charity, that foreign aid demands a return on our investment, and that it should be given only to those who can increase our “security.” With the snap of a finger, we stop lifesaving food and medicine to millions of poor people around the world, so that we can be more secure. Mr. Rubio, let me say that doing charity is exactly what we should be about as a nation. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more,” (Lk. 12:48) Security? Mr. Rubio, you may want to read Jesus’ parable about building “bigger barns.” (Lk. 12: 16-21)
The entire issue of immigration and the treatment of disenfranchised people is a complicated one, balancing rights and responsibilities, common good and individual good. Certainly, the processes to enter this country seeking asylum and/or citizenship must be reviewed and perhaps totally reworked. But the scripture is abundantly clear: All people are created in the image and likeness of God. All are children of God and have an inherent dignity that comes solely from that and the fact that the Son of God died for each one of them. We are to pay special attention and care to the “widow, the orphan and the alien [immigrant].” What could be clearer? To label the bulk of these people as “murderers, thieves, rapists, nut cases,” as Mr. Trump regularly does, is simply untruthful and a despicable affront to humanity. Almost as despicable, is the Vice President, Mr. J. D. Vance, also a Roman Catholic, accusing the American bishops of caring about immigrants only because they (the bishops) “are in it for the money, the federal funds that come their way.” [cf. Mr. Vance’s interview on CBS Face the Nation, 01-26-25] Abominable.
I am aware that millions of Christians voted for Mr. Trump because he professes to be “pro-life.” A pretty shaky definition of “pro-life.” Would a “pro-life president” cut off programs aiding women and children living in poverty (one of the principal reasons troubled women reluctantly choose abortion)? Would a “pro-life president” advocate expanding the death penalty to include even more vast numbers of people, many of them suffering from mental illness? Would a “pro-life president” turn a blind eye to the catastrophic climate crisis facing our “Common Home” and in fact propose policies that will increasingly put our fragile planet in even greater, more precipitous danger? Would a “pro-life president” label immigrants fleeing poverty and oppression as “vermin, poisoning our blood”? (Perhaps 1930’s/40’s Germans would have considered Adolph Hitler to be “pro-life”—he stood for the same things.) And even the façade of being “anti-abortion” has fallen away as Mr. Trump now says he would veto a national ban on abortion. He is “pro-life” as long as there may be votes in it for him.
I find the argument that bishops, priests, religious women, the Church, should not get involved in “politics” to be specious at best. “Just talk about God and Jesus,” they tell us. “Exactly,” I say. And what does Jesus say about love, justice, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, solidarity, fraternity…? Proclaim it to the ends of the earth. Politics is life. It is people encountering people, and the Church must always be in the midst of those encounters. True, we do not support a single political “party,” but we must never shy away from proclaiming the human and spiritual values which must animate our political discourse, whatever the party.
This is just a portion of what this priest had to say, and it is reassuring in some measure to hear such voices coming from the USA.
You can read the full text of the letter here: https://auscp.org/a-shared-letter-from-a-priest-to-his-bishop/
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