The sea and the desert have been places of mutual enrichment among peoples and cultures for millennia. Woe to us if we turn them into graveyards where even hope dies! Let us free these tremendous reservoirs of history and the future from evil! Let us denounce and remove causes for despair, and let us oppose those who profit from the misfortune of others!
Absurd and inhuman violence is spreading ferociously through the sacred places of the Christian East, profaned by the blasphemy of war and the brutality of business, with no regard for people’s lives, which are considered at most collateral damage of self-interest. But no gain can be worth the life of the weakest, children, or families. No cause can justify the shedding of innocent blood.
This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood” (Is 1:15).
I continue to follow the situation in the Middle East with dismay. Like other regions of the world, it is torn apart by war and violence. We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many defenseless victims of these conflicts. What wounds them wounds all of humanity. The death and pain caused by these wars is a scandal for the entire human family and a cry that rises to God!
The escalating dispute over an award for Senator Dick Durbin in the Chicago archdiocese has exposed deep fractures in the US hierarchy, and led to an unprecedented push by conservative bishops to issue a pubic rebuke against Cardinal Blase Cupich.
https://t.co/lKCivMmEbo
I've been reporting in East Africa on the impact of President Trump's USAID cuts, and I find that not only are children dying in large numbers but the pace is accelerating as stockpiles run out and people grow weaker. I also obtained an internal Trump administration memo stating that the cost of shutting down USAID is $6.4 billion over two years. That sum could save more than 1 million children's lives; instead, it is being spent to to shut down programs that save lives. Help spread the word. https://t.co/VN9XZIU0b3
War does not solve problems; on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of peoples, which take generations to heal. No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, or stolen futures. May diplomacy silence the weapons! May nations chart their futures with works of peace, not with violence and bloodstained conflicts!
The situation in Iran and Israel has deteriorated drastically. I renew my appeal to responsibility and reason. The commitment to build a safer world, free from nuclear threats, must be pursued through mutual respect and sincere dialogue, in order to build lasting peace founded on justice, fraternity, and the common good. No one should ever threaten the existence of another. It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace, initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that ensure security and dignity for all!
“Look with mercy, O heavenly Father, upon the people who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and fair opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of everything through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (BCP, 826)( edited)
Thinking of everyone in LA and across the country protesting these ice raids and looking out for their migrant neighbors tonight.
Inspired by this collect from the book of common prayer.
Icon: Mother of God: Our Lady of the Oppressed
If you are looking for a thoughtful treatment of new directions in moral theology since 2013, look no further…
👇 The book addresses perceptions of moral ambiguity and attention to discernment and accompaniment as key methods. 👏👏👏
Congratulations to SCE members @conormgkelly and @KristinHeyer on the publication of The Moral Vision of Pope Francis in @Georgetown_UP's Moral Traditions series! https://t.co/uguOBwuuDo
And I call for a development of church teaching as well as a recognition that conscience claims between patient, provider, and hospital can in fact conflict.
https://t.co/9BxH8EVWjP
@amylittlefield makes a good point here about the limitations patients experience at Catholic hospitals even in blue states. I write about it in my research…
https://t.co/9X9PIzJnXI
I've been reading @propublica's stories on the deaths of women from abortion bans with a mix of admiration for their reporting and grief for these avoidable losses.
But the story published today has a major oversight.
The hospital where this teenager died was Catholic.
Another dead woman.
Josseli Barnica was killed by the abortion ban in Texas, denied miscarriage care because her fetus still had a heartbeat.
They are killing us.
https://t.co/2Xch2n1B7l
Isn’t it fascinating how SSSJ can so adamantly assert that as a white person he needs to listen to Black people’s experience of racism as he forms his conscience… but then talk about abortion without acknowledging that he needs to listen to women?
Gloria Purvis and Sam Sawyer, S.J., discuss the Catholic imperative to form and obey one’s conscience, especially around two key voting issues: abortion and racism.
https://t.co/tN9XLlnq6J
Many don’t realize that the first people Hitler sent to his concentration camps weren’t everyday Jewish citizens, but his political opponents. So, when Trump rants about retribution, locking up his opponents, and giving them “very long sentences,” I can’t help but take him seriously… because history teaches us that is what fascist dictators do during their “Day One” period to consolidate their power. (After all, if you’re hellbent on staying in power but aren’t likely to win the next election, you can’t have your political opponents running around free.)
To keep fascism out of our lives, vote for democracy!