Vatican warns US Catholic of alliance of hate

Vatican Warns US Catholics About Alliance of ‘Hate’ with Evangelicals

Vatican warns US Catholic of alliance of hate

Vatican proposes inclusiveness, the US Catholics do not

U.S. Catholic conservatives are being warned by the Vatican about their alliance of “hate” forged with evangelicals[/tweetit] in their bid to support President Donald J. Trump. The insinuation that U.S. Catholic conservatives have shifted to a polarizing political stance has been made by La Civilta Cattolica. It has been noticed that the editor of the journal has promoted this specific article from the time it got published.

Vatican Warns US Catholics About Alliance of ‘Hate’ with Evangelicals[/tweetthis]

Marcelo Figueroa and Antonio Spadaro, the authors of the article wrote, "Religion has had a more incisive role in electoral processes and government decisions over recent decades, especially in some U.S. government." They went on to elaborate, writing that the American version of Catholicism provides a moral bulwark for identifying the good from the bad. The authors stated the mix of religion, politics and morals have morphed into a Manichaean language which demarcates the reality which exists “between absolute Evil and the absolute Good.” President Trump, in the present time, has started and continuing the “fight against a wider, generic collective entity of 'bad' or even 'very bad.'” They concluded Trump's supporters use tones which carry meanings that could only be described as “epic.”

The article in the heart of the storm is published in La Civilta Cattolica, the historic Jesuit magazine. The two authors of the article belong to the Jesuit community. Pope Francis also belongs to the Jesuit order. Most interesting is the fact that the pontiff knows both the authors quite well. Antonio Spadaro interviewed the pope in 2013. The published interview was quite well received and brings to light Pope Francis' concerns about the links between right wing Catholics and fundamental evangelicals in the United States dividing in politics.

The article talks particularly about Islamophobic and xenophobic viewpoints. Pope Francis strives to create a dialogue in counter culture, and working with individuals from all political and religious backgrounds. The authors explain in their article the American right wing have been doing exactly the opposite. Instead of building bridges, which the Vatican extols, they are intent on constructing walls. Concerns regarding immigration are played up with hate being stoked against refugees. In short, the conservative American Catholics are doing the exact opposite of what is being preached by the Vatican.

Resources

Follow the Conversation on Twitter