Religious leaders need to call out this administration’s disastrous policies

By Rev. Raymond L Tetrault
Pax Christi Rhode Island

“Before the world was made, we have been chosen in Christ…claimed as God’s own…so that he could bring everything together under the headship of Christ” (Ephesians).

We in Pax Christi, the Peace of Christ, a Catholic peace movement, believe that the creator of this world has a plan, and that is to bring everything, every person, into union in glory with the risen Christ.  Any act that divides us, as persons or as nations, as religions, any act that harms others, is a sin against humanity and against our God.

We believe that Christians and all people of good will should become aware of such acts, must denounce them, and work to restore the unity and peace to which God calls us.

We know that our government under the leadership of President Trump has been guilty of such divisive and harmful actions like the sanctions against Iran which have prevented that country from selling its resources to bring in the money it needs to deal with the coronavirus which has caused the death of thousands of innocent people; and the withdrawal of millions of dollars from the World Health Organization which will cause the death of other thousands of people in poor countries around the world.

The countries of Europe have pledged billions of euros in an effort to find a vaccination against the coronavirus. The United States, which usually takes the lead in such efforts, pledged nothing, a sign of indifference and self-centeredness.

Additionally, the president cut funding for the Center for Disease Control and left us without the necessary equipment to fight the coronavirus which has caused the death of thousands of our people, and we have not seen the end yet. He disparaged the possibility that the virus would come to the United States despite the warning of intelligence agencies and many scientists. With the same indifference the president denies that global warming will affect the world. We can only imagine the staggering loss of life and suffering the world is in for under such leadership.

We believe that religious leaders who are called to bring about the plan of God to bring all together in Christ should make clear to the faithful this wide range of anti-life, anti-human, anti-God actions that are done in the name of the citizens of this country. We are called to something much better, more loving, and more unifying of the human family.

If we accommodate ourselves to this evil we may end up like the church in Nazi Germany, accommodated until it was too late.

May Christ give us courage.  May the peace of Christ reign in our country and in our world.