BY GERRY CHIDIAC
Lessons in Learning
Significant opposition to the Donald Trump administration in the United States is coming from a surprising place: the Roman Catholic Church.
As a Catholic who believes that every person is a sacred child of God, I have long been disillusioned by the weakness, cowardice, and immorality of church officials. The one exception was Pope John Paul II taking a stand against the Soviet Empire in the 1980s. If there is anything positive about his papacy, it is this. Jean Paul’s message – “Be not afraid” – resonated first with people in his native Poland and became a significant factor contributing to the eventual demise of the Soviet Union.
In the world allied with the United States, Christian nationalism has been used to justify unbelievable violence. Today, for the first time, the Catholic Church has leaders who are not afraid to stand up to those who control the world’s largest military and speak up for the despised and vulnerable in this world.
American Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth expressed a Christian nationalist worldview recently when he delivered the following discourse: “Almighty God, who trains our hands for war and our fingers for battle…. Frustrate the wicked plans and break the teeth of the ungodly…. Pour out your wrath upon those who plot vain things, and blow them away like chaff before the wind. Grant this task force clear and righteous targets for violence. Surround them as a shield…. Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them …. overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy…. We ask these things with bold confidence in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ, king over all kings. Amen.”
The current Pope, Leo XIV, seemingly responded to Hegseth in his Palm Sunday sermon, stating, “Brothers and sisters, 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.’”
Similar to John Paul’s understanding of life in the Soviet Bloc, Leo, as an American, speaks American English, and demonstrates a profound comprehension of American culture and media. He also recognizes that many of the immigrants targeted by Trump officials for deportation are Catholic.
It was reported that members of the Trump administration actually threatened the Pope and the Catholic Church; however, this is disputed. What is clear is that Leo and the leaders in the American Catholic Church are not backing down. Timothy Broglio, the Archbishop of the US Military, stated that the current war being waged in Iran may not meet the standard of a “just war” according to Catholic teaching. His advice to Catholics involved in the fighting is: “Do as little harm as you can – and to try [to] preserve innocent lives”. This is in stark contrast to the demands of Pete Hegseth.
To further clarify the issue, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following statement on April 15:
“For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war. A constant tenet of that thousand-year tradition is a nation can only legitimately take up the sword ‘in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2308). That is, to be a just war it must be a defense against another who actively wages war.”
American Vice President J.D. Vance personally delivered an invitation from Donald Trump to Pope Leo for the 250th anniversary of the founding of their country this year. He politely rejected the offer, choosing instead to spend July 4 with people on the island of Lampedusa, a transit point in the Mediterranean Sea for refugees trying to find their way to Europe.
Unfortunately, courage among the Catholic hierarchy has not been universal. Pope Leo, like his predecessor Pope Francis, is outspoken in support of the rights of Palestinians. The Catholic Church in Canada, however, ignored nearly two years of indescribable human suffering before issuing an official statement in support of citizens of Gaza.
Nonetheless, it is inspiring to finally see Catholic leaders who embrace the Gospel message to “be not afraid” in practicing the teachings of Jesus, rejecting the violence of the powerful and embracing their role to serve the oppressed of this world.
Gerry Chidiac is an award-winning high school teacher specializing in languages, genocide studies and work with at-risk students. Check out his website here. Find him on Facebook. Or on Twitter @GerryChidiac