蜜桃交友

By Christopher Wells

With a raft of executive orders, newly-inaugurate US President Donald Trump is set to radically change the federal government's approach to a whole host of issues, from migrants and refugees to foreign aid, from the use of the death penalty to the environment.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, expressed concern that many provisions contained in Trump’s orders “are deeply troubling and will have negative consequences” and “will harm the most vulnerable among us,” while acknowledging that others might be seen “in a more positive light.”

Speaking with Pope on Friday, Archbishop Broglio explained that “the concern of my brother bishops and myself is that those who are most in need, particularly in a country that has tremendous possibilities” should not be “left behind,” or worse, “persecuted” because of their particular circumstances.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio

Human dignity is fundamental

He emphasized that while political reality can necessitate “some sort of compromise,” the dignity of the human person is not open for discussion. Pointing to Friday’s March for Life in the nation’s capital, he said, “That’s basically an assertion of the dignity of the human person, from the moment of conception to his or her natural death. That’s fundamental. That’s really not negotiable.”

When asked how the Church can contribute to the ongoing public debate, Archbishop Broglio insisted, “We offer primarily the Gospel, which says that we meet Jesus Christ in the person who needs us—and furthermore, that we’ll be judged on the basis of how we have responded to those concrete situations.”

Concretely, he pointed to the vast network of Catholic relief agencies that help people in difficult situations. “We want to make those possibilities available to those most in need,” he said.

He said the Church in America will continue to take this “two-pronged” approach in the coming weeks and months: first, “to continue to teach the Gospel and to try to negotiate as much as we can for changes”; and then, “to act concretely in front of our brother or sister who is in need.”

Pope: Archbishop, thank you for joining us this afternoon. In the wake of a slew of actions by the new president of the United States, you issued a statement expressing some, some deep concern about some of the provisions contained in President Trump’s new executive orders, notably issues such as immigrants and refugees, how they’re treated in the United States, the expansion of the death penalty, the effects of climate change. And you suggested that some of those actions might harm those who are most vulnerable among us. Could you elaborate on that?

Archbishop Timothy Broglio: Yes. The concern of my brother, bishops and myself is that those who are most in need, particularly in a country that has tremendous possibilities, that they’re not left behind, or worse, that they’re not persecuted because of their situation.

And so there’s great concern about protecting those who are ill, protecting children who might be U.S. citizens, but whose parents are still, their legal situation is still not regularized; to protect those who might be fleeing from situations at home that are impossible for them to really move forward.

And I think our response is twofold. One, to protect those who are already here, and [then] to urge the government to use the tremendous resources we have to try and ameliorate some of those situations in countries that are less advantaged so that people don’t have the same desire to leave so that they can find a better life at home rather than running the risk of all that’s involved in migrating to a new country and a new situation.

Q. Can you talk about what specifically the Catholic Church, and Christians in the United States, other people of faith, can offer in regard to the public debate and public action on these issues?

We offer primarily the Gospel, which says that we meet Jesus Christ in the person who needs us, and furthermore, that we’ll be judged on the basis of how we have responded to those concrete situations. That’s one thing we offer.

A second thing we offer is we have a tremendous network – of Catholic Charities, of migration services that respond to people in these difficult situations – and we want to make those possibilities available to those most in need.

And I think it’s important also to insist that we’re not advocating that the law be broken. We’re advocating that people who are in situations of need, that those needs be met, and also that there will be a reform of the immigration law in this country, which is, I think all would agree, desperately in need of modernization.

Q. And in this overall context, President Trump’s executive orders, some of the actions of his first days in office – and the response to them – are evidence or examples of great polarization in our country, in the United States, and something that Pope Francis has talked about quite a bit. Today is the beginning of the Jubilee for the World of Communication. Is there some way that the Church can foster dialogue, can help communication between people who seem to have very little to say to one another?

Well, we’ve tried to encourage for several years now the notion of civil discourse, that is, that two people can disagree, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t talk to one another and that they can’t try to rationally explain their positions and why they believe what they believe.

Unfortunately, in the United States, it has frequently become a dialogue of the deaf –with all due respect to people who have hearing difficulties – but it seems that we’re unwilling to listen to anyone else.

And the bishops have repeatedly called on people to engage in civil discourse, to listen to one another, and never to forget the dignity of the person who’s in front of them. He or she is also created in the image and likeness of God. And we can never forget that.

Q: In the context of your statement, in keeping on kind of this idea of division, you note especially that the Church is not now and has never been aligned with any political party in the United States. Is there room, with some of the issues that you raise (all have to do with fundamental questions of human dignity) is there any room for compromise on a political, and societal level on some of these issues?

Well, I think that… dialogue will probably always lead to some sort of a compromise. But obviously you see something like the dignity of the human person, that’s really not open for discussion.

Later this afternoon [ed. Friday, 24 January] we’ll engage in a march for life. And that’s basically an assertion of the dignity of the human person from the moment of conception until his or her natural death. That’s fundamental. That’s really not negotiable. I can’t discriminate against a person in need because of his pedigree. I have to respond to that need. And so, I think we can discuss how we do that. But I don’t think we can discuss that we do it.

Q. Some of the issues that we’ve talked about have been very important issues for Pope Francis, both in his teaching magisterium and in his appeals for concrete action. Can you talk about, as the Church goes forward in the coming years, does the USCCB, does the Church in America have some specific, concrete ideas of what we can do going forward?

We want to continue to reach out and to instruct people in what the Church teaches.

We also want to continue our efforts, both at the level of government and also at the level of a practical response to the situation of people in need. We will continue to do that. Our Catholic Charities are not going to close their doors.

So I think it’s a two-pronged approach. One is to continue to teach the Gospel and to try and negotiate as much as we can for changes. And then the second thing is also to act concretely in front of our brother or sister, who is in need.

Q. And one final question. More generally, the United States, being a very powerful nation and very rich nation, has an impact on the rest of the world. As the situation in the United States changes, how do you see you see the role of America in the context of the overall common good, the global issues that face everybody?

I think we should always maintain a position of leadership, because we do have so many possibilities, and I would hope that would be leadership in how to respond to concrete situations rather than leadership in how not to respond…. But I would hope that we would be a force for the good.

And as has so often been the case, we might be able to use our might and our resources to make the world better and to respond to some of those global issues that Pope Francis has called us to make a difference. And I think a place like the United States can make a difference. At least that’s my earnest hope.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.