Letter: Pope Francis was right

“Once capital becomes an idol and guides people’s decisions, once greed for money presides over the entire socioeconomic system, it ruins society. It condemns and enslaves men and women, it destroys human fraternity, it sets people against one another.“ (Pope Francis)

As I sit this Saturday morning, the spring unfolding outside my window, I am watching accounts of Pope Francis’s funeral, knowing that recently we elected the current president only because so many Catholics and those of other Christian denominations voted for him, I ponder the question of where have the conservatives gone. In choosing to elect this inept and blundering bully they have discarded the values of their faith as well those of the GOP—once the Grand Old Party. They have turned away from our constitutional democracy to support a demagogue who is rapidly destroying our system of government along with all that makes a good life and a unified country possible.
I grew up in a family of Republicans, conservatives, back in the late 1940s and 1950s, when Dubois County was overwhelmingly Democratic, including most of my family’s friends. This often led to hearty debates, which always ended on a good note because in those days, friendship trumped differences of opinion.

The one thing the two parties had in common then was their dedication to democratic principles such as the primacy of the constitution and the separation of powers. Both parties were staunch believers in the motto: “United we stand, divided we fall”, and they worked together towards that end recognizing that democracy is often messy and the necessary compromise is never perfect. Since Donald Trump was first elected in 2016, like many people, I have had no meaningful representation in congress because increasingly, the divisions were deepened when the conservative congress turned away from their values, instead vowing to support the most unqualified person for the office rather than ALL their constituents.

Since then, we watch President Donald Trump–a felon, a liar, an inciter of riots, and a man totally without morals– grow increasingly vengeful, disrespectful, deranged. Now that despite his previous failures he has been re-elected, he has filled major leadership posts with the most unqualified people available. He continues to make hateful, threatening comments to those whom he fears or dislikes, fires those who disagree with him as he makes alliances with dictators, and deports people without due process.

In short, he fails to uphold the values that have made America the envy of the world. His actions clearly send the message that his only goal is to become dictator in chief in a world he does not understand, funneling its wealth to the handful of the very rich at the expense of all others.

And sadly, a large number of Republicans, both voters and congressional representatives, have deserted their conservative pasts and refused to impeach him when they had a chance, recanting their initial horror at his treasonous January 6th attempt to overthrow the government. Whether fearful of being mocked by the vengeful president, desirous of keeping his favor, or due to lack of understanding of what we are facing, his supporters excuse the bullying, the disrespect in the unholy pursuit of power, accepting this departure from what matters most—concern for quality of life, empathy, compassion, kindness—things that are basic to our human nature and make our lives worth living. These intangibles are being displaced to the point it is destroying our country, our world, and our own souls.

Concerned and thoughtful people from both parties, as well as independents, are outraged with good reason. Protests continue and grow larger, and while an absolutely perfect outcome is likely not possible, we must at least speak out and demand adherence to the constitutional principles the country is founded on be followed, along with the morality, kindness, and respect which foster unity. These principles hold true for all people, no matter what color their skin, their gender, their country of origin, or what religion they belong to. We need the conservatives among us to stand up and reclaim the GOP. In addition, we need a more active and unified democratic party to meet them halfway.

Above all, we need to listen to the wisdom that underlies all world religions along with secular age-old stories of our past as well: that humans are all one people and we have evolved because of our ability to live and work together. Pope Francis was right. Only if we can respectfully learn to listen to those we disagree with, and humbly dialogue with one another, can we identify the significant realities of our time to work together to create a world where all people–indeed all creation of which humans are only a small part–can flourish unfettered. Sadly, if we fail to do that, we face untold misery, if not annihilation.

Sincerely,
Jeanne Melchior
Jasper