Posted on 02/10/2026 6:07:57 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
A quiet cold war is happening across America — one that many Americans might not be aware of if they’re not tuned into the changes underway in America’s Christian communities.
On one side is the religious right’s use of scripture and faith to justify and defend President Donald Trump’s agenda — and growing Christian nationalist sentiment. On the other side is the reshaping of the American Catholic Church, under Pope Leo XIV.
Through new appointments, orders to his bishops to speak out about immigration, and public comments critiquing the direction of the US under Trump, the pope is setting up his bishops and priests to be evangelizers, to be vocal about human dignity, and to be a counterweight to the authoritarian and nationalist tendencies of the right.
While the church has long played a role in US politics, Pope Leo’s interventions, according to Christopher Hale, a Catholic writer and political activist who writes the Letters from Leo Substack, represent something new.
In the absence of a well-organized “religious left” in America, he told me, Leo’s moves to reform and shake up the American Catholic Church are reinvigorating a “Catholic left” to engage in the moral struggles of the 2020s, specifically around immigration and creeping authoritarianism.
(Excerpt) Read more at vox.com ...
Ever been to Western NY?
I worked with some very committed Catholics and asked them once, near election time, why in light of the church’s position on abortion, they voted democrat?
The answers I got, when asked separately, were almost identical. “because the democrats are for the poor”.
Central NY wasn’t much better although that’s where I met my first non democrat voting Catholics.
No, I have never been in any part of NY state west of Manhattan.
Guess they fooled the Pope too
“Pope Francis begged for forgiveness in an unprecedented letter Monday and said Catholic leaders were to blame following a grand jury report last week that found more than 1,000 children were sexually abused by “predator priests” in Pennsylvania for decades.”
Im deranged but you deny the truth.
You keep missing, or ignoring the point as do most Catholics when they knee jerk excuse the behavior of their church in this regard.
A couple factors to consider are that of all people, whose who claim to be the representatives of Christ on the earth, have NO excuse for allowing or enabling any kind of sinful behavior. Catholicism takes the moral high ground on so many issues and not only turned a blind eye to the child sexual abuse, but actually enabled it and protected the priests by shuffling them around to new parishes and hushing it up.
Considering the Catholic church loves to take responsibility for the Bible, they sure don't do a very good job of obeying it.
Also, the damage done to someone spiritually by having someone claiming to represent God and engaging in behavior like that, is incalculable.
It leaves the poor kid with this image of God as being a child molester. What kind of loving father image of God does that portray?
Also, the criticism is not that the abuse happened to occur, but it's over the Roman hierarchy's despicable handling of it.
Everyone knows you can only do so much to stop a predator. Abusers will find a way.
But they don't need their superiors to watch the door while it's going on. THAT is where the Catholic church more than dropped the ball. It made itself complicit with the sin.
My condolences.....
If you get the chance, take the Southern Tier Expressway through the Southern Tier of NYS all the way out to Lake Eire. It’s BEAUTIFUL. It’s one part of NY that I truly miss.
And stop by Corning Museum of Glass if it’s at all up your alley.
the Catholic church is neither left nor right in political terms
“And stop by Corning Museum of Glass if it’s at all up your alley.”
I should. Over the last 20 years Corning Glass stock has been, to paraphrase Garrett Morris, “berry berry good to me.” Who knew that they’d pivot so well from kitchenware to fiber optics.
Another straw man. You aren't worth the time.
What does the kid who was diddled by a Priest care that in Islam its okay to bang 12 year old kids? I live in Boston. I have lived here for most of my life. What went on in Pennsylvania went on a hundred other places… Boston being extremely high profile example. These werent lies or propaganda. You belittle the victims with the whataboutism and conspiracy theories. It was bad-thats the truth.
What does islam have to do with my comments about Catholicism?
And what alleged conspiracy theories am I belittling any victims by?
Is it a conspiracy theory that priests molested the kids?
Or that they were shuffled around to different parishes without anyone knowing and so they found new, unsuspecting victims?
Or that the Catholic leadership DIDN’T address the issue in a Scriptural fashion?
Answer: No
I agree with that statement.
If I understand correctly, the Catholic Church uses the term 'social justice' to mean helping people - the poor, the sick, and so on.
Imagine Jesus mixing with politicians. Boy oh boy_
He’d tell it like it is....let the chips fall where they may. To he__ with ‘em
Canaanites and all
Quote-This is the reason that religion and politics don’t mix well.
_________________
They sure don’t __
Oil and water__
This Christopher Hale is a regular on X where his Communist sympathies are plainly on display.
My bad. I was conversing with someone else, thats who I thought I was answering. Sure abusers are going to abuse… the same way gun laws wont stop a killer who is intent on killing. The catholic church screwed up horribly. Chased me a away… then as life goes on the crisises of faith add up.
The apostles were apostles. I’m specifically talking about Mohammed.
-SB
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