Posted on 05/15/2021 4:24:00 PM PDT by ebb tide
NEW YORK – As masks come off and the U.S. begins to move past the COVID-19 pandemic, Cardinal Blase Cupich wants Catholics to stay vigilant about social issues that continue to plague the nation, always putting the poor and marginalized first.
“Whatever the project, however complex the issue or how enormous the challenge, the starting point must be a deep and loving respect for the poor, uniting with them, accompanying them, and encountering them with an appreciation for their creative capacity to pursue the life God has always intended for them,” Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago, said Friday.
Cupich made the remarks as part of a keynote address to attendees of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) 50th anniversary virtual gathering.
In his address, he noted the “striking” similarities between the social unrest of the past year and the time when the campaign was founded.
“Just as the events in the church and society of the late 60’s created momentum for the campaign, the confluence of this past year’s crises compels us to redouble our efforts, to examine the social and economic issues in light of fostering human development,” Cupich said.
“This is an opportunity to reimagine how we live together. How we work, govern, educate, and invest in individuals and neighborhoods and develop ways for people to succeed, for parishes to strive, and communities to prosper,” he continued.
The chief societal issue that Cupich mentioned was the sin of racism that “continues to erode our national soul.” That, combined with the “longstanding inequities exacerbated by the pandemic,” Cupich said, “demand attention and action.”
He also noted that even in a growing economy it’s important to recognize those that “fall through the cracks” economically. And “unity that fosters diversity” is key to fixing stifling the increasing political polarization, he said.
As the virtual gathering continued other presenters discussed ways the campaign, Catholic organizations and the lay faithful can continue to move forward social just issues. Like Cupich, they emphasized focusing on the poor, marginalized and oppressed.
Sister Julia Walsh, a CCHD intern with the Archdiocese of Chicago Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity noted that while religiosity and religious affiliation continue to decline across the country other social movements, such as the Black Lives Matter movement from last summer, remain strong.
“That to me is a great sign of the times,” Walsh said. “We need to as a church listen to those who are oppressed. Those who are poor and let them change our hearts, be in relationships with them, and follow their lead as they work for the justice that they need so they can flourish.”
She added that in a similar sense it’s important for the youth that are privileged to encounter the youth on the margins and follow their lead.
For Gabby Trejo, executive director of Sacramento ACT (Area Congregation Together) – a multi-faith organization that works to create a fairer and just community in the Sacramento area through congregation-based community organizing – accountability of elected officials is also important.
She recognizes that government officials came through with funding once the COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated societal injustices, but claims that’s only one piece of the puzzle.
“Now we have to follow the money and make sure that the money is used in the ways that we imagined,” Trejo said. “This is an emergency now but we want to have healthy communities for the long term, which means we have to save this fight always.”
“This really is a marathon so accountability to me is a big piece of the of the questions we need to ask as a community,” she continued.
Like the others, Monsignor Robert Vitillo, the secretary of the International Catholic Migration Commission, also acknowledged the importance of focusing on the poor and marginalized. However, he did so from a different angle.
He noted that the privileged should now recognize how important a role the poor and marginalized play in the country for our everyday lives.
“COVID has really overturned things,” said Vitillo, who led the CCHD from 1997-2005. “We see that the very people who were seen as not so important – the informal workers, the people without documents – became the essential workers during this time of COVID.”
“So, those of us who are privileged have a lot to learn about their strength and their resilience,” he continued.
Racism, not the murder of millions of babies, is Cupcake's primary societal concern.
Cupich Barf Alert Ping
>>always putting the poor and marginalized first.
What is marginalized? What does marginalized mean?
50million+ children killed out of convenience and spite?
Sidelining white people and shaming them at every turn?
Denying them employment and advancement in the workplace?
Cities protecting the rights of assembly for RIOTERS but shutting down churches and even outdoor gatherings to celebrate Easter Sunday?
Plenty of people are marginalized by society these days. But it is politically incorrect to point it out.
The is the power post of the day, well done.
I hear the phrase “speaks truth to power” but it only ever applies to Leftist positions.
He didn’t leave much else to be said 👍🏻
Where does one FIND racism in modern America - outside of black-only entitlement programs?
In addition, this nincompoop sets up the poor as God. We are to worship them, and not notice that many of them are poor because of sin and very bad decisions.
Maybe some one should tell him that poverty is SOMETIMES - certainly not always, having spent time with very little income myself - but sometimes the consequence of rejecting God.
I wish someone would marginalize Cupich and a few other of his fellow bishops.
Cardinal Dupek.
How many of the marginalized are due to children out of wedlock and drug addiction? In other word, sin.
From what I’ve read Cardinal Blase Cupich covers for perverts in the church. Anyone mention Christ the King parish to him?
Plenty of people are marginalized by society these days. But it is politically incorrect to point it out.
................................
Excellent post from start to finish! Generalized terms such as “poor” and “marginalized” when referred to using absolute terms such as “always” should NEVER be accepted at face value. Intelligent people will always demand specificity regarding the use of these terms.
And we keep importing an eternal underclass of unskilled uneducated people and putting them to work.
Poverty will always be here, let alone throughout the world.
In some nations poverty is imposed by dictatorial fiat and if aid is given (even purely as food and provisions, not financial) they “people” do not receive it.
But it was “wrong” for us to help depose people and certainly “wrong” for us to impose “imperialist” desires for how aid is used or oversight to its use or for religious organizations to preach to the underclass.
The same Leftists who decry all of this “imperialism”, “influence”, and “theocracy” are A-OK with Communist and Islamic imperialism throughout Africa and Asia and “Latin America”.
I don’t shame unwed mothers. I have known women who became pregnant in that 28-35 frame. Some tried to even settle(down) with the baby daddy others did not.
But all of them who did not abort have found such joy in being mothers and did settle down in life. I cannot fathom how some of them have still taken their daughters to “pro-choice” rallies.
And adverse conditions are not recommended but I have heard the lifestories from people who were even placed in orphanages or grew up in poverty and it gave them a drive to go out and inovate, perform, create, invent, etc.
Who knows what talented people we destroyed with 50 million dead people??
I agree abortion is much worse. However why are single women getting pregnant? God speaks against that. Ministers should preach more to men and women about that sin but they don’t want to offend anybody.
I don’t honor these women, but I have gifted neccesitites at baby showers.
The children are innocent.
And I have seen some of them straighten up and fly right.
Some even refused marriage proposals before it happened and “did their thing” as the feminists encouraged.
But they definitely became more career focused and wanted to give their kids more of a role model after they became parents.
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