Disreputable

Woe to those who plan iniquity and work out evil on their couches. In the morning light they accomplish it when it lies within their power. They covet fields, and seize them; houses, and they take them. They cheat an owner of his house, a man of his inheritance. Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I am planning against this race an evil from which you shall not withdraw your necks. Nor shall you walk with head high, for it will be a time of evil.

On that day a satire shall be sung over you, and there shall be a plaintive chant: "Our ruin is complete, our fields are portioned out among our captors, The fields of my people are measured out, and no one can get them back!" Thus, you shall have no one to mark out boundaries by lot in the assembly of the LORD. (Micah 2:1-5)

YES!  Woe to those who plan iniquity and work out evil on their couches!  Micah reminds us of the LORD’s warning and the fate of evildoers. Evil is not in the eye of the beholder.  It is plain for all to see, although many Catholics appear blinded by tunnel vision centered on opposition to abortion.  It is an understandable centering but results in a failure to see other evils. 

Consider the following article:  Catholics close to Trump: Who to spot at the Republican convention July 11, 2024 by Heidi Schlumpf.  I suggest we read this article after reading the recent New York Times Editorial Board opinion: “NYT editorial board calls Trump ‘unfit to lead’ The board called directly on voters to use their power at the ballot box against Donald Trump, regardless of who is ultimately on the ballot opposing him.” We Catholics also should read at least some of the alarming Project 2025 document that likely will serve as Trump’s blueprint if he is elected again. We will find many initiatives that run afoul of Catholic social justice, teaching, values, and morals.

(begin) During his presidency — and throughout his two previous presidential campaigns — Donald Trump has been surrounded by Catholic advisers, financial backers and supporters. This third campaign is no different. In fact, Trump may have a Catholic at his side as his vice presidential pick: Three of the eight people said to be on his shortlist are Catholics. While much has been made about the influence of evangelical Christians on Trump, including as his "faith advisers," a number of high-profile Catholics also have ties to, and influence on, Trump. They are expected to be seen at the exclusive parties, meetings and photo ops during the Republican National Committee convention July 15-18 in Milwaukee. 

Some Catholics previously close to Trump, however, are likely no longer as close. He has had public fallings out with folks like former Attorney General William Barr, who once said Trump shouldn't be near the Oval Office but who now has said he will vote for him, and Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of the powerful pro-life Susan B. Anthony lobby, who has criticized his softening views on abortion. Former GOP presidential candidate and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been a harsh critic since Trump refused to concede the 2020 election. In February, he said he would not vote for Trump "under any circumstances." 

At least two Catholic supporters are busy with legal woes: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a member of Trump's legal team, is facing bankruptcy and indictments related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon is serving a four-month sentence in federal prison for contempt of Congress. (end)

I continue to marvel at Catholic support for a man that is so disreputable.  His record and crimes speak for themselves.  Pope Francis also shares my wonder. I repeat Micah: Woe to those who plan iniquity and work out evil on their couches! Moreover: Pope Francis Calls Out Trump, Accuses Him of “Pro-Life” Hypocrisy The pontiff reignites an old feud. Vanity Fair September 11, 2017 by Tina Nguyen 

(begin) While conservatives like Paul Ryan have expressed reservations about Pope Francis, the Vatican’s ambiguously progressive social-justice warrior in chief, their differences of opinion pale in comparison to the Pope’s clashes with Donald Trump. The feuding began in earnest in 2016, when Francis criticized Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric as “not Christian,” an insult that Trump returned tenfold, accusing the pope of being a “pawn” of the Mexican government and warning that the Vatican would be “attacked by ISIS” if he were not president.

After the election, the two heads of state settled for a sort of détente: Francis welcomed the president and his family to the Vatican earlier this year for an awkward photo op and a brief meeting on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace, during which the pope slipped Trump two somewhat backhanded gifts: a signed copy of his 2017 peace message (“Nonviolence—A Style of Politics for Peace”) and a copy of his 2015 encyclical letter on climate change. “Well, I’ll be reading them,” said Trump, who almost certainly didn’t.

Unfortunately, the peace between the two doesn’t appear destined to last. On Monday, Francis criticized Trump again, this time for his decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), the Obama-era policy granting temporary protections to undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. “The president of the United States presents himself as pro-life and if he is a good pro-lifer, he understands that family is the cradle of life and its unity must be protected,” Francis told reporters on his plane, as he returned from a five-day trip to Colombia. Claiming to stand for life, and then pursuing policies that hurt immigrants and tear apart families, he implied, would be deeply hypocritical.

The pontiff admitted that he was unclear on the legal specifics of DACA, but called on the president to “make changes” to protect the vulnerable. “I think this law comes not from parliament but from the executive,” he said, apparently siding with Barack 

Obama’s interpretation of his presidential authority. A number of Republican state attorneys general disagreed, however, which was ostensibly part of the reason Trump announced that he would be ending the program, raising pressure on Congress to codify DACA through legislative means instead.

Francis also took a shot at lawmakers like Trump who deny the seriousness of climate change or refuse to do anything about it. “If we don’t go back, we will go down,” the Pope said, CNN reports, as his papal plane crossed Hurricane Irma’s path en route from Cartagena back to Rome. “Man is a stupid and hard-headed being,” he added. (end)

Deacon David Pierce