Bishop Anthony B. Taylor of Little Rock, Arkansas issued this statement Jan. 24 on polarization and partisanship in today’s world.
The moral decline of our country is real. And we are doomed to repeat failures of the past if we are not willing to remember them and learn from them. Polarization and partisanship are poisoning the social fabric of our country. In this, there are many obvious parallels with the 1930s, and that should give us pause.
I have just finished two terms on the board of directors of Catholic Relief Services, and so I have a clear understanding of the negative impact of the discontinuation of our government’s funding for USAID and other programs, which CRS administers through dioceses and local actors throughout the world.
This is a pro-life issue. And it will remain a pro-life issue so long as millions of people continue to live lives trapped in desperate circumstances, where countries with means refuse to help.
The United States is not Germany in the 1930s. But it is sobering to see similar patterns reemerging from that fateful decade. We have reason to worry about the direction our society has taken in recent years. And we have reason to work to shore up our democracy before it is too late.
My hope and prayer is that, along with Pope Leo, we might strive toward peace as a good in itself. And if we think we are powerless to do anything to change the minds of our leaders, well, that’s exactly what many told themselves in Hitler’s time.
To continue reading this article, click here.
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor was ordained and installed as bishop for the Diocese of Little Rock on June 5, 2008. His episcopal motto is: “The Humble Shall Inherit the Earth.”
This column first appeared at Arkansas Catholic, the news outlet of the Diocese of Little Rock.
With thanks to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Bishop Anthony Taylor, where this article originally appeared.
