This morning I re-read the statement I put out last Jan. 6, when the world watched in horror as a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol in a coordinated, deadly attempt to overturn the legitimate results of a presidential election. archchicago.org/statement/-/ar…
We should all agree that those who instigated and participated in such anti-democratic crimes should be held accountable. People died that day, and soon after. Some were killed. Some took their own lives. Many others were gravely injured.
They are still learning how to live with the trauma. But all of us must awaken to the reality that the rights we Americans hold dear are secured only by the legitimacy of our form of government.
The lies that led many millions to believe the falsehood that the 2020 election was “stolen” must end. We must also be vigilant and resist all attempts to restrict voting rights. We ignore these and any effort to weaken our democracy at our own peril.
This moment of anti-democratic sentiment is not unique to the United States. As @pontifex recently noted in Athens: “Today, and not only in Europe, we are witnessing a retreat from democracy.”
“Democracy requires participation and involvement on the part of all. Consequently, it demands hard work and patience,” @pontifex said, when he visited Athens, the birthplace of democracy last month.
“It is complex, whereas authoritarianism is peremptory, and populism’s easy answers appear attractive.” The Holy Father is right. The work of building up the common good through democratic processes is not easy.
It requires the participation of all sectors of the citizenry, not only those at the center of society, but especially those at the margins. That’s why it’s called the common good.
But make no mistake: If we succumb to despair, if we numb our minds to what is unfolding before us, we are tacitly surrendering our democracy, and all that it can do to protect the dignity of all God’s children.
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