Pope Francis sent a courageous letter to the US bishops on February 10, 2025. In it, he calls on “ all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters.” In it, he points out that “we are all called to live in solidarity and fraternity, to build bridges that bring us ever closer together, to avoid walls of ignominy.”
In the text, the Pope adds: “an authentic rule of law is verified precisely in the dignified treatment that all people deserve, especially the poorest and most marginalized. … This does not impede the development of a policy that regulates orderly and legal migration. However, this development cannot come about through the privilege of some and the sacrifice of others. What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly.”
It is no secret that extreme right-wing US conservatism has sought to convince many Catholics of the belief that the new administration’s policies are in conformity with faith in Jesus Christ. Within this mentality, ideas are compiled from very diverse sources, which are naively embraced by US Catholics who do not realize that they fundamentally distort Catholic teaching, sound anthropology, and the principles of a just and free society rooted in respect for human rights.
Some of these ideas are: the Protestant “prosperity gospel” that has gradually found sympathizers among some elite Catholic groups; the Gnostic conspiracy theories that allege a secret infiltration of both the State and the Church; the “moralism” so strongly denounced by Benedict XVI that reduces Christianity to a merely ethical proposal, leaving aside mercy and compassion towards the poor and those far from the Church. And of course, these ideas include a version of “libertarian” thought and strong doses of fascism. This mentality distances itself enormously from the primacy of the dignity of all persons, as well as from the principles of subsidiarity, solidarity, the universal destination of goods, the authentic international common good, and the preferential option for the poor.
The antecedents of this pathological worldview are easily traceable for the attuned observer: French counter-revolutionary thought, Charles Maurras, Carl Schmitt, Ayn Rand, Irving Kristol, Paul Gottfried, Richard Spencer, and the esotericism of Julius Evola, among others.
Pope Francis, in the face of this highly polluted atmosphere that protects decisions against the poorest and those who have been cast aside, has made his voice heard on the global stage, saying: “The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement.” May we Catholics learn from Francis and discover our calling to stand and bear witness against the tide. Now more than ever, we must remember that Catholic social teaching does not merely offer “permanent principles” and “criteria for judgment,” but also “guidelines for action.”
This article has been translated from the original Spanish and posted on Where Peter Is with permission from the author.
Image: Pope Francis blesses US bishops gathered in St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, DC, during his apostolic visit to the United States in 2015. YouTube screenshot.
Rodrigo Guerra López is the secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Originally from Mexico City, he graduated in philosophy from the Free Popular University of the State of Puebla, Mexico; he was then awarded a higher degree in university humanism from the Ibero-American University, Mexico, and a doctorate in philosophy from the International Academy of Philosophy of the Principality of Liechtenstein.
He has held the role of academic coordinator of the John Paul II Pontifical Institute in Mexico City and has served as professor of metaphysics, bioethics, and philosophy of law at the PanAmerican University, Mexico. In 2013 he held the Karol Wojtyla Memorial Lectures at the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland.
From 2004 to 2007 he directed the Observatorio Socio Pastoral of the Latin American Episcopal Council. In 2008 he founded the Centro de Investigación Social Avanzada (CISAV), of which he is professor-researcher of the Division of Philosophy and member of the Consejo de Gobierno.
He is a member of the theological commission of the Latin American Episcopal Council and of the Pontifical Academy for Life, and is the author of numerous publications in the field of anthropology, bioethics, and social philosophy.
Popular Posts