It’s easy to throw names at people, it’s easy to say s/he is left wing, right wing, fascist, conservative, liberal and zillions more.
In Trump’s world socialists and communists are all the same, they are the baddies.
Isn’t it odd, on the one hand, there is a current tendency to move away from binary thinking and yet when words such as far left far right are thrown around we are back thinking in binary terms.
But that does not mean we can’t have concerns about trends and views.
We have all seen the world that Donald Trump is attempting to create in the US and further afield; it’s not a friendly loving environment.
Unfortunately Trump’s world finds echoes worldwide.
Over a number of years the American Catholic Church seems to be attracting Trump-like figures to its numbers. There is a significant number of bishops, who express unusual views of what it means to be a Catholic.
On a positive note, Pope Francis removed Bishop Strickland. Pope Leo was not slow to replace Timothy Dolan as archbishop of New York with Ronald Hicks, who is a protege of Blase Cupich, one of the US’s most outstanding bishops.
Dolan’s canonical visit to Ireland in 2011 proved little or no help to the faith of the Irish people. And that’s being kind about it.
Unfortunately some groups within the Irish Catholic Church seem to be influenced by an American church that causes division and hankers after a past that is over.
It is a pity that the Irish episcopacy and provincials of religious congregations are remaining quiet about the upsurge of this US fundamentalist trend.
Yes, it might well have a flurry and bustle to it, there might be something catchy and attractive to it, it might well be full of drama and attract media attention but in the long run it will not serve well the Catholic Church in Ireland.
It will be interesting to see whom People Leo will appoint as bishops in Ireland in the months and years ahead.
There is every reason to hope.
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