Welcome to Friday. Millions of Catholic voters supported President Donald Trump over Catholic President-elect Joe Biden, leaving some to reflect on this moment with disappointment and resignation. Religious communities have a critical role to play in mitigating and resolving violent conflict stemming from rising global temperatures.
Just as he carried the second highest vote total in the history of U.S. presidential elections, Donald Trump lost the 2020 popular vote to Joe Biden's even greater record total — but also carried about half of U.S. Catholics.
So as Biden — the second Catholic to be elected president in U.S. history — prepares to take office on Jan. 20, millions of his coreligionists not only supported his opponent, but many did so doubling down on the choice they made to support Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016.
As these Catholic voters process Trump's loss and reflect on the turmoil facing the country, they reflect a mix of subdued disappointment and resignation.
"I don't know what Trump is, to be perfectly honest. And there are a lot of things that I appreciate and like about him. And there's a lot of things that really grate me and cause a lot of confusion and frustration," said John Kopinski, a Catholic husband and father of five based in southeast Michigan. "This decision was one of the hardest I've had from a voting perspective."
You can read more of the story here.
By now it's well understood that climate change leads to rising seas and rising temperatures. It is also increasingly linked to rising conflicts.
In 2014, the Pentagon issued a major report that referred to climate change as both posing "immediate risks to U.S. national security" and being "a 'threat multiplier' because it has the potential to exacerbate many of the challenges we are dealing with today — from infectious disease to terrorism."
Religious communities have a critical role to play in mitigating and resolving violent conflict stemming from rising global temperatures, says Karenna Gore, founder and director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, in New York City. EarthBeat recently spoke with Gore and James Patton, ICRD president and CEO, about the role of religion in mitigating and resolving violent conflicts fueled by climate change.
You can read more the interview here.
More background:
More headlines
- No one is better equipped to help heal the nation and restore confidence in government than President-elect Joe Biden, says NCR political columnist Michael Sean Winters. But in order to unite the country, he needs the cooperation of the Republicans, or of at least some of them.
- ICYMI: Pope Francis urged global governments in his message for 2021's World Day of Peace to shift spending away from military needs in order to help those experiencing poverty and to provide better healthcare to their populations.
Final thoughts
Every Friday, we pull together letters to the editor from readers like yourself. This week, we are publishing responses to NCR political columnist Michael Sean Winters' recent column discussing an article by Archbishop Charles Chaput about whether President-elect Joe Biden should receive Communion. You can join in the conversation by following the guidelines here.
Until next time,
Stephanie Yeagle
NCR Production/Online Editor
[email protected]
Twitter: @ncrSLY
P.S. I will be taking next week off to spend time at home with my family, but the newsletters will keep coming. Keep an eye on your inboxes.
