Welcome to Thursday. President Joe Biden, the second Catholic president, is inaugurated under a theme of unity, healing and decency. The annual March for Life is going virtual this year due to coronavirus pandemic and safety concerns. And in one of his first acts in office, Biden began the process for the U.S. to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change.
"For there is always light," poet Amanda Gorman recited at the Jan. 20 inauguration of our country's second Catholic president, "if only we're brave enough to see it / If only we're brave enough to be it."
Earlier that day, while attending Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Joe Biden heard from the prophet Isaiah that "the light shall break forth like the dawn." He would echo that theme in his hope-filled inaugural address, urging Americans to write an American story of unity, healing and decency. He even quoted Psalm 30 that "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
"As someone who has drawn on his Catholic faith throughout his personal and political life, President Biden and the events surrounding what was likely the most Catholic inauguration in our history reflected Biden's belief both in democracy and in a God of resurrection," NCR writes in our editorial. "And he accomplished something our own church leaders have been unable to do: He reminded the American public that the church can be a force for good."
You can read more of our editorial here.
More background:
One year after Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to speak in person at the March for Life in Washington, the event has gone virtual because of concerns about the pandemic and safety.
"The protection of all those who participate in the annual March, as well as the many law enforcement personnel and others who work tirelessly each year to ensure a safe and peaceful event, is a top priority of the March for Life," Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, said in a statement on Jan. 15 announcing that the march will be virtual.
The march, which is scheduled for Jan. 29, will consist of a handful of pro-life leaders gathering to march. The event will be livestreamed.
The March for Life is held each year on or close to the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in 1973 in Roe v. Wade that made abortion legal across the country. Usually, tens of thousands participate in the march.
You can read more of the story here.
This week, we continue our series, Building a Common Future, in which we asked Catholic politicians, activists and scholars to offer advice to President-elect Joe Biden.
"Building our common future: It's what the United States, indeed, the entire world needs right now," we wrote in an editorial introducing the series.
Today's commentary comes from Yunuen Trujillo, an immigration attorney, a faith-based community organizer and a lay minister, and focuses on sensible policies toward LGBTQ persons. "LGBTQ persons are dehumanized when we frame their lives and life experiences solely as a political agenda, when we fail to see the human being in front of us and to recognize their needs," she writes.
You can read Monday's commentary from José Luis Vilson on a fair and equitable education system here. Tuesday's commentary from U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic can be read here. Wednesday's commentary from NCR political columnist Michael Sean Winters on how Joe Biden needs to fulfill his responsibility as head of state can be found here.
Read the rest of Trujillo's commentary here.
More headlines
- At Global Sisters Report, sisters on the border hear the tragic stories that forced people to seek asylum in the U.S. only to be deported. Immigration proceedings are on a loop of delays or cancellations — made more dangerous by COVID-19.
- In part two of her series on women religious and women deacons, Phyllis Zagano says that the diaconate does not replace religious life. The diaconate is necessary for those women religious for whom it is a genuine vocation, distinct from their vocation and identity as religious.
Final thoughts
To continue our Building a Common Future series, we are hosting weekly livestream events with some of the writers of those commentaries. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) will join us on Facebook at 1:30 p.m. Central time today as NCR executive editor Heidi Schlumpf, NCR political columnist Michael Sean Winters and Social Service Sr. Simone Campbell of Network talk about the series. The event will also be streaming live on our YouTube page.
Until Friday,
Stephanie Yeagle
NCR Managing Editor
[email protected]
Twitter: @ncrSLY
