The father-daughter reunion at a Catholic school in suburban Chicago was weeks in the making. U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Konrad Otachel recently made a surprise visit to St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic School in Palatine to see his daughter, Naomi, a kindergartner.
Everyone’s reflections flashed across the face of a shiny, stone memorial on a speck of parkland called “Father Giorgio Triangle.” Etched into the memorial is the portrait of a young man — the park’s namesake.
On Nov. 10, when the fate of the Affordable Care Act faced the Supreme Court for the third time since it was signed into law 10 years ago, the justices seemed willing to leave the bulk of the law intact even if they found one part of it to be unconstitutional.
Author Phil Klay of Queens, an Iraq War veteran, explained that even in a so-called “just war,” the combatants cannot shrug off memories of violence they’ve inflicted. “So,” Klay added, “when you try to confront issues that our existence throws up at us, you have to rely on different tools. And that’s how I came back to religion.”
Archbishop Gomez said he believes “at this moment in American history, Catholics have a special duty to be peacemakers, to promote fraternity and mutual trust, and to pray for a renewed spirit of true patriotism in our country.”
Political observers say President Donald Trump kept his support among white evangelicals — eight in 10 voted for him — but African Americans and Hispanics, both mostly Christian, favored Biden with overwhelming margins.
If Joe Biden is certified as the winner of the election and becomes the 46th president of the United States on Jan. 20, Catholics will be looking carefully at the new administration to see how it aligns with their deeply-felt views on issues.
By mid-morning Nov. 7, Joe Biden was projected by news organizations, to capture enough electoral college votes to win the 2020 election and make history as the second Catholic commander-in-chief in United States history.
As the dust begins to settle from the tumultuous 2020 presidential election in America, it’s possible that if Biden finally prevails, outside his campaign team no group will emerge as bigger fans of the mail-in ballot than Pope Francis and his allies in the Vatican.
Joe Biden has been projected as the winner of the presidential race. President Trump refused to concede the election.
