Dear Editor: Does anyone share my extreme disappointment in the absence of a response from leaders of the Catholic Church to incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus’ disrespectful comparison of our president-elect to Jesus (per his Christmas Day 2016 holiday greeting: “Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new king.” (Huffington Post, Dec. 26, 2016)?
Add this to then-candidate Trump’s own comparison of himself to Jesus at the Oct. 20 Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner (“also the son of a carpenter”), and we have what amounts to blatant mockery of the foundation of Catholicism.
Statements such as these coming from the world of entertainment are harmless – rightfully protected by free speech – with citizens having the option to boycott their source. But when they emanate from political leaders, especially those days away from taking command of the Oval Office, they constitute an affront not only to Catholicism but to all Christianity – and to religious freedom. These remarks are not part of a stand-up comic’s routine. They are coming from people in power. They are unacceptable and can only portend further malignment of and movement against people’s religious beliefs by our incoming administration.
Is Cardinal Dolan aware that by participating in the inauguration he is condoning this behavior and supporting the rhetoric and actions of proponents of white supremacy and fascism? Is he aware that he is tacitly endorsing a POTUS who not only disdains immigrants but supports the ideology of an enemy clearly chomping at the bit to regain control of Eastern Europe and Central Asia? Have we forgotten another time in history, during which the Church remained silent, where eerily similar vile rhetoric and actions resulted in the extermination of 11 million people, Catholic priests among them?
This is not the time for our ecclesiastical leadership to acquiesce. This is a time to speak out against the threat of fascism.
ROSE EMMA
Dyker Heights
The Catholic Church supported Donald Trump because of his stand on abortion. Church leaders turned a blind eye to his messages of hate. We now stand before the nations of the world with a narcissistic fascist as our leader. How long will it take for the Church in the United States to realize what has happened? Do the bishops hear the message of Pope Francis?