Friday, May 01, 2026

There Was A Time…

 …when monarchs washed the feet of the poor during Holy Week, as a recognition of the Christian duty to be servant of all, even the least regarded, even the marginalized.

Granted, the Church (universal as well as Catholic), has not always held that standard high, or emphasized the teaching that what we do for the least of these, we do for the Creator. I’ll take a sidebar here to say that was the basis and guiding star of liberation theology. JP II rejected that school of theology as being too close to communism; or too supportive of it. I’m not a scholar of that history, and don’t mean to critique the RC. America under Reagan did enough to destroy the practice and teachings of liberation theology. I don’t need to damn the Catholic Church.

Now comes Pope Leo, returning the Church to very old practices and teachings:

Pope Leo XIV has named prelate Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, a former undocumented immigrant, as bishop for deep red West Virginia — a move The Washington Post suggests is designed to send a direct message to Donald Trump about the church's stance on immigration.

Menjivar-Ayala, 55, migrated to the United States in 1990 and made history in 2023 when he became the first Salvadoran bishop in the country. Currently serving as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington, he is believed to be one of the first U.S. bishops born in Central America.

According to the report, the bishop has been vocal in his criticism of Trump's treatment of immigrants, publicly calling on Catholics to speak out against the administration's immigration crackdowns.

The appointment appears to be part of a broader pattern by Pope Leo XIV to elevate U.S. clergy who are willing to challenge Trump administration policies. On the same day, Leo named Rev. Robert Boxie III, 46, as auxiliary bishop of Washington.

Boxie, who serves as chaplain at Howard University, has spoken extensively about racial progress and warned that Trump's attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts represent a dangerous "regression" in the nation's journey toward racial equality.

"It's really frustrating — especially this moment that we're living in. The attacks on 'DEI' — I don't even know what that means anymore. It's a term that's been hijacked. It means a lot of things to a lot of different people," Boxie told the Catholic news agency OSV.

The timing of Boxie's appointment comes just days after the Supreme Court significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act — a decision that has intensified concerns about racial progress in America.

Since becoming pope last May, Leo XIV and his highest-ranking U.S. allies have become increasingly direct in confronting the Trump administration on multiple fronts, including immigration policy, diversity initiatives, and the administration's war in Iran.
What the Pope is doing depends on who’s seeing it, because the question is a matter of interpretation. Actually, what he’s doing is clear; the question is: why?

First, the new Bishop to Virginia is also the first Salvadoran bishop in America. Leo is the first American Pope. Francis was also from the “New World,” meaning not Europe. Leo, like Francis, is trying to make the Church, universal. He may have a preference for American prelates in pursuit of that goal.

Or maybe it’s all about fucking with Trump.

Harry Truman famously said: “I didn’t give ‘em hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell.” It’s more likely the Pope is not thinking about how next to needle Trump, and only thinking about leading the Catholic Church. It’s not that Leo is single-mindedly opposed to Trump, but that Trump is so openly opposed to the teachings of Christianity. (I’m not going to sidebar on Franklin Graham and Paula White. All I’ll say is that I consider them whited sepulchers, at best.) Trump’s administration is practically the anti-Christ in its actions toward the poor, the marginalized, the alien, among us. America has never been too kindly towards those groups, but Trump makes it the reason for his administration, not the side effect. For example, a few headlines just regarding Texas:

Given that, the Pope renewing the call of the Church to care for the least among us, and for the alien, inevitably sounds political. But that’s because of our politics; not the teachings of Christ.

Although those teachings are what got him killed in the first place. The more things change….
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)