This article is part of America’s series applying Ignatian principles to election season.
We are in month 47 of the 2024 presidential election, which for all intents and purposes began the day after the 2020 election. It feels like month 407. And once again, many faithful Catholics are feeling like political orphans.
If you want a humane and just response to immigrants on the U.S.-Mexico border, Donald J. Trump makes a blunt promise to “carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.” He and his Catholic running mate, JD Vance, have spread false rumors about Haitian immigrants “eating pets.” My ancestors were immigrants seeking peace, prosperity and religious freedom. This is true for most asylum seekers currently in the United States. Does Mr. Trump wish that my great-great-grandfather had stayed in Europe?
Pro-life Catholics cheered the end of Roe v. Wade in 2022. But the womb is not a “safe space” in 2024. The “Meet Kamala Harris” page on her campaign website shows her smiling in front of the Orwellian slogan “Reproductive Freedom.” To drive home the point, Planned Parenthood set up a mobile clinic outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago—offering vasectomies and prescriptions for abortion pills. Ms. Harris has called for the elimination of the filibuster in order to codify the abortion protections of Roe v. Wade nationwide.
Many Catholic conservatives are eager to highlight Ms. Harris’s many deficiencies, while gently brushing away Mr. Trump’s disastrous personal and political acts. Catholic liberals love to hate Mr. Trump, and there’s plenty to hate, but are entranced by Ms. Harris’s vibes. I am an ambidextrous Jesuit, casting stones at both glass houses.
The Jesuit maxim cura personalis means “caring for the whole person.” It calls us to comfort the afflicted, especially the poor, the immigrant, the pregnant woman and her unborn child. In the spirit of the Old Testament prophets, this teaching also compels us to afflict the comfortable. I’m reminded of a quote from Pope Francis: “Make a mess.” We’ve got less than one month to go. Let’s try it.
Go to the websites of both Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump and click on “contact us” or “join the movement.” Enter your email address or cell phone number. I don’t want to do this either. Hear me out.
They will contact you. Reply this way: “I’m an undecided Catholic voter. I support your position on ___.” (Find something you like; it might be difficult.) “However, I am deeply troubled by your position on ___.”
For the very bold, donate $1 to each campaign. This will get their attention. They need votes and donations. If you’re a Catholic woman in a battleground state, they will listen to you. Offload your internal frustration onto their campaigns. Afflict them. “Make a mess.” American democracy includes both thoughtful conversation and peaceful, creative protest. We tried the first. Now let’s try the second.
If you do this, prepare yourself for a few rounds of spunky 22-year-old interns cheerily trying to convince you: “She’s not that bad, really. And besides, he’s worse!” (Flip those pronouns for the Republican side.) Don’t let them off the hook. Stay “undecided” in your correspondence. Follow up with, “I have another question.” Tell the campaigns that you will be posting their responses.
Post your exchanges on your social media so that your friends see it; they can imitate your peaceful, annoying protest.
Keep at it and you might hear from the 45-year-old boss of the 22-year-old. A polished M.B.A. voice will call you: “Hello! We appreciate your donation and your interest in our candidate. Maybe I can answer some of your concerns about our next president.” Follow up with the boss: “Trump wants to deport immigrants. My relatives were immigrants. What is his plan for legal immigration?” Or: “Harris says that she supports women and families. I’m pro-life. Which of her policies will reduce the number of abortions?” Make them compete for your vote. Tell them you’re in contact with their rival’s campaign.
Maybe you’ve already decided on the lesser of two evils. I’ll ask you to make a jesuitical move: Act as if you are undecided for the purpose of this activity. Anything could happen in a few days; look at the last few months.
Jesus dialogued with his political and religious rivals, calling them to enter the kingdom of heaven—with the poor, the peacemakers, the hungry, the oppressed and little children. He was not above flipping tables to get their attention. The time is short: two weeks until this election. Can we change these candidates’ minds? I don’t know. Can faithful Catholics get their attention? Yes. Can our voices and cash convince them to alter their positions on essential issues? I hope so.
Let us pray. Pray for both candidates, their vice presidents and their families. Pray for our country. Pray for our world. Pray for peace. Pray for the “least among us.” Reach out to one of them today—a homeless man, an elderly woman, a child, an immigrant. In his monthly intention for August, Pope Francis asked us to pray for political leaders. I imagine that the United States was among the nations on the top of his mind.
Shakespeare wrote, “A plague on both your houses!” A newsman in a classic film proclaimed, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take this anymore!” Pope Francis looks into our eyes and says calmly, “Make a mess.”
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