In a recent column, AUL Board member George Weigel writes of the late Pope John Paul II and how his view of America evolved during his life. One particular observation of the beloved pontiff (from 1997) seems particular apropos as America inaugurates a new President:
No expression of today’s [American] commitment to liberty and justice for all can be more basic than the protection offered to those in society who are most vulnerable. The United States of America was founded on the conviction that an inalienable right to life was a self-evident moral truth, fidelity to which was a primary criterion for social justice. The moral history of [America] is the story of [its] people’s efforts to widen the circle of inclusion in society, so that all Americans might enjoy the protection of law, participate in the responsibilities of citizenship, and have the opportunity to make a contribution to the common good. Whenever a certain category of people — the unborn or the sick and old — are excluded from that protection, a deadly anarchy subverts the original understanding of justice. The credibility of the United States will depend more and more on its promotion of a genuine culture of life, and on a renewed commitment to building a world in which the weakest and most vulnerable are welcomed and protected.
Let’s pray the President Obama and his Administration take heed of this wisdom.
