Our National President John Berry released a statement on 31 October in which he categorized the government shutdown as a “bipartisan moral failure” and portions of that statement are quoted in the article below. Since this Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA post I am sharing does not allow for comment, I’ll share my thoughts here. Many of us don’t want to offend anybody, and in order to not step on anybody’s toes we blur the lines between truth and falsehood, good and evil — to live as if “both sides” are equally right or equally wrong. Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, founder of the Society, saw this clearly in his own century. Living in 19th-century France, a society shaken by revolution, secularism, and growing inequality, Ozanam warned that moral ambiguity can easily become moral cowardice. He wrote, “We are not asked to invent truth but to witness it; not to excuse error but to love those who err.” (Letters to His Friends, 1848) For Ozanam, true charity was not vague. Love must be joined to truth — because truth is what gives love its direction and meaning.
Today we see what is happening, and it is clearly not “bipartisan moral failure”. As Frederic asked us to be witnesses to truth, let’s lay out some facts. One party passed a bill that slashed aid to the poor and middle class by cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP and the ACA, and the leader of that party signed that bill into law. The bill passed without any support from the opposing party. These cuts were opposed by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA. Every past government shutdown SNAP benefits were not curtailed. The fact that they were curtailed in this shutdown was due to Donald J. Trump. In fact, the only reason that partial benefits are to be restored is due to court actions, not by the willingness of the Trump administration.
We now see ICE and Customs and Border Patrol terrorizing our neighbors, we know who gave them their orders and who they are working for, there is no bipartisanship in these actions. We are witnessing injustice, immorality, and evil all being done by our government, under the leadership and direction of Donald Trump.
When we recite the Creed we state, “he suffered under Pontius Pilate.” Our Church Fathers did not have a problem with naming the truth. They didn’t decide to play it safe and call it a bipartisan moral failure. They simply called out Pontius Pilate by name. And we continue to do so nearly every Sunday.
As Vincentians we are called to see the face of Christ in each other and in particular in our suffering brothers and sisters. We must have the moral courage to call out by name who is causing or adding to this senseless suffering. They suffer under Donald Trump, his supporters, and by those who lead us to moral ambiguity.
Meanwhile as we witness cruelty and the attack on truth, our Conference will continue to focus its efforts to provide some support and comfort to those suffering. We just purchased and distributed more Chicago Shares so our homeless friends in need who receive SNAP can continue to be fed.
We are hosting a Free Community Meal this Sunday from 3 to 5:30pm at Friendship Community Place, 5150 N. Northwest Highway. We hosted a coat drive last Sunday, and are providing new clothing and new beds to people in need in our neighborhood.
We regularly provide lunches for the poor in our neighborhood as they work through their struggles to find housing. We are working closely with migrants who are now forced to live in terror, and whose human dignity is under attack. We continue to work with those who are serving those in need by providing material support to Pope Francis Center, St. Stan’s Soup Kitchen, and our new relationship with the Little Sisters of the Poor.
All this is being done due to the generosity of our parishioners. We are truly grateful. May God continue to bless us all, to be our hope, to increase our faith, and to allow truth to form and direct our love.
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Dave McNaughton