Nation needs to unite, but challenging issues remain

     Now that the national elections are over and the popular vote indicates a sharply divided country, where do we go from here?
     If we look at the election results carefully, the important thing to realize is that, more or less, about 50 percent of the people in the United States were pleased and about 50 percent of the people in the United States were not. I think President Obama got about 50.3 percent of the popular vote (59.7 million votes) and Governor Romney got about 48.1 percent (57.1 million votes). So, where does that leave us? It certainly indicates that we as a people are politically divided and polarized. It also means that our Congress continues to be divided and polarized. But whether our candidate won or not, we are now called to be a people who will work toward unity and toward the good of the country. We must pray for the president and all the members of Congress to be instruments of moving our country forward. It would be unfortunate at this point, regardless of whether our candidate won or not, if we were to become hard-headed or bitter. That obviously would not be the will of God. Whatever the outcome, God calls us as a people of faith to work together and to continue to look at the issues that can bring us together. That being said, we certainly do have issues that remind us that our country is going through very significant challenges.
    What are those issues?
    There is the unemployment problem. What can we do to help people find meaningful jobs to be able to support themselves and their families? For us as Catholics, there are some major issues, especially the issue of religious freedom, the redefinition of marriage and the sanctity of human life. The attack on religious liberty has not gone off our radar. We have to continue to dialogue with the president and his staff about that issue, and we also have to see where the lawsuits advocating for our religious freedom go in the courts. After this election, we have seen more states redefine marriage in a way that goes counter to our church teaching of marriage as a sacrament and marriage as an institution that unites a man and woman together for their mutual benefit and also for the benefit of their children.  There are practices in our country, especially abortion and euthanasia, that have become acceptable. We must continue to advocate by making our Christian voices heard, not just so that legislators might hear this but also so that people within our local community can hear this. We can’t become hopeless or cynical or negative about these challenges. We have to look at the issues and see ways in which we individually and we as leaders of our church can have some voice and influence.
    Have you received any updates from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops about where the HHS mandates stand?
    Several months before the election it seemed as though there was an openness on the part of the administration to further the conversation. Then, from my understanding, that openness to dialogue was withdrawn. I think it’s never too late to ask for the dialogue to be restarted or renewed. I can’t speak in the name of the bishops’ conference, but I hope we would move in that direction.
    What can local Catholics do?
    We need to stay informed and not be afraid to advocate. Whether your particular position or the position of the church is being fostered, we must still be a voice for Christ and the teachings of the church. We also must be people who have our ears and our hearts open to listening to others with differing viewpoints. Hopefully, through discussion and conversation, we might be able to help people come to a better understanding of what God is calling us to do.
    How will the HHS guidelines affect archdiocesan entities?
    Our pastoral ministry offices at the chancery and throughout the archdiocese, as well as parishes and Catholic schools, should not be affected because we qualify for the exemption and we are not forced to do or say anything that is contrary to Catholic teaching. But there are other institutions down the line where these rules become much fuzzier. The rules may affect Catholic hospitals, Catholic universities and other Catholic organizations. Imbedded in all of this, of course, is the individual Catholic who owns a business and who will be forced to do some things that are against his or her own  conscience.
    Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected].