Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life

On the eve of Ash Wednesday—which, of course, marks the beginning of one of the most prayerful periods of the liturgical year—the discussion of Latino interests in the time of Donald Trump’s administration turned, perhaps in a rather timely manner, to prayer. The prayer that was discussed, though, was not necessarily prayer for our politicians as they govern our nation or the Latino populations that their policies affect, or even prayer as a source of solace from the doings of the administration.

Rather, as Bishop Dorsonville-Rodríguez turned to the topic of prayer throughout the course of the evening, he spoke about it as something of a tool—a mechanism through which to become better citizens of America and of the world. He shared a vision of prayer as a means to open our own hearts to our human brothers and sisters; to seek and strive to listen to God’s intentions for us as Americans in this time of xenophobic rhetoric. Such prayer, he said, can aid us to discern how we, as Catholics and as citizens of our world, may extend our hearts and our hands to the other, especially refugees and immigrants seeking refuge in America.

These sentiments were quite reminiscent of Pope Francis—perhaps unsurprisingly, given that John Carr, the director of the Initiative, described Bishop Dorsonville as “a Pope Francis bishop before there was a Pope Francis.” Francis has spoken throughout his papacy about the importance of prayer, including its power to open our minds to the poor and vulnerable. When he visited the U.S.-Mexico border in February 2016, for instance, Francis offered in a homily: “Let us together ask our God for the gift of conversion, the gift of tears, let us ask him to give us open hearts like the Ninevites, open to his call heard in the suffering faces of countless men and women.” More recently, on March 14, he exhorted his Twitter followers:

Let us pray for one another so that we may open our doors to the weak and poor.

For these messages and the light and love that Pope Francis breathes into the world, María Teresa Kumar described him as “a guiding light for our Church” and “the most astute politician of our time.” She spoke about how his words and actions are “on the right track” of bringing unity and justice to our world—one that so desperately needs them.

Julia Greenwood (C'19) is an undergraduate studying American studies at Georgetown.