This week’s election news was dominated by one event. Reaction to the events of last Wednesday, when insurrectionists stormed the capitol, included calls for the impeachment of President Trump and prayers for unity.
The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests issued a statement, acknowledging that we as pastors and lay leaders — as well as our national hierarchy — have got to do better. The statement was issued Monday, January 11.
For the rest of this week’s Wisdom Wednesday collection, we’ve sorted our pieces into two categories: hard news about the insurrection and its aftermath, and editorials and opinion pieces that have poured in from so many sources since last Wednesday.
Editorials, opinions, and other reactions to the storming of the capitol
National Catholic Reporter and American Magazine both published editorials calling for impeachment. NCR said, after the attempted coup, impeaching the president was a moral obligation.
America Magazine called for immediate impeachment, concluding that:
The assault on the national capital will be remembered as one of the most despicable events in American history. And there should be no doubt about why it happened and who caused it.”
The headline was blunt: “Impeach. Convict. Now.”
Another NCR editorial, in a similar conclusion with the AUSCP challenge to do better, said that Catholics need to confess their complicity.
Writing for RNS, Jeffrey Salkin brought a Jewish perspective for his column, titled, “If you’re religious and supported President Trump, can you simultaneously believe in God and the president?”
Maina Mwaura wrote an opinion piece for RNS, urging evangelicals to “stand up and call out our political leaders.” Mwaura noted that Senator James Lankford is a prominent member of Promise Keepers with conflicting values.
News about the insurrection and its aftermath
Pope Francis prayed for those who lost their lives in the assault, and prayed for unity, as reported in a news item by Religion News Service. Francis said:
Nothing is earned through violence and everything is lost.”
Religion News Service offers a wealth of information in examining the insurrection and its ongoing impact. RNS reported how the new House chaplain calmed some of the tension during the assault.
Three writers for RNS examined the Sunday sermons of Trump supporting Christian leaders on the Sunday after the Wednesday assault.
And, finally, if you’re like most people reading an AUSCP report, you want to examine the sources. Here is the four-page House resolution, “Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.”