It is one of the signal achievements of the MAGA antichrist cult that after years of BS complaints of being the victims of “religious persecution” due to coffee cups not to their taste and stupid “War on Christmas” phony butthurt, this evil pack of liars who always use accusation as their form of confession should stand revealed as the real anti-catholic bigots and persecutors.
From Religion News Service:
The man who left a recording on Appaswamy “Vino” Pajanor’s voicemail earlier this month spoke with an even keel, but his message was anything but calm. Over the course of roughly 40 seconds, the caller accused Pajanor, the head of Catholic Charities San Diego, of “facilitating illegal immigration,” “breaking the law” and being “not really Christian.”
The man saved his most volatile remarks for last, calling Pajanor, an immigrant and U.S. citizen, “scum” and much worse before ending with “Go back to India, you piece of garbage,” according to a recording provided to Religion News Service.
Over the past few months, Pajanor and staffers at Catholic Charities across the country, a decentralized, 113-year-old faith-based non-profit, have become the targets of right-leaning media personalities, conspiracy theorists and even members of Congress. The smear campaign is rooted in opposition to offering aid to immigrants, which critics frame as incentivizing illegal immigration, while sometimes accusing faith groups of breaking the law or working with drug cartels.
The result has been a series of unsettling incidents that have transpired near or even inside Catholic Charities facilities in what officials say is a rapidly growing threat to their safety.
“We have never seen this level,” Pajanor said, referring to the avalanche of vitriol he and his staff have received. “Some of our team members have been here for 20, 30 years, and they have said they have never seen such a thing happen.”
Some local agencies of Catholic Charities assist migrants after they’ve been processed by Customs and Border Protection, providing resources such as food, clothing and short-term housing before asylum-seekers depart for other parts of the country ahead of a scheduled court date with immigration officials. The Catholic group is one of several faith-based organizations — including Lutheran and Jewish groups, among others — that have long partnered with the federal government to offer such services.
“Catholic Charities agencies staff and volunteers all around the country choose to spend their time serving those most in need, like families whose homes were destroyed by a natural disaster, seniors who can’t afford their medicine, and hungry children in need of a nutritious meal,” Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, the national membership organization that advocates for local agencies, said in a statement.
“Their work should earn respect and admiration, not demonization.”
Conservative Christians who cosplay as martyrs when a jock says something stupid in a commencement address or an actor makes a crappy right-wing propaganda film and nobody sees it constantly fantasize that liberals hate Christ. No. Liberals beg Christians to act like Christ. And when Christians act like Christ, they get applause for it from the alleged Christ haters–and death threats from the MAGA cult.
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9 Responses
I find it curious how people who consider themselves to be such “good Christians” can hate immigrants with such intensity. Many seem to gleefully talk of razor wire, alligators and other dangerous items to be installed along the border. They seem to have no problem with immigrants, including children dying painful deaths.
Right Wing Catholics and Evangelicals seem to think that they, and they alone speak for God. Perhaps the Gospel of St. Donald of Mar A Lago?
The “Christian Nationalist” types appear to have made common cause with Catholics on the abortion issue. (On this matter, I fundamentally echo Mark’s position.)
I’m sadly amused by this. I guess most Catholics don’t understand that many if not most of our Evangelical brothers and sisters don’t like us, individually or in religious fraternity. They don’t think that Catholics are Christians, or more charitably assert that “some are”, in a guarded way. There is no inclusion of Catholic ideas or individuals in their religious dominion.
The MAGA Cult of bigots and predators are (very temporarily) all one in Donald Trump. It is idolatry.
They seem to regard him as Jesus with a funny haircut and an extra 100 lbs. I keep waiting for him to walk across the Potomac.
|There is no inclusion of Catholic ideas or individuals in their religious dominion
I’m going to ride my pet hobby horse again – the USCCB.
There is no Christian sect that has a more rigorous school of moral philosophy than the Catholic Church. Most of the evangelical Churches have no philosophy worth it at all. Given that rich intellectual tradition and rigour, it is a profound act of immorality when the USCCB is not providing the moral direction to Catholics. They are hiding behind a fig leaf of plausible deniability in how they are addressing the MAGA virus. Most of the leadership is infected by it.
It is not as if they don’t have historical lessons to learn from – Argentina, Chile, Germany, Spain. They should know that when you mix goat$h!t with raisins, you get goat$h!t and not raisins
Did you investigate whether non-Catholic charities that support immigrants are being targeted in similar ways? This could be immigrant-persecution rather than Catholic-persecution, unless you’ve isolated that variable.
It’s not about the charities. It’s about the refugees.
So hard to understand. It feels like things are upside down and awful.
Catholic Charities is the one here following Christ, AND the teachings of the Church (corporal works of mercy).
It is good to contemplate the life of Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, while he was on earth. Jesus grew up not in Rome, Athens, Sparta, Alexandria, or even Jerusalem, but in the very poor town of Nazareth. Jesus’ father Joseph was a ‘tekton,’ a skilled worker, but as a migrant worker, did ‘ergatoi’ unskilled work if there was not ‘tekton’ work available. As such, Joseph was considered below average socially, as he was working for hire, and wasn’t working on his family’s lands. Jesus had the other social disadvantage of having his parentage questioned (he was called ‘Son of Mary’). Jesus prioritized spirituality, following John the Baptist. Jesus was not a king or a warlord, but a holy man and a healer. As such, Jesus drew crowds of followers. These followers were mostly very poor, and many social outcasts. As part of his healing ministry, and probably also due to practical necessity, Jesus began to teach the crowds. When given the opportunity, Jesus insulted and made fun of the Pharisees and elites–the people who put heavy yokes on the peasants. Eventually Jesus was seen as a threat and put to death.
As Catholics we believe that Jesus is resurrected, which brings us joy, and causes us to “love as God has loved us first.”
Jesus’ example changed the world. Today we are the “Body of Christ” and are called to continue Jesus’ example and work in the world.
In the case of this post, we see clearly that Catholic Charities is the one carrying on this tradition of Jesus, and it is MAGA who is doing the exact opposite.