Election

U.S. Catholic bishops urge ‘fair representation’ on Voting Rights Act anniversary #Catholic A subcommittee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) urged policymakers to protect “fair representation” in elections ahead of the 61st anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 emerged from the sacrifices and perseverance of countless individuals who worked to secure the fundamental right to vote, particularly for communities of color that had long faced discrimination and exclusion,” said Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, chair of the USCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation.The USCCB issued the statement on Aug. 5, one day before the anniversary. The Voting Rights Act was enacted to combat Jim Crow laws that were designed to disenfranchise Black Americans.“For decades, the U.S. bishops have advocated for the right of eligible citizens to participate fully in public life, including the protection of voting rights,” said Garcia, bishop of Austin, Texas. “We encourage all citizens to exercise their right to vote and urge policymakers to safeguard voting rights and promote fair representation for all.”“Today is also an occasion to remember the hard-won history of voting rights in our country, and to recommit to the work which remains,” he added.Garcia also said in his statement that “today, many communities of color worry about how recent developments will impact their fair representation and future participation in the democratic process.”Recent developments could affect fair district maps, equal representation, and long‑term participation in elections. One development includes a 2013 Supreme Court decision, which ruled unconstitutional a provision of the Voting Rights Act that required certain states to obtain federal approval to change voting laws if that state had a history of disenfranchising voters.Another development included a 2020 ruling that upheld Arizona election laws that required voters to cast ballots in their assigned precincts and banned people from submitting another person’s ballot (unless that person is a family or household member).Rulings in 2023 and 2026 addressed racial gerrymandering, which is illegal under the Voting Rights Act. The 2023 ruling found a 2023 Alabama congressional district map to be illegal for not having any Black-majority districts and the 2026 ruling struck down Louisiana maps for relying too much on race in crafting districts.Although racial gerrymandering is illegal, federal law does not prohibit partisan gerrymandering.Garcia quoted Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, saying the bishops “affirm the value of democracy ‘insofar as it guarantees the effective participation of citizens’ as a reflection of their dignity.”“May we continue to work together for the common good and for a society in which all citizens are able to participate fully and faithfully in our democracy,” Garcia said.
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U.S. Catholic bishops urge ‘fair representation’ on Voting Rights Act anniversary #Catholic A subcommittee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) urged policymakers to protect “fair representation” in elections ahead of the 61st anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 emerged from the sacrifices and perseverance of countless individuals who worked to secure the fundamental right to vote, particularly for communities of color that had long faced discrimination and exclusion,” said Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, chair of the USCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation.The USCCB issued the statement on Aug. 5, one day before the anniversary. The Voting Rights Act was enacted to combat Jim Crow laws that were designed to disenfranchise Black Americans.“For decades, the U.S. bishops have advocated for the right of eligible citizens to participate fully in public life, including the protection of voting rights,” said Garcia, bishop of Austin, Texas. “We encourage all citizens to exercise their right to vote and urge policymakers to safeguard voting rights and promote fair representation for all.”“Today is also an occasion to remember the hard-won history of voting rights in our country, and to recommit to the work which remains,” he added.Garcia also said in his statement that “today, many communities of color worry about how recent developments will impact their fair representation and future participation in the democratic process.”Recent developments could affect fair district maps, equal representation, and long‑term participation in elections. One development includes a 2013 Supreme Court decision, which ruled unconstitutional a provision of the Voting Rights Act that required certain states to obtain federal approval to change voting laws if that state had a history of disenfranchising voters.Another development included a 2020 ruling that upheld Arizona election laws that required voters to cast ballots in their assigned precincts and banned people from submitting another person’s ballot (unless that person is a family or household member).Rulings in 2023 and 2026 addressed racial gerrymandering, which is illegal under the Voting Rights Act. The 2023 ruling found a 2023 Alabama congressional district map to be illegal for not having any Black-majority districts and the 2026 ruling struck down Louisiana maps for relying too much on race in crafting districts.Although racial gerrymandering is illegal, federal law does not prohibit partisan gerrymandering.Garcia quoted Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, saying the bishops “affirm the value of democracy ‘insofar as it guarantees the effective participation of citizens’ as a reflection of their dignity.”“May we continue to work together for the common good and for a society in which all citizens are able to participate fully and faithfully in our democracy,” Garcia said.

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Bishop Daniel E. Garcia said the Voting Rights Act was born from the sacrifice of those who fought to secure equal access to the ballot, especially for communities of color long denied that right.

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Catholic historians reflect on the Church’s role as America marks 250 years #Catholic As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, two Catholic historians say the nationʼs story cannot be fully understood without recognizing the role Catholics have played in shaping American life.In a July 3 “EWTN News in Depth” interview with Catherine Hadro, Kathleen Sprows Cummings of the University of Notre Dame and Christopher Shannon of Christendom College reflected on the complex history of Catholicism in the United States. Cummings, director of Notre Dameʼs Global Catholic Research Initiative, said it is difficult for many Americans today to imagine the level of hostility Catholics once faced.“It’s hard to imagine today the extent to which Catholics were seen as not welcome in the United States,” she said. Nineteenth-century Catholic immigrants, particularly those arriving from Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe, were often viewed with suspicion because they were poor, came from “undesirable” countries, and were believed to be “loyal to the pope.”“Anti-Catholicism in the 19th century often meant anti-papist,” Cummings explained, noting that many Americans feared the pope harbored “imperial designs on the United States.”Despite that prejudice, Catholics gradually demonstrated their loyalty to the nation through military service, civic life, and public leadership, she said.Shannon, author of “American Pilgrimage: A Historical Journey Through Catholic Life in a New World,” said Catholics ultimately proved themselves to be deeply patriotic, though often “on their own terms.”“Catholics seem just so darn American now,” he said.The conversation also highlighted the witness of American saints, including St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and St. John Neumann, whose lives demonstrated, Cummings said, the harmony between “patriotism and sanctity.”The historians also discussed Catholic political leaders from Al Smith to President John F. Kennedy, the challenges of living an authentically Catholic public life, and what the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope, means for American Catholics.Calling the moment “truly astonishing,” Cummings said an American pope “would have been a travesty at home and an absurdity in Rome” for much of U.S. history. Yet she emphasized that Catholics should remember Pope Leo “views the world not primarily through an American filter, but through a Catholic lens.”
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Catholic historians reflect on the Church’s role as America marks 250 years #Catholic As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, two Catholic historians say the nationʼs story cannot be fully understood without recognizing the role Catholics have played in shaping American life.In a July 3 “EWTN News in Depth” interview with Catherine Hadro, Kathleen Sprows Cummings of the University of Notre Dame and Christopher Shannon of Christendom College reflected on the complex history of Catholicism in the United States. Cummings, director of Notre Dameʼs Global Catholic Research Initiative, said it is difficult for many Americans today to imagine the level of hostility Catholics once faced.“It’s hard to imagine today the extent to which Catholics were seen as not welcome in the United States,” she said. Nineteenth-century Catholic immigrants, particularly those arriving from Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe, were often viewed with suspicion because they were poor, came from “undesirable” countries, and were believed to be “loyal to the pope.”“Anti-Catholicism in the 19th century often meant anti-papist,” Cummings explained, noting that many Americans feared the pope harbored “imperial designs on the United States.”Despite that prejudice, Catholics gradually demonstrated their loyalty to the nation through military service, civic life, and public leadership, she said.Shannon, author of “American Pilgrimage: A Historical Journey Through Catholic Life in a New World,” said Catholics ultimately proved themselves to be deeply patriotic, though often “on their own terms.”“Catholics seem just so darn American now,” he said.The conversation also highlighted the witness of American saints, including St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and St. John Neumann, whose lives demonstrated, Cummings said, the harmony between “patriotism and sanctity.”The historians also discussed Catholic political leaders from Al Smith to President John F. Kennedy, the challenges of living an authentically Catholic public life, and what the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope, means for American Catholics.Calling the moment “truly astonishing,” Cummings said an American pope “would have been a travesty at home and an absurdity in Rome” for much of U.S. history. Yet she emphasized that Catholics should remember Pope Leo “views the world not primarily through an American filter, but through a Catholic lens.”

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Dr. Kathleen Sprows Cummings of the University of Notre Dame and Dr. Christopher Shannon of Christendom College reflected on the complex history of Catholicism in the United States.

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