ND welcomes D.C. Cardinal McElroy to speak on political discourse
The latest Notre Dame Forum event packed out the McKenna Hall auditorium, as Cardinal Robert McElroy spoke with University President Father Robert Dowd, C.S.C. on healing America’s political dialogue. Card. McElroy came to campus on Friday, October 17 for a conversation entitled “Healing Our National Dialogue and Political Life.”
Card. McElroy was named Archbishop of Washington, D.C. by the late Pope Francis earlier this year, following his tenure as Archbishop of San Diego. After earning his bachelor’s degree at Harvard University and a Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University, Card. McElroy was ordained a priest and a bishop in his home diocese of San Francisco, but was soon moved to the diocese of San Diego.
Card. McElroy has drawn criticism for his progressive views on Catholic Social Teaching and his handling of clerical sex abuse cases. A prominent critic of President Donald Trump, he has been outspoken on issues of illegal immigration, climate change, and the radical inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the Catholic Church.
As bishop in San Diego, Card. McElroy was accused of “delaying for a year the removal of a priest abuser … who had admitted to what his victim had called ‘satanic ritual abuse,’” according to the College of Cardinals Report.
Card. McElroy was invited to address the current state of American political discourse, which was described by Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Professor of History and American Studies, in her introduction to the speakers as “largely unproductive, stressful, and disrespectful.”
The cardinal proposed three transitions to heal the national dialogue: moving “from grievance to gratitude, from the politics of warfare to shared purpose, and from insularity to compassion.” Card. McElroy stressed the importance of a “faith-filled approach to patriotism” that does not “canonize” American history, but celebrates the vision of American democratic values.
“We have become a nation of grievance, where we focus more on what is lacking, and particularly what is lacking for me or my group, rather than on that which binds us together,” Card. McElroy said. He decried tribalistic partisanship, and called for a shift from adversarial politics to “shared purpose and meaning … as one society.”
Noting that Catholic Social Teaching addresses issues on either side of the partisan aisle, the cardinal suggested compassion as a critical starting point to address controversial issues that divide Catholic voters. Referencing a United States Conference of Catholic Bishops study on partisan divides in parishes, Card. McElroy said, “When people came at questions with the starting point of compassion, when they could see the suffering involved … they could bridge together.”
Based on his experience as archbishop of the nation’s capital and his background as a political scientist, the cardinal was asked by Fr. Dowd about the role of bishops to address political matters. “My primary role is to be bishop of the communities [in D.C.], I’m not there primarily to speak on political issues,” responded the cardinal. He highlighted the pastoral role of bishops, and clarified the “political role of the Church.”
“There is no specifically political role for the Church, period,” Card. McElroy said. “The Church has a moral role within the political and public order to speak to the morality of issues. And I think that’s a very key distinction, because people mix it up all the time … [the Church] should not speak in terms of the politics, but rather solely the moral questions involved.”
Card. McElroy proposed the synodal process as a method of rebuilding compassionate dialogue from the parish level upwards in the Church, and as a model for the political world to emulate. Speaking on his own synodal process as bishop of San Diego, Card. McElroy noted, “When people were in their synodal sessions, people who diametrically disagreed on the substance of issues … nonetheless came out feeling very bonded with one another because they were encountering them as people of faith.”
Card. McElroy also highlighted the contributions that American democracy has made to the Church, specifically religious liberty and the role of women. He attributed the religious liberty clause in Vatican II documents partially to the American experiment, challenging the doctrine that “error has no rights.”
Card. McElroy also noted the strong presence of women at the latest synod, saying that “the Church is still grappling with the role of women.”
Attendees had generally positive thoughts on the discourse. Megan Kennedy, a Notre Dame staff member, said that the Cardinal was encouraging. “I think that’s what Notre Dame is trying to do with encouraging dialogue. And I loved what he said about our Catholic community having to be there for one another,” she told the Rover.
Tom Young, also a university staff member, was similarly positive. “The Cardinal was very balanced,” he said to the Rover, adding, “He didn’t take a political position.” Young also said that he was proud of Notre Dame for “trying to be a leader” among universities in preaching the truth of the gospel.
Benedict Althoff, a freshman in Keenan Hall, was more reserved. “[Card. McElroy’s] message of compassion as the basis of agreement was very powerful. I wish he could have explained the topics like the role of women in the Church and the separation of Church and State a little bit better.”
Another undergraduate who wished to remain anonymous expressed disappointment at the invitation of Card. McElroy to campus. “I don’t think that the university should have picked a speaker who does not profess Catholic moral principles as they have been taught by the Church.”
Kolbe Barta is a freshman political science student in Duncan Hall. He is from Texas and may not survive the South Bend winter, but if he does, he will respond to hot takes on J.D. Vance, Notre Dame Football, and Max Verstappen’s chances at the Driver’s Championship at kbarta3@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: Michael Caterina/University of Notre Dame
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