Uploaded February 2019 | Updated September 2026, 8 hours ago
David Wemhoff writes: The state of the union is strong. Everyone agrees on the principles of Liberalism forming the basis of American society. No one in any position of authority or power seriously questions the principles of the American ideology that gave rise to, and maintains, America. However, Liberalism is under stress and that stress was obvious in the House Chambers during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union on February 5, 2019. Factionalism was one of the threats to America that the Founders saw and that was obvious with the women in white, the disdain that met the President’s pledge to end late term abortions, and the clear opposition to the President’s goal of border security.
Factionalism is taking on a serious tone these days with the competing world views (liberal versus conservative which masks the real struggle of ideology versus natural law) concentrating in geographic portions of the USA as noted by journalist and scholar William Galston during his talk at the University of Notre Dame on November 27, 2018. The political process – called democracy – is supposed to avert violence which is the natural result when two conflicting worldviews come into contact with one another, but the palpable dislike of each other by the various ideological and ethnic and economic groups in America is growing and shows no sign of abating. Donald Trump and the media have revived that involvement in and interest in the democratic process, but the candidacy of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg for President was more evidence that the political system primarily serves the 1% or the powerful private interests in America.
Other threats to the continued existence of America are nationalism (ethnic nationalism), religious based societies (and hence the confessional state with public policy based on and private conduct regulated by a religious moral code such as Catholicism), great economic inequalities (Liberalism is an effective means to concentrate real wealth in the hands of a few by garnering the support of many different groups and of individuals), and of course catastrophic military defeat (which is nowhere on the horizon).
A vitally important group in keeping America and Liberalism alive is, of course, the Catholics. Their leader, Pope Francis, regularly demonstrates his commitment to Liberalism with its political economy of capitalism and most recently he spoke of and endorsed the free flow of migrants across borders. Liberalism, and capitalism, depend on the unhindered flow of goods, services, capital and people across borders, and hence the Pope’s support for migration even to the detriment of host cultures and societies.
The Catholic response is in line with the mandate from John Courtney Murray, SJ who wrote in 1960 that Catholics are responsible for maintaining the American consensus, hence the American ideology which is Liberalism.
David Wemhoff writes: The state of the union is strong. Everyone agrees on the principles of Liberalism forming the basis of American society. No one in any position of authority or power seriously questions the principles of the American ideology that gave rise to, and maintains, America. However, Liberalism is under stress and that stress was obvious in the House Chambers during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union on February 5, 2019. Factionalism was one of the threats to America that the Founders saw and that was obvious with the women in white, the disdain that met the President’s pledge to end late term abortions, and the clear opposition to the President’s goal of border security.
Factionalism is taking on a serious tone these days with the competing world views (liberal versus conservative which masks the real struggle of ideology versus natural law) concentrating in geographic portions of the USA as noted by journalist and scholar William Galston during his talk at the University of Notre Dame on November 27, 2018. The political process – called democracy – is supposed to avert violence which is the natural result when two conflicting worldviews come into contact with one another, but the palpable dislike of each other by the various ideological and ethnic and economic groups in America is growing and shows no sign of abating. Donald Trump and the media have revived that involvement in and interest in the democratic process, but the candidacy of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg for President was more evidence that the political system primarily serves the 1% or the powerful private interests in America.
Other threats to the continued existence of America are nationalism (ethnic nationalism), religious based societies (and hence the confessional state with public policy based on and private conduct regulated by a religious moral code such as Catholicism), great economic inequalities (Liberalism is an effective means to concentrate real wealth in the hands of a few by garnering the support of many different groups and of individuals), and of course catastrophic military defeat (which is nowhere on the horizon).
A vitally important group in keeping America and Liberalism alive is, of course, the Catholics. Their leader, Pope Francis, regularly demonstrates his commitment to Liberalism with its political economy of capitalism and most recently he spoke of and endorsed the free flow of migrants across borders. Liberalism, and capitalism, depend on the unhindered flow of goods, services, capital and people across borders, and hence the Pope’s support for migration even to the detriment of host cultures and societies.
The Catholic response is in line with the mandate from John Courtney Murray, SJ who wrote in 1960 that Catholics are responsible for maintaining the American consensus, hence the American ideology which is Liberalism.
