Words of Hope for a Culture of Fear

Pope Benedict XVI’s first papal visit to the U.S has brought an inevitable jockeying to claim the pope’s words as endorsement for partisan agendas during a divisive election year. But the pope and the billion-member church he leads do not fit easily into tidy ideological boxes. Above all, Benedict is a moral leader who brings a transcendent message of hope to a nation often paralyzed by a culture of fear.

While this shy, deeply intellectual leader differs from his predecessor, Benedict’s writings on love and hope belie his simple characterization by some as a gruff guardian of orthodoxy. At a time of war and economic crisis, there is no more appropriate message than hope for this papal visit. The mortgage crisis has left millions of our neighbors without homes. Food costs are soaring. Every day families choose between paying rent and feeding their children. The poor and working class are being left behind in the wealthiest nation in the world.

The hope that Pope Benedict XVI offers is not cheap or sentimental. It’s a demanding hope that requires a commitment to community. It challenges us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to put the common good before personal interests. This is a profoundly counter-cultural message. The American infatuation with individualism often blinds us to how our fates are connected by a seamless garment of destiny. Benedict will remind us of this profound truth and speak boldly about the need for a solidarity that shatters the divides of religion, race, and culture. This has real implications not only for our personal lives, but also for how America exercises power in the world. At the United Nations, an institution often viewed with disdain by some of our leaders, the pope will emphasize the importance of multilateral decisions and respect for the global community of nations. Benedict has spoken unequivocally about the need for diplomacy and humanitarian aid to developing nations. His critical words about war and unilateralism may be uncomfortable for some to hear but provoke our consciences in prophetic ways.

When we understand that hope is more powerful than fear we are liberated from a terrible fate. America can begin to walk humbly in the word and restore our moral leadership after the horrors of the Iraq war and Abu Gharib. We can transform a debased political culture where ugly personal attacks and partisan agendas rule the day. We can begin to replace cynicism with optimism, and journey toward a new era of justice and peace.

Alexia Kelley is the Executive Director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, and the author of the forthcoming book A Nation for All: How the Catholic Vision of the Common Good Can Save America from the Politics of Division.