Religious leaders need to speak up

The entire world is in so much turmoil on so many fronts. There is heightened chaos in politics, economics, and international relations. There is a disturbing disorder in humanity’s concept of right and wrong because people’s notions of morality are changing. Belief in the value of individual freedoms has depreciated, enabling fascist leaders to be enthroned as national rulers. Where are the churches in all this worldly chaos?

There was a time when Protestant churches were at the forefront of activism against ruthless leaders notorious for committing human rights violations around the world. Many Protestant pastors were branded and persecuted as rebels because of their advocacy for the poor and the oppressed in different countries. Growing up as a member of a Protestant youth group, I was immersed in this culture of Protestant activism. It was also the time when the Catholic Church, from its main pulpit in Rome, was noticeably conservative as it largely stayed away from the fray of protests against political and economic injustices. There was liberation theology among the Catholic clergy in Latin America, which emphasized social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed people. There were Catholic priests who were martyred for their political activism. But the Catholic hierarchy in Rome largely stayed away from the political fracas.

There’s been a noticeable change in roles between Protestant churches and the Catholic Church, however, Protestant churches have become ultraconservative in general, while the Catholic Church has taken on a more activist role in confronting the many forms of injustice in this world. The shift for Protestant churches began with the rise of Born-Again Christian movements, which are new churches that have sprouted independent of the main Protestant denominations of Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and others.

Among the issues raised against the burgeoning ranks of Born-Again churches is that many of them insulate themselves from the political, social, and economic injustices that bring hell on earth. As a consequence, they do not engage in social advocacy to help those in need and to denounce injustices around them, which critics say makes them no different from apolitical social clubs engaged in feel-good rites and rituals. Others complain about their view that they have everything right and everybody else has everything wrong, thereby laying exclusive claim to salvation in the afterlife. To Born-Again Christians, people who do not affirm the Christian faith (and exclusively their version) have no chance of going to heaven at all.

On the other hand, the shift to assume a more activist role for the Catholic Church began during the papacy of Pope John Paul II. It reached heightened levels during the term of Pope Francis. From all indications, it now extends to the current reign of Pope Leo XIV. These three popes have not hesitated in calling out injustices and roguery among countries.

There were issues against Pope John Paul II as an ultraconservative pontiff, but at the same time, he denounced dictatorial leaders in Chile, Haiti, Paraguay, Poland, and the Soviet Union. He criticized communism and the “viruses” of capitalism. Pope Francis condemned right-wing populism and anti-immigration politics, even as he called the protection of migrants a “duty of civilization.” He called for the decriminalization of homosexuality. Pope Leo has been critical of the Trump administration’s harsh treatment of immigrants. He has criticized nationalist political movements for their exclusionary mindset and their espousal of prejudice. He called for people to move “beyond our fear of those who are different.”

Pope John Paul II engaged in interfaith dialogues with leaders of different religions. He preached before Muslims, prayed in a Jewish synagogue, knelt down at a monument of Mahatma Gandhi, and praised the “apostle of nonviolence.” He invited leaders of different religions and other Christian sects and joined them in praying for peace in the world.

The late Pope Francis was even more universal by saying “All religions are paths to God. I will use an analogy, they are like different languages that express the divine. But God is for everyone, and therefore, we are all God’s children … There is only one God, and religions are like languages, paths to reach God. Some Sikh, some Muslim, some Hindu, some Christian.”

In a recent meeting with leaders of different Christian churches, Pope Leo emphasized how different Christian religions share the same faith and encouraged them to continue together the mission of spreading the Gospel throughout the world.

Religion remains one of the most powerful institutions around the world, especially in Third World countries. Religion dictates a country’s culture, philosophy, and even the minutest details of a nation’s way of life, such as food and clothing. Most importantly, religion defines a country’s sense of what is moral and just. During these very dark times, we need our religious leaders to speak up in order to prevent humanity’s sense of right and wrong from teetering dangerously on the precipice.