We live in a strange age. It’s an age marked by contention, strife and factionalism. This is true in the Church and in the realm of politics. It’s not just that we disagree. It’s that we don’t trust “the other side,” and actually hate each other to a degree not seen in modern U.S. history. And American Catholicism hasn’t been exempted from this trend, either. You’ve got uncharitable pro-Francis and anti-Francis Catholics bashing each other, and uncharitable pro-
Trump and anti-Trump Catholics bashing each other.
Do you know what “divide et impera” means? We have seen it played out these past several months in the United States and it is on full display around the world. Niccolò Machiavelli wrote about it in 1513, and the term “Machiavellian” became synonymous with deceit and deviousness. But the concept is much older: Julius Caesar employed this technique, as did Napoleon. How is it impacting you and how is it impacting our world?