As a resident of North Carolina for half of the year, I usually vote absentee. I e-mailed the Diocese of Charlotte for some literature that could be shared with others in our parish regarding the upcoming election. I also asked if we could expect a homily on this important subject. The response I received said there would be articles in the Catholic newspaper for everyone’s reference.
May I say that I made the same request of the bishop’s office four years ago and met with the same “nothing” response. I think the bishop should know how poorly these requests are handled when help should have been offered instead of being denied.
In my home state of Florida, instead of one Sunday homily, we had a video presented by a pastor speaking about the issues Catholics must focus on; he mentioned no candidates by name.
Yes, I read the articles in the issue just prior to the election, but is the diocese hierarchy aware that one-third of votes were already cast during early voting? Fortunately, studies show that 57 percent of Catholics voted for Donald Trump this time. However, in the past two elections, President Barack Obama achieved victory with 57 percent of the Catholics voting for him. The unborn need our support even when it may be costly.
Jeri Spinella is a resident of Jensen Beach, Fla., and Sapphire, where he is a parishioner of St. Jude Church.
The photograph of a Donald Trump supporter on the cover of the Nov. 11 edition of the Catholic News Herald did not go with the words “heal” or “promote peace and unity.”
Pope Francis called Trump out as un-Christian for promoting the building of a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border, and I was proud of him for speaking out.
Trump’s rhetoric has told us who he is, and we need to pray. We also must put pictures of real people who promote peace, unity and healing on the cover of a newspaper that is supposed to endorse those values.
Margaret Childress lives in Advance and attends Holy Family Church in Clemmons.