Monday, August 31, 2020

Abortion over immigration: Trump's pro-life policies remain paramount for many Latino Catholics

Anti-abortion demonstrators rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, March 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
August 24, 2020
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — For some Latino Catholics, choosing whether they support Joe Biden or Donald Trump for the United States presidency boils down to where they stand on abortion.
It doesn’t matter how much they may agree with the candidates' positions on national policy, immigration or the economy.
Standing firmly against abortion is a an important factor in getting their vote, said Jesse Romero, who wrote the book "A Catholic Vote for Trump." Romero describes himself as a primary-issue voter, and abortion is a primary issue, Romero said.
“Abortion is the biggest civil rights issue of today,” said Romero, 59, the son of Mexican immigrants. "Civil rights begins in the womb."
That’s why Romero, who was born and raised in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley, is not only voting for Trump, but he’s urging other Catholics like him to do the same.
And he has company.


Though fewer than a quarter of Latino Catholics voted for Trump in 2016, the Pew Research Center found that one-third of them backs him now. 
That’s compared to the 59% of white Catholics who voted for him in 2016 and still plan to support him over Biden today.
Jesse Romero. Courtesy photo
Trump's staunch support of the pro-life cause has won him the approval of an increasingly anti-Francis right wing of the U.S. Catholic Church.
Trump boasts a record of appointing anti-abortion judges. In January, Trump's appearance at the annual March for Life in Washington marked the first time any president has spoken in person at the event.
Biden, meanwhile, even though a Catholic himself, has a mixed record on abortion.
The democratic nominee voted against the anti-abortion amendment when it appeared before the Judiciary Committee in 1983, but in 1984, Biden backed an amendment praising the so-called Mexico City policy, which banned the use of federal money for foreign groups that provide abortion counseling or referrals. By 1987, advocates for abortion rights were already describing his voting record on the issue as “erratic.”
Latino Catholics, like Romero, are vouching for Trump despite what they see as his anti-immigration policies and divisive rhetoric about Latinos.
Since becoming president, Trump has enacted "zero tolerance" anti-immigration policies that have caused thousands of children to be separated from their families at the border. As a result, unaccompanied children have been held in cages in U.S. border facilities.
In April, Trump signed an executive order to temporarily halt people from receiving green cards to protect the country from what he described as the "Invisible Enemy."
And, according to a 2019 Latino Decisions poll, 51% of Latino registered voters said racism against Latinos and immigrants was a major problem.
Veronica Flamenco. Courtesy photo
The way Veronica Flamenco, a Catholic Trump supporter, sees it, many unaccompanied minors already immigrate on their own. Flamenco, an immigrant from El Salvador, believes news media further inflamed coverage of young immigrants held in detention facilities. Instead of news reporters saying children were held in cages, Flamenco said "we can call them shelters."
Flamenco, however, would like Trump to outline a detailed plan to manage the immigration problem at the border. 


Flamenco, 32, said her Catholic faith helps her decipher between what's morally right and wrong. 
"The topic of abortion, I think is the most important," said Flamenco, a marketing manager.
Flamenco said being in favor of abortion goes against human rights.
"If Trump is choosing things that are morally right, then obviously I'm going to prefer him instead of Biden who claims to be Catholic," she said. 
Regarding the LGBTQ community, Flamenco said that as Catholics, "we accept the person, but we reject the sin." She is against same-sex marriage because "you're changing the concept of marriage." To Flamenco, sexual orientation is a private matter.
"If those private things become political, my religious liberty is violated because that is imposing something against my moral values," she said.
Flamenco said many believe the same way she does, but "cancel culture" makes it difficult for people, especially in blue states, to speak openly about those beliefs. Flamenco openly discusses her Catholic faith and politics on her YouTube channel. One recent video is titled "¿CATOLICOS POR DONALD TRUMP?"
Luis Roman. Courtesy photo
"There is a silent majority, and I know a lot of Catholics, a lot of Hispanics that will vote for Trump," Flamenco said. "They’re not saying it out loud, unfortunately, but they’re there."
Luis Roman, 41, of Florida, agrees. Everything is too polarized, he said.
Roman hosts a Spanish-language podcast, "Conoce Ama Y Vive Tu Fe" (Know, Love and Live your Faith), where he invites priests and talks about faith, theology and news. He said he has been called homophobic for his beliefs surrounding the LGBTQ community.
Roman said he respects gay people, but he believes sex is for procreation. That natural order should not be broken, he said.
"That's my faith," said Roman, who is Puerto Rican. "If I respect their beliefs, they should respect my beliefs, too.
"With Trump, I can talk this way. I can say what I believe," he added. "(Trump) is allowing us to speak. He’s allowing us to have our religious freedom."
Roman said he identified as a Democrat until 2016 when Hillary Clinton and Trump were running for president. Clinton’s stance on abortion turned him off.
Clinton, during an October 2016 debate, defended Planned Parenthood and Roe v. Wade. She said she would defend women’s rights to make their own healthcare decisions.
"We don't support abortion for any reason," he added.
Roman said he’d love to see a Catholic president, but he doesn’t believe Biden, who is a Catholic, “is living the faith."
RNS national reporter Jack Jenkins and columnist Mark Silk contributed to this report.

Pope Francis encourages nun helping trans community in Argentina

People tour a new housing complex for trans women after a ribbon
 cutting in Neuquén, Argentina, in August 2020. Video screengrab
August 25, 2020
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis sent his support to a cloistered nun in his native Argentina who opened a safe home for transsexual women despite the opposition of her diocese and community.
“My dream was that trans people could have a decent home. Because we don’t give them that opportunity. They don’t have a right to anything,” said Sister Mónica Astorga Cremona of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns in Argentina, at the opening of the home on Aug. 10.
Astorga is the prioress of the only cloistered monastery in Neuquén, the most populous city in the Diocese of Patagonia in Argentina. The new complex is made up of 12 small rooms fashioned from two floors of about 430 square feet each, with a shared bathroom and kitchen. It offers a safe refuge for 12 transsexual women between the ages of 40 and 70.
The home, called The Coast of Limay, has been described as the first permanent residence in the world dedicated to vulnerable transsexual people. Residents don’t have to pay rent and, if they follow the rules of the home, they can live there forever, Astorga said in interview with the Italian news outlet Linkiesta. (RNS was unable to determine what the rules of the home are.)
“I am so happy, so grateful to God and to Sister Monica who has been so kind to us,” said Paola, a resident of the complex, speaking to local reporters at the inauguration. “We should erect a monument to this nun who was so attacked and yet with the strength of God continues to aid us!”


After numerous killings and other violence targeting transsexual people in Argentina, the country was the first in the world to pass a Gender Law in 2014 that removed obstacles for those seeking to change gender identity.
Since the end of 2019, the Neuquén province offers pensions for transsexual people above 40 years old, in recognition of decades of inequality and rights violations. Argentina’s stance on transsexuality has garnered praise from the international community and the World Health Organization.
Astorga, who has worked closely with poor and vulnerable people for decades, first came across the challenges faced by the transsexual community in 2015, when a trans woman asked to make a donation to her church.
“She told me that her dream was to have a clean bed to die in, because that night when she went to the street she didn’t know whether she would die or end up in a hospital bed where the sheets are not even changed,” she recalled in the interview published Friday (Aug. 21).
Sister Mónica Astorga Cremona speaks at the opening of a new housing complex for trans women in Neuquén, Argentina, in August 2020. Video screengrab
From that moment, Astorga began to help a growing number of trans people from within the monastery, using an email or phone to pray and talk to those in need. She said in the interview that she had found the “faces and the names” she had prayed for God to show her.
Despite the progressive laws in the country, Astorga said she met resistance from her community and local diocese while attempting to create the safe home. She said she went door to door to persuade people about the need to welcome and cater to transsexual people.
“In the local church there are very few who approve such an activity,” she told the Italian paper.
“I’ve already been accused of everything, I don’t think they have much more to say to me,” added the nun, who has asked reporters on Facebook not to contact her for comments.
Pope Francis has been a supporter and friend of Astorga since before he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, and he personally visited the community in 2009. Today they have a continuing correspondence.
“Sometimes I ask him what to do when someone tells me something terrible, and he always says to me: Did Jesus have an easier or harder time? At the time of Jesus the lepers were rejected in the same way,” she said.
Francis reportedly told Astorga that transsexual people are “the lepers of today,” and he urged the nun to pray and carry on her work knowing he is accompanying them.
Right before the inauguration of the complex, Pope Francis sent another note to the sister encouraging her not to be defeated by the hostility of those who oppose her work.
“God, who didn’t attend seminary and didn’t study theology, will reward you generously. I pray for you and your daughters,” he wrote, according to the Argentine national news agency Telam.
This isn’t the first time Pope Francis has made a gesture in support of the trans community. Last April, he sent the papal almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, to help a struggling transsexual community in the outskirts of Rome by donating money and provisions.
Before that, Francis held a private audience at the Vatican with a transgender man, Diego Neria Lejarraga, and his girlfriend. The man said he was met with marginalization and resentment from his parish in Spain after his transition.
While the hospitality toward the LGBTQ+ community promoted by Pope Francis has ushered in significant change within the Catholic community, much more remains to be done, according to Astorga.
“There is still a road ahead in our beloved church,” she said. “There is a need to interpret the gospel. There is a need for formation and information. But I think that step by step we are moving forward.”


Kirk Franklin: On supporting COVID aid, fighting racial injustice, boycotting TBN

Michael W. Smith, left, and CeCe Winans record a performance for the “Unite to Fight Poverty” virtual concert. Photo by Jon Morgan
August 26, 2020
(RNS) — Grammy-winning gospel performer Kirk Franklin can’t be onstage these days but he’s featured virtually in an upcoming benefit to draw attention to poor children across the globe who are affected by COVID-19.
Franklin is joining World Vision, Food for the Hungry and Compassion International in the “Unite to Fight Poverty” virtual concert set to be televised and streamed online on Friday (Aug. 28) at 8:30 p.m. EDT on Daystar Television Network, FacebookYouTube and PureFlix. It is also scheduled to air at 3 p.m. EDT Saturday on Fox Business.
Franklin, who won six Stellar Gospel Music Award trophies on Sunday, joins 20 other Christian artists for the two-hour fundraiser to aid the three Christian humanitarian organizations. Those groups are working to help families experiencing extreme poverty in the wake of the pandemic and natural disasters by providing hygiene supplies and clean water.
Franklin, who has traveled across the world, also recorded a new video of his song “Strong God” for Compassion to raise awareness about the crisis. Even as he’s drawing attention to the pandemic, he acknowledged it’s hard for him to not know when he’ll be able to perform in person again.
“I miss people,” said the host of the “Sunday Best” televised singing competition. “And I’m looking forward to getting back in front of people.”
Musician Kirk Franklin in 2019. Courtesy photo
Franklin, 50, talked to Religion News Service about the global effects of the coronavirus and his calls for the church to respond to racial inequities, but he declined to comment on whether his related boycott of Trinity Broadcasting Network and the Dove Awards continues.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

First of all, congratulations for being on Billboard’s Gospel Songwriters’ chart for 50 weeks. Is that a milestone you expected to reach?

Oh, no, no, not at all. Not at all. Not at all. And I’m really appreciative and grateful for everything I get. ’Cause I know nothing is owed to me.

This is the first time that World Vision, Compassion International and Food for the Hungry have worked together on an effort like this benefit. Why did you decide to join this joint effort?

It’s because I believe in the ideals of what they stand for. And I know that even though there are many disparities and deficiencies in America, we are still a blessed country. I’ve been blessed to travel the globe and I can totally understand how, even in the middle of this global pandemic, there are many countries and many individuals that are not able to just pivot and to diversify to survive. I can totally see why this would be such a great moment to come together because we’ve never seen anything like this in our lifetime. And it makes me so proud of them to see them unify for the same cause.

What song or songs did you perform and why did you choose those selections?

Well, my song selection was not really based on the mood or the cause of the event. I just wanted to do music I thought would make people feel good. I performed “Love Theory” and “Just for Me.” I’ve been blessed by God’s guidance to have a whole bunch of songs and at this stage of my career, whatever I pick is going to be something that just feels good. But sometimes it’s hard to pick. And so you just deal with what you’re feeling at the moment.

You went to the Dominican Republic with Compassion International. How recently did you go and how long were you there?

Believe it or not, it was right before the world shut down. It was in January. And I was there almost a week.

What is it that struck you particularly about the trip?

How many people in the world still live marginalized lives, that still live under the poverty line, and how many people are forgotten by the 1%. That is just a mystery to me. And it can make me even, at times, question God’s bigger divine plan, even though I have to choose to believe, when it’s hard to believe. But that is something that has always fascinated me.

A recording set for the “Unite to Fight Poverty” virtual concert. Courtesy photo

How has COVID-19 affected you personally?

We’ve had people we know, family members have died, people in the churches we’ve been members of have died or people have been hospitalized. So we’ve seen it firsthand, we’ve seen it up close. And then also I’m in the people business. And so many artists and churches and ministers and pastors, we’re in the job of touching people and there’s something very healing and therapeutic for the soul when we do. And we have not had the opportunity to do that for almost six months.

Has the death of George Floyd and other people, Black people in particular, in police-related incidents affected you personally?

Yes, yes, of course. I’ve been very outspoken. I’ve been very engaged. I’ve been very consistent in my conversations about the disparity of how these actions are in the legal system, in the systems there to protect people, but they don’t protect all people. And also been very vocal about the lack of the church’s voice in social issues that affect people that go to these churches, that sit in these pews. And the lack of information or the lack of conversation has been really deafening.

You appeared in March on Trinity Broadcasting Network, and you discussed these very issues you just spoke of. Has anything new come of that time with TBN or any new steps since then?

I can just say that my heart and my passion won’t stop in any conversation I have that has to do with social injustice or the injustices of any group of people the Bible calls Christians to be engaged in. And, until we are more visible, more visual, more outspoken and more committed to these causes, I will continue to have conversations.
So did that appearance in some way mark an end of your boycott of TBN and the Dove Awards, or is that continuing?
Musician Kirk Franklin in 2019. Courtesy photo
I will just say I will continue to have conversations until the conversations are not needed.

I’m just going to ask one more time: In October, do you expect to be on the Dove Awards?

In October, I continue to keep the narrative of God’s heart and social injustice, and the church’s lack of engagement. We should be the ones leading the narrative and until we do, I will continue to speak up and speak loud and humble and with love until there’s tangible change.

But it sounds like you’re not ready to answer the question about whether you’re going to be there or not.

I will be where I’m supposed to be with this message. I will be at whatever platform I’m called to be able to talk about how God’s love should include everybody. And, until that happens, I will continue to preach love, truth, justice and grace.

Since you are an artist of faith who performs about faith, how do you have faith as you go through this time of the coronavirus pandemic and not being able to perform the way you’d like?

I started going back to therapy and that’s been very, very good for me. I’m a Black man that goes to therapy. I talk, I pray, and they are synonymous. It has been really, really good to be able to have somebody to be able to help you as you help other people. That’s something that can be very, very encouraging. For the first time in history, we had so many pandemics that were contemporaneous: You have racial pandemics, you have political pandemics, you have economic pandemics. So those things can be very daunting for someone that is looked at to be able to try to have all the answers.
Citing Scripture, Pence switches out Jesus for the American flag in convention speech

Vice President Mike Pence salutes as he speaks on the third day of the Republican National Convention at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
August 27, 2020

BALTIMORE (RNS) — Vice President Mike Pence closed out his speech before the Republican National Convention on Wednesday evening (Aug. 26) with a mashup of Bible references, into which he inserted American symbols and ideals.

Speaking before a crowd at Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Pence, a self-described “born-again, evangelical Catholic” known for infusing his political rhetoric with religious language, sprinkled his address with references to God and prayer.

But Pence, who accepted his party’s nomination for vice president during the speech, sparked outcry in some Christian circles as he closed out his remarks when he combined at least two Bible verses — and replaced references to Jesus with patriotic imagery.

Let Religion News Service explain.
So what did Pence say?

Here’s the full quote from Pence’s speech that has people talking:

“Let’s run the race marked out for us. Let’s fix our eyes on Old Glory and all she represents. Let’s fix our eyes on this land of heroes and let their courage inspire. And let’s fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith and freedom and never forget that where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom — and that means freedom always wins.”

That seems vaguely familiar.

That may be because Pence references two different Bible verses in his remarks.

One is 2 Corinthians 3:17, which according to the New International Version translation reads, “Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

RELATED: 5 faith facts about Vice President Mike Pence: A ‘born-again, evangelical Catholic’

The other is Hebrews 12:1-2, the version of which he quoted most closely resembling the translation in the Berean Study Bible, with some notable changes.

That passage reads:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

What did he change?

First, Pence substituted “Old Glory” for “Jesus.” He took a similar approach in the next line, inserting an additional line: “Let’s fix our eyes on this land of heroes and let their courage inspire,” before returning to the biblical text.

He also described Jesus (or Old Glory, as the case may be) as “the author and perfecter of our faith and freedom,” adding the words “and freedom,” which do not appear in the Hebrews passage.

The inserted lines appeared to be references to the context Pence chose for his speech: The vice president delivered his address from Fort McHenry, where an 1814 battle inspired the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and he was speaking on the third night of the RNC, when the theme was “Land of Heroes.”

Why are people upset about it?

Some of President Donald Trump’s evangelical advisers lauded the speech, such as Texas Pastor Jack Graham, who tweeted: “We can bend our knee to Christ in faith and stand for our flag in freedom. Thank you (Vice President Pence).”


We can bend our knee to Christ in faith and stand for our flag in freedom. Thank you @VP https://t.co/d3tAFPNXIr
— Jack Graham (@jackngraham) August 27, 2020

But many others took issue with his remarks, noting that Pence’s fusion of God and country appears to be a nod toward Christian nationalism, which asserts the United States is — or should be — a Christian nation. Political analysts say the idea has been invoked repeatedly by Trump during his 2016 campaign for president and throughout his first term, and has resonated with many conservative Christians who make up his base. It’s also an idea much older than this presidency: Mashups of religion and national identity have cropped up throughout U.S. history, although experts argue that it has emerged with particular fervor under Trump.

RELATED: With Bibles and flash grenades, Trump walks the Christian nationalist walk

Many other Christians and people of faith, however, strongly oppose Christian nationalism. In 2019, a group of Christians published a letter condemning Christian nationalism and calling it a “persistent threat to both our religious communities and our democracy.”

“As Christians, we must speak in one voice condemning Christian nationalism as a distortion of the gospel of Jesus and a threat to American democracy,” the letter read.

A number of Christian leaders publicly criticized Pence’s replacement of Jesus with the American flag in his speech, describing it as a form of “idolatry” and as blasphemous.


Glad Pence seems to know Scripture; grieved & appalled he’d believe substituting “Old Glory” for “Jesus” wasn’t blasphemous and equating the freedom Paul was referring to with civil liberties.

Christians fix our eyes on Jesus, not the flag.
Screenshot credit: @amylpeterson pic.twitter.com/hPt0lkLtcd
— Greg Jao (@GregJao) August 27, 2020

“Glad Pence seems to know Scripture; grieved & appalled he’d believe substituting ‘Old Glory’ for ‘Jesus’ wasn’t blasphemous and equating the freedom Paul was referring to with civil liberties,” tweeted Greg Jao, senior assistant to the president of InterVarsity, an evangelical Christian organization.

This is civic religion plundering scripture.

Hebrews says we are to fix our eyes on JESUS, not “Old Glory.” (There’s a big difference!)

The freedom spoken of in 2 Corinthians 4 is the new covenant, not the power to kill and dominate enemies.

This is Babylon. This is idolatry. https://t.co/kmzXaQzXtD
— Brian Zahnd (@BrianZahnd) August 27, 2020
pastor of Word of Life Church.