By Sister Simone Campbell, SSS

Since his election to the papacy, Pope Francis has challenged the world to embrace the needs of all, especially those at the economic margins of our society. He reminds us all of this challenge frequently, through historic visits to the U.S. Capitol, on unprecedented long airplane interviews, and even on Twitter. This election year, one thing is clear: Catholics understand Pope Francis’s challenge and are responding.

While Pope Francis spreads his message of welcome and inclusion, it appears some politicians choose to continue the dog whistle call of the far right –with a single issue…

Each election year the Al Smith Dinner is an opportunity for presidential candidates to come together in a lighthearted moment to address Catholics, the media, and the political wonks who livestream the event on C-SPAN. As it approached this year, I couldn’t possibly imagine how an election that has been so mired by division, insults, and hate would translate into this traditionally good-natured event, but one candidate pleasantly surprised me: Hillary Clinton.

I’m a Catholic Sister who works in Washington politics, and I often think about what the role of faith is in political life. Pope Francis articulates it well…

Our country has a bigotry problem, and we cannot be silent.

“The Trump campaign continues to act in ways that are antithetical to people of faith across the country. As a community of advocates inspired by Catholic Social Justice, NETWORK condemns this rhetoric that spews hate and bigotry. Let me be clear: this is not a war on political correctness.
Being a leader of the United States requires civility, and civility requires inclusion.”
-Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS Executive Director of NETWORK

Between now and Election Day, NETWORK is monitoring and calling out comments from political candidates that spread hate…

On Thursday night the Nuns on the Bus gathered to watch, and live tweet, Donald Trump’s speech as he accepted the Republican party’s presidential nomination. See what they had to say below!

Once Donald Trump started his speech, the sisters noticed a lot of rhetoric and over-generalizations, but not much policy.

On Monday evening, the Nuns on the Bus were welcomed to Madison, WI with a Pre-Launch blessing before driving to Janesville Tuesday morning for the Nuns on the Bus Kick-Off Rally! See tweets and pictures from the events below:

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice welcomes anyone, any time, to the conversation about how to make sure no one in the United States lives in poverty. But we strongly dispute the claim that this is a deeply complicated problem requiring a brand new agenda, such as the one likely to be presented by Speaker Paul Ryan in the coming days. The fact is Congress knows, and has always known, how to end poverty. …

This slightly different-than-usual tax day offers a perfect opportunity for all Americans to take a little-deeper-than-average look at why we pay taxes. Should you take up this opportunity, you may well like what you see. For, while some in our nation rail against the very notion of paying taxes, most of us realize on some begrudging if slightly-less-than-conscious level that taxes are how we invest in our democracy. Our communities are healthier, happier, safer and stronger because of the resources we all individually and collectively put in — whether we want to or not — to provide for each other.

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