#ConeyBarrett #Alito, #Thomas, #Kavanaugh, #Gorsuch either practicing Catholics or raised as such should read this new dissent in "Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York v. Cuomo". It's by his Holiness Pope Francis, who says...1/ #SCOTUS #COVID19 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/26/opinion/pope-francis-covid.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

"Yet some groups protested, refusing to keep their distance, marching against travel restrictions — as if measures that governments must impose for the good of their people constitute some kind of political assault on autonomy or personal freedom!" 2/

"Looking to the common good is much more than the sum of what is good for individuals. It means having a regard for all citizens and seeking to respond effectively to the needs of the least fortunate." 3/

"It is all too easy for some to take an idea — in this case, for example, personal freedom — and turn it into an ideology, creating a prism through which they judge everything." 4/

The whole piece is remarkable. The pope also says: "With some exceptions, governments have made great efforts to put the well-being of their people first, acting decisively to protect health and to save lives." 5/

Continuing: "The exceptions have been some governments that shrugged off the painful evidence of mounting deaths, with inevitable, grievous consequences. But most governments acted responsibly, imposing strict measures to contain the outbreak." 6/

This passage and the one I quoted previously are a rebuke of the American response to the pandemic, particularly from the right, typified in the ruling from #SCOTUS this week. 7/

The pope then says: "This is a moment to dream big, to rethink our priorities — what we value, what we want, what we seek — and to commit to act in our daily life on what we have dreamed of." Then comes the kicker, he says...8/

"God asks us to dare to create something new. We cannot return to the false securities of the political and economic systems we had before the crisis. We need economies that give to all access to the fruits of creation, to the basic needs of life: to land, lodging and labor." 9/

"We need a politics that can integrate and dialogue with the poor, the excluded and the vulnerable, that gives people a say in the decisions that affect their lives." 10/

Share this far and wide. I can't believe I am saying this. As gay atheist who left the Roman Catholic Church years ago because of those who use "the Gospels to perpetuate their own aspirations for power, control & oppression"(H/T @sullydish), this Pope just touched my heart. 11/

I'm gonna let @Pontifex have the last words here: "The pandemic has reminded us that no one is saved alone. What ties us to one another is what we commonly call solidarity." 12/

"Solidarity is more than acts of generosity, important as they are; it is the call to embrace the reality that we are bound by bonds of reciprocity. On this solid foundation we can build a better, different, human future." 13/

. @pontifex: mic drop. end/