Numerous US Catholics, in what may flow from genuine reverence, hew to a pathological aesthetic of authority—of power. One would be hard-pressed to construct a comprehensive account of Catholic support for the forty-fifth President of the United States ... (1/6)

since Catholics’ reasons may be legion, but if we are honest with reality, we must acknowledge that for many this particular president seems to promise an America in which the Church can wield considerable power. A preference for him is a matter of aesthetics, of sense, ... (2/6)

of visceral commitment, more than rational deliberation. The promised power, many presume, would be a power for good, to protect the unborn, to defend religious liberty, to safeguard the Catholic faith against further erosion by liberalism, secularism, ... (3/6)

and a bevy of other to-be-feared “isms.” But, more accurately and honestly, the draw seems to be power itself. And power is, so often, power to exclude—thus the racism and xenophobia of the administration is not regarded as completely disgusting, but rather a by-product ... (4/6)

of an otherwise attractive conjugation of political freedom, where power is assumed by a sub-set of the population to be its due, its just deserts, and its private property. A pathological aesthetic can drive even faithful people away from the church ... (5/6)

and we must address this. The US Catholic Church's aesthetic needs healing. That's why I study what I study, teach what I teach, write what I write, to contribute what I can, so we may believe and live better, and refuse the glamor of evil. (6/6)