by Fr. Jack Tierney, O.S.A.
“Politics is a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity” (Fratelli Tutti #180).
Politics is enough to cast an awkward shadow over any conversation. Discussing public affairs creates so much animosity, disagreement, and conflict that most people would rather avoid the topic altogether. From family gatherings to professional relationships, it seems that politics (and even the news itself) is just better left out of it.
Indeed, the symptoms of woundedness and strife are often expressed through political debate. Sin and division are powerful forces that alienate human communities. It seems that selfishness infects every domain of human activity – from the culture to the economy. How could politics possibly be about love?
In January 2025, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) hosted a policy conference to enhance the Church’s social ministry. Our Catholic faith offers a consistent intellectual tradition of Catholic Social Teaching to the world. However, this heritage is not just for books in a library – the faithful are also to be activated to witness human goodwill and the hope of faith. The Augustinians participated because our calling as Christians is to embrace political tension as an opportunity – politics is another space that desperately needs the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The timing was impeccable. The conference immediately follows the annual March for Life in Washington, DC. It also happens the week after the Presidential inauguration and the new Congress is sworn in. The 2025 legislative cycle begins with serious business – Executive Orders, budget reconciliation in Congress, and the first 100 days of Trump’s second Administration.
The politics of the world will always be “urgent”. Faith, hope, and love are desperately needed in every human age. However, the Church operates on a different timeline. Heralds of the Gospel work for timeless truths, not temporary posts on social media. We celebrate the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope that promises freedom and peace that emanate from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Augustinians participated through our prophetic role as consecrated religious…. We also went to DC to do some politics. I was joined by Br. Nicholas Stone OSA, Fr. Jeremy Hiers OSA, and John Green, the Executive Director of Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor (ADROP). We attended legislative briefings sponsored by Catholic ministries and then attended meetings on Capitol Hill with Senators and Representatives. Agenda topics were succinct: all legislation should promote the dignity of human life, serve the common good, and protect the family. In a practical way, topics ranged from funding concerns to policy questions such as the Child Tax Credit, Medicaid, poverty reduction programs, and immigration policy.
The Apostolic Nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, spoke about ecclesial organizations that do the Gospel’s work of reconciliation and building human community. The Church invests in these areas because it is how we increase the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Catholics are called to be good citizens – participating in democracy in the world. We are also called to be agents of the Gospel, both in season and out of season (cf. 2 Timothy 4:2).