Bishop Gerber: Biden should bring Americans together DOMRADIO.DE

Catholic Bishop Michael Gerber of Fulda sees Joe Biden’s assumption of his office as “an important milestone in world political events.” If “two presidents as different as possible” succeed in succeeding each other in the United States, as Biden is doing now after Donald Trump, then this will have “far-reaching consequences not only for the country, but also for global development as a whole,” he wrote. In an article for the magazine “Basis”, published by the Schoenstatt movement.

Gerber said many of the hopes linked to Biden taking the job. Above all, it faces the challenge of uniting a multi-layered and divided society. His country’s official name – the United States of America (USA) – becomes Biden’s “challenge and thus program”.

America First is irresponsible

The bishop also sees the change in the White House as an opportunity to question a number of things, such as Trump’s frequently repeated slogan “America first.” Verbatim asks Gerber: “Does the mantra of“ we are first ”apply to me – whatever this is? Or is the feeling of responsibility towards the people entrusted to me associated with the claim that my actions also bear the responsibility of those outside my surroundings living my religion?

As for the profile of the Christian worldview, it is indispensable for the conviction that “the closest and most distant to me are sister and brother.”

A democratic life is about asking yourself questions

The bishop then asks: “Am I reducing my knowledge to the number of characters in a Twitter message? Or am I ready to take a critical and distinct look, with the goal of a deeper understanding of the complexity of the major issues in this world?”

Democratic culture lives on from the fact that there are enough responsible citizens willing and able to take on the big questions of this world “in their inherent complexity.” This is also the best remedy against extremists of all kinds, who use attacks and insults to polarize society.