Editor,
Swept up in the trumpeted spectacle of this pope’s giving of audience to our government leaders in no less than the nation’s capital, inviting him to a special ceremony in the White House to show him awe, having him speaking to a special joint session of Congress, we need to stand back a tad while reaching out our hands just to get a hint of his “awesome presence” and ask, “What’s wrong with this picture?”
It is our government not obeying its constitutional mandate to stay away from respecting the establishment of religion. It is now treating the leader of the majority denomination within our majority theocracy as though he is some divine adviser who gets to whisper in the ear of the world’s most powerful government.
This dangerous conjoining has been a hallmark of empires in the past; in a nation Christianizing rapidly in response to Muslim terrorism, this is the kind of empire we can logically foresee for our future.
Sincerely,
Arun Ahuja
UNM student