M.T. Dávila

Commentary: A possible post-Roe society asks pro-life Catholics that we reconsider how to engage perspectives that we have often avoided and attacked as contrary to Catholic teaching or scandalous to the faithful.

Theology en la Plaza: While "surrounding mothers with love" is certainly essential to addressing crisis pregnancies, there are national-level advocacy efforts that will impact the lives of women much more effectively.

Theology en la Plaza: When we consider justice after war in situations where the U.S. has extended its military footprint, we are indebted to a much broader impacted population than only those who cooperated with our military.

Theology en la Plaza: In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis proposes that welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants are key markers of truly human fraternity and friendship.

Theology en la Plaza: How am I to love the bearer of an unlovable idea? I asked that question while listening to interviews of Trump supporters. My answer was immediate and instinctual: I'll meet you at the cross.

Theology en la Plaza: The current moment in U.S. political life once again makes a spectacle of the church's advocacy for the marginalized and the weak by manipulating the pro-life label for political gain.

Theology en la Plaza: The current moment of protest and pandemic provides an opportunity for a critical examination of architectures of hate that we uphold by our participation, directly or indirectly.

Theology en la Plaza: We write because the confluence of twin epidemics, COVID-19 and the ongoing plague of racism, place vulnerable communities at particular risk. Escribimos porque as Latin@s our communities are formed and shaped both by the richness of African diasporic roots and people as well as by anti-blackness that for too long remains under addressed en nuestra casa.

This vandalism of Amazonian statues represented the many ways colonial violence has an ongoing and deep hold on Catholicism even today, especially in the U.S. 

The summer of 2019 has seen two powerful acts of resistance: the Catholic Day of Action for Immigrant Children and the Puerto Rican protests against Governor Ricky Rosselló. Both actions illustrate the power of movimientos, clamoring for the dignity and human rights of marginalized communities. 

Theology en la Plaza: We write en conjunto, united in prophetic rage and graced by the resilience of nuestra gente, paying critical attention to the role of the incendiary language that fueled the latest destructive incarnation of hate in El Paso.

The U.S. bishops' recent pastoral letter against racism, "Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love," acknowledges that complex histories of violence, exclusion and invisibility continue to impact the life prospects and dignity of African-American, Latinx and Native American communities today — and is a clarion call to actively address racism as a life issue.

Theology en la Plaza: Now that the emotions of the anniversary have waned, my mind turns toward the question of what justice looks like for populations impacted by climate change and environmental catastrophes.

When news broke that 1,500 migrant children were missing, the response by people of faith was immediate, if somewhat ill-informed. It was an opportunity to remember the virtue of prudence.