I was raised as and continue to be a member of the United Methodist Church, but I have always had great respect and admiration for the pope as the universal head of the Roman Catholic Church. The words of Pope Leo have resonated even more strongly with me than those of his predecessors. He is performing his position as emissary for God admirably.
My understanding of the Third Commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in Vain” amounted to “do not say G.D.,” until a couple of years ago when a religion scholar (whose name I forget) provided a much better explanation. He said it also means that you should not invoke God’s name to justify or promote an idea or action that is counter to God’s will.
Hearing Donald Trump, JD Vance and Pete Hegseth claim their actions of war are being done in the name of and with the blessing of God strikes me as being a perfect example of breaking the Third Commandment. Pope Leo’s admonition that Jesus was a proponent of peace is much more consistent with my religious upbringing. “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
I have no intention of abandoning my Methodist roots, but if I were forced to make a choice between the Roman Catholic Church or the MAGA-infused, evangelical Christian church, I would be aligned with Pope Leo in a heartbeat.
Jack Crawford
Saugus
