21 January 2013

Msgr. Pope on President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and This Year’s Presidential Inauguration

“Many thoughts move through my mind on this third Monday in January. Just up the street from where I live, the Second Inauguration of President Barack Obama is taking place. Today is also the official celebration of the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And also, later this week, my rectory will be filled to overflowing with priests and seminarians here for the March for life, which takes place on Friday. Yes, so many thoughts: thoughts of civil rights and racial justice, thoughts of the unborn, and their right to life, thoughts of a president, and this nation. So many thoughts.

“Somehow, my mind drifts back to 1865, to the 2nd Inaugural Address of President. Abraham Lincoln. Many things also came together on that day: the nation was reeling in the aftermath of the terrible war that killed almost 600,000 soldiers and others. (If that number were projected forward percentage-wise to today’s population, it would mean that over 6 million people in this country would have lost their lives).”

In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on President Lincoln’s words and how they apply to challenges the American society is facing in these times.

To access Msgr. Pope’s complete post, please visit:

Msgr. Charles Pope: Light and Darkness: Some thoughts on this Presidential Inauguration Rooted in another Inauguration in 1865 (20 JAN 13)

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