An Easter weekend reflection on human dignity

"When they stop seeing others as human beings and reduce them to pieces in a geopolitical game, they lose the moral compass required to prevent future conflicts."

          Cardinal Blase Cupich

I will let college classmate Larry DiCara speak for me during this Easter weekend. Larry grew up in the working-class Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. He was a standout at Boston Latin School, then at Harvard. At age 22 he became the youngest person ever elected to the Boston City Council, which then led to a long career as a lawyer helping shape the extraordinary turnaround of Boston over the past five decades. He is the author of Turmoil and Transition in Boston: A Political Memoir from the Busing Era.

Larry Dicara, with his three daughters

Guest Post by Larry DiCara

Dred Scott and Cardinal Cupich Human dignity has been a frequent topic of discussion throughout our 250 year history. In 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote the Dred Scott Decision. While Taney was drafting his decision, U.S. Senator Charles Sumner was arguing that the rights of the people emanated not only from the Constitution but also from the Declaration of Independence which preceded it.    Andrew Jackson appointed Taney. Supreme Court appointments were quite routine in those days. With the exception of the Brandeis nomination early in the 20th Century, no major battles ensued until Nixon nominated Clement Carswell and Harold Haynsworth as part of his obeisance to U. S. Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC).    The Dred Scott Decision said that Black Americans have been “regarded as beings of an inferior order, all together unfit to associate with the white race…and so inferior, that they have no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” Most religious leaders remained silent.    More than 150 years later, we are in a similar place in American history. Service members and families who have lost loved ones say the Trump team’s memes and jokes trivialize combat and sacrifice. Many of our religious leaders have remained silent. Others have not. The Pope made a very strong statement on Palm Sunday stating that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: Your hands are full of blood.’” Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago wrote in The Washington Post:  When people treat war as entertainment, they surrender their humanity. When they allow their consciences to be dulled by the allure of easy profit, they step away from what God desires for his children. When they stop seeing others as human beings and reduce them to pieces in a geopolitical game, they lose the moral compass required to prevent future conflicts.  In 2026, we are dealing with questions of human rights, and we need to hear the voices of other religious leaders! Thousands of children, the majority of whom are of Latin heritage, are in ICE custody. They live in subhuman conditions. They do not go to school. They live in a large cage and are treated the same way Roger Taney wanted Black people to be treated.    Congressman Andy Ogles (R-Tenn) recently called for all Muslims to be denaturalized and deported: “Muslims don’t belong in American society…pluralism is a lie….” Ogles posted on X. To me this sounds mighty familiar to the thinking of Hitler and his lackeys who called for Germany to be “Judenrein” - free of Jews. Jeff Jacoby, writing in The Boston Globe, reminded us that “demonizing religious minorities is a tradition as old as the Republic and politicians were exploiting it to win followers long before social media existed.” Our “call of duty” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth invited Doug Wilson, his pastor, to conduct a prayer service at the Defense Department. Wilson has stated plainly that in his vision of a Christian nation, anything Protestants consider “public displays of idolatry” would be prohibited. Catholic parades and processions fall squarely within that definition. Are we going backwards as a country? Hegseth, in addition to treating war like a video game, now also facilitates attacks on organized religion. Our national leaders have created two lists: one of the accepted and one of the rejected. Are his policies why so many no longer feel invited to serve our country, as confirmed by essays quoting retired generals? Does he want our military to be all tall white “Christian” men with good hair?    Do some of our religious leaders only selectively read scripture? Do they not understand the very clear messages in the Bible and other sacred texts as to the dignity of human beings and each person’s being identified as a child of God? I recall the words of Pope Francis, who always reminded us that we are all brothers and sisters – “fratelli tutti.” Our national leaders have created two lists: one of the accepted and one of the rejected. Perhaps there was not enough political courage among religious leaders 150 years ago. Perhaps there is not enough political courage today, given that some of those who wave the Bible do not open it very often, preferring Project 2025 to Matthew: 25! [Note: To get daily delivery of this blog by email go to Https://petersage.substack.com. Subscribe. The blog is free and always will be.]