Unity – A First Principle in Christian Citizenship

The following essay is excerpted from the pastoral letter, In Charity and Truth: Toward a Renewed Political Culture.

Among the first words of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate was a call for unity–unity in the Church, and unity among the peoples of the earth. Unity is not a strategy; it is grounded in Christ, who prayed that His disciples might be one. Unity is not uniformity. It is harmony in diversity. It is the recognition that we belong to one another, even when we see the world differently.

Unity requires responsibility. It calls us to be united first in faith and service, thereby strengthening the communion of the Church, while simultaneously working for the good of the communities and nation in which we live. This dual commitment to faith and country does not mean closing our eyes to the flaws of our homeland or pretending that our civic life is free of moral tension. From the beginning, Catholics in this country have wrestled with how to live faithfully in a culture that does not always share or support the Gospel. That struggle continues today, especially in a time when many feel politically homeless and unsure where their faith fits within the current landscape.

Part of our pastoral challenge is that many of our people instinctively identify as Americans, or as Democrats or Republicans, before they identify as Catholics. When that happens, the Gospel is easily overshadowed by partisanship–or even a rigid ideology that demands more loyalty than the Word of God–and thus our witness becomes fractured. Naming this honestly is not a condemnation but an invitation: an invitation to let our faith shape our civic identity rather than the other way around.

The Catholic experience in the United States has always included both gratitude and tension–gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy, and tension when those freedoms are used in ways that wound human dignity. This history also calls us to a necessary vigilance, ensuring that our fundamental freedoms, especially our religious liberty, are never curtailed or compromised. Yet our history also shows that these tensions can be navigated with integrity. Catholics do not need to abandon their faith to participate in public life, nor do they need to abandon public life to remain faithful. Instead, our faith offers the compass we need to walk this path with clarity and hope.

Being Catholic in America has never meant uncritical allegiance, nor has it required withdrawal. It means allowing the Gospel to form our conscience, guide our choices, and inspire our commitment to the common good. When we do that, we contribute not only to the unity of the Church but also to the healing and strengthening of our nation, helping it grow into the best version of itself, even when the journey is difficult.

Most Reverend William E. Lori is the 16th Archbishop of Baltimore. From 2011 to 2017, he served as chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.  He currently serves as a consultant to the Committee for Religious Liberty.