Judgment of Obama unfair

Dear Editor, I share Margaret Hickey’s position opposing abortion, (IC Letters 26/02/2015) but not her judgment of President Obama. Jesus Christ set down fundamental criteria by which people will be judged in Mt 25.31-46, “I was hungry and you gave me food” etc. One of these is “I was sick and you took care of me”.

There were over 40 million Americans without health cover. Obamacare will provide such cover for a big proportion of these.  Another is “I was a stranger and you welcomed me”. There are 11 million “illegal” migrants in the USA, among whom are many Irish. Obama is now trying to regularise the position of 5million of these by executive action, in the absence of congressional action.

The Republicans, and the Catholics among them, are and have been totally and bitterly opposed to these policies. They strongly support policies that favour the rich and thus greatly increase inequality which, according to Pope Francis, “is the root of social ills”. Is it not against the criteria set by Jesus in the round that President Obama and the Republican Catholics respectively should be judged? 

Yours etc.,

John Mangan,

Rathfarnham,

Dublin 16.