I’ve read the recent letters (Herald, May 6) about St. Columba’s Father John Jatau being forced to leave his congregation after his visa wasn’t renewed with a profound sense of sadness for my Catholic neighbors, who have lost a vital part of their community. What a terrible loss, not just for the parish but for all of Durango – one of many wonderful neighbors we’ve now lost to the nation’s embrace of xenophobia. If you haven’t yet personally felt the effects of this crusade, it’s probably just a matter of time.
To paraphrase the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., intolerance anywhere is a threat to tolerance everywhere. According to the Pew Research Center, 82% of white Christians voted for Trump in 2024, including 61% of white Catholics – a clear-eyed vote, in my view, for exactly the type of fear-driven policies now playing out across the nation and here at home.
The apostle John said, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” What I hear from many of the Christians around me is a message full of fear turned to vitriol toward some of the most marginalized people in our society.
As we approach the midterms, I hope my Catholic neighbors who have shared this painful experience with Durango also share it with their Christian communities around the nation. It is not yet too late to drive out fear and vote for a return to the ideals that made this nation great.
Nathan Russell
Durango
