Letter 13

Letter 13

Aristotle Papanikolaou

Professor of Theology
Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture
Fordham University

February 1, 2017

Dear President Trump, Vice President Pence, Members of the Trump Administration and 115th Congress,

One of the foundational teachings of the Orthodox Christian Church is that all humans are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Such a teaching resonates with foundational principles of the United States of America: that all humans are endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights and dignity.

After one of the most divisive elections in U.S. history, I appeal to you to assure the American people that your presidency will continue to move our country forward toward the realization of our core principles: that all human beings must be affirmed as unique and irreplaceable. I ask that you use the power of the presidency to honor and value all Americans, over half of whom are women. I urge you to definitively disavow support from the various leaders and forms of white supremacist groups in the country. I plead with you to retract your order blocking Muslims from entering this country. I remind you that, as a Christian, affirming the uniqueness and irreplaceability of all human beings entails extending hospitality to the stranger, even if such hospitality entails risk.

Rather than a politics of divisiveness, please consider moving our country toward a politics of empathy where we are challenged to imagine what it would be like to be in the body of

  • a woman who has been physically assaulted;
  • a Muslim afraid to wear the hijab in public;
  • those who are fearful of a hate crime because of their sexuality;
  • individuals whose disability might subject them to mockery;
  • people of color who live in a country where slavery is its original sin and who endure continual suspicion due to the color of their skin.

Such a politics of empathy is part of what Orthodox Christians would call a politics of theosis—it is part of our struggle to love as God loves in the world.

Sincerely,

Aristotle Papanikolaou

Aristotle Papanikolaou
Professor of Theology
Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture
Co-Director, Orthodox Christian Studies Center
Fordham University
Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

About the author

Aristotle Papanikolaou, Professor of Theology and Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture at Fordham University, is Co-Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center.  He is also an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and author of The Mystical as Political:  Democracy and Non-Radical Orthodoxy.