'Respect Democracy,' 1,500 Catholic Sisters Pen Note To Trump

MILWAUKEE COUNTY, WI—"Each vote left uncounted represents a soul with a story," a letter from over 1,500 Catholic Sisters from across the United States including Wisconsin said.

The letter to President Donald Trump urges him to respect democracy and count every vote. The letter was written on Wednesday and signed by School Sisters of St. Francis Executive Director Sister Simone Campbell, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.

Patch reached out to the SSSF in Milwaukee but there is not response as of Thursday morning.

There have been reported protests across several states including Pennsylvania and Arizona with Trump supporters chanting "stop the steal," and "stop the count." There were also counter protests with people demanding to count each vote.

Below is the letter in full:

"A few weeks before this historic election, Pope Francis published a new encyclical where he wondered “what do certain words like democracy, freedom, justice or unity really mean?” Have they, as the Pope writes, been “bent and shaped to serve as tools for domination, as meaningless tags that can be used to justify any action?”

That question has never been clearer than today, when some elected officials make the immoral choice to hold onto power at any cost, including disenfranchising thousands, denying their most sacred gift: their voice.

Each vote left uncounted represents a soul with a story. Over the last several weeks, Sisters virtually visited over 60 communities across the country where people came together to share their struggles with one another. It was clear from coast to coast that there are urgent needs to keep one another safe from disease, end structural racism, fix our broken immigration system, support social programs that pull families out of poverty, and expand health care access for all people. This election season reminded many of the equally sacred priorities of our shared faith in these challenging times.

People are afraid of losing their healthcare, looking at the ashes of a home destroyed by a wildfire, searching for solutions to end systemic racism, wondering where their next paycheck will come from, or mourning the loss of a relative to COVID-19. Across the country, these Americans took their country up on its promise: that they could vote to elect leaders and chart a new course. Now we see their votes discounted in our election process.

Americans know that thoughts and prayers alone will not end their pain and suffering and that they must act. That’s why it should be no wonder that we saw a historic number of people cast a ballot. Each of these individuals must have a say in who represents them in government. We must ensure that every vote is counted, in accordance with applicable laws, no matter how long the process takes.

Catholic Social Teaching urges us to act on behalf of those who are marginalized in our society. We have a responsibility to one another, not to help one political party win, but to live up to our values. In the words of Pope Francis we must act “In the name of the poor, the destitute, the marginalized and those most in need, whom God has commanded us to help as a duty required of all persons, especially the wealthy and those of means.”

We took vows as Catholic Sisters, and you took a vow to uphold the Constitution.
Stay true to your vow. Count the votes. Ensure the United States lives up to its promise. Every voice — and every vote — is sacred, especially the most marginalized among us."

President Donald Trump's campaign on Wednesday sued to stop the counting of votes in Pennsylvania and Michigan.

"This is the most important election of our lifetime, and President Trump made clear our path forward last night: Ensure the integrity of the nation for the good of the nation," Trump deputy campaign manager Justin Clark said in a news release.

According to Clark, the campaign seeks "to temporarily halt counting until there is meaningful transparency and Republicans can ensure all counting is done above board and by the law."
The campaign did not immediately make available copies of the litigation it has filed.

Former Vice President and Democratic challenger Joe Biden is the apparent winner in Wisconsin and is projected to capture the state's 10 Electoral College votes, according to projections made by The Associated Press and NBC News. The Trump campaign said it will immediately request a recount, as one can be asked for if the race is within 1 percent of the winner's total.