Former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Benedictine Sr. Joan Chittister have one thing in common these days. That is “hope”.
A lifelong Republican and acclaimed spiritual leader and author, he believes that despite the highly divisive 2024 US presidential election, the spirit of America will prevail.
They argue that returning to a healthy state of affairs will require significant effort, cooperation from both sides of the political spectrum, and the defeat of Donald Trump.
“At the end of the day, I truly believe that there are many more Americans who are good-hearted, who care about their leaders, and who demand kindness and integrity from their leaders. You have an opportunity to send this message to the American people. We told the world that this is who we are,” Cheney told about 4,000 people at a community forum in Erie on Oct. 17.
Pennsylvania, considered a key battleground state in this year’s election, was an ideal place for the two influential women to put aside their political differences and find common ground. And that’s what they did at the kickoff event for the Global Summit Speaker Series sponsored by the Erie-based Jefferson Educational Association.
The nonprofit organization annually invites speakers from around the world to address a wide range of issues of global importance. Its chairman, Felki Ferrati, worked hard to connect Mr. Chittister with Mr. Cheney, especially in light of Mr. Cheney’s best-selling book, “Oath and Honor: Memoirs and Warnings.” The book is about her experience during the attack on the U.S. Capitol in January. She was one of just 10 Republicans that day to vote to impeach President Trump over his actions and inactions. As a result, House Republicans removed her as their leader.
“Sister Joanne came to me with the idea of having a discussion with Liz Cheney about what it means to disagree on policy but agree on some fundamental things that America stands for. ” said Ferrati.
Chittister led the dialogue, which brought together thousands of people familiar with her work for peace, human rights, women’s issues, and the renewal of monasteries and churches. She said she “cheered a little bit and cried a little bit” when she read Cheney’s memoir.
“I wanted to stand on a street corner in Erie and read this book out loud to people passing by,” Chittister said. “This cannot be read quickly or superficially.”
Chittister praised Cheney’s “moral courage” in standing up to Trump and other Republicans who opposed the peaceful transfer of power in 2021, telling Cheney, “You did it.” In 2022, Cheney received the John F. Kennedy Profile Courage Award for her “consistent and courageous voice in defense of democracy.”
Such courage continues to be needed in a turbulent social and political culture. But just as important, both women agreed, is re-educating people about the basics of U.S. government.
Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has been active in Republican politics since the age of 10, when she and her family sealed envelopes for President Gerald Ford’s 1976 re-election campaign. She has recently traveled around the country publicly supporting Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris.
She told Ellie gathered at the Bayfront Convention Center that the structure of government and the separation of powers is “fundamentally important and in many ways miraculous.”
Mr. Chittister acknowledged Mr. Cheney’s sincere respect for the original framers’ intentions to establish a free and democratic republic, noting that organizations such as government are “an extension of your own soul…that soul is a genuine ” asked Cheney.
After a long silence, Cheney simply smiled and replied, “Yes.”
The two women touched on the underlying hope that persists even in the political field. In “Oath and Honor,” Cheney describes praying with the House chaplains during the most tense and frightening moments of the attack on the U.S. Capitol and the House chamber. “I strongly believe in the power of prayer, and I have seen it work in my own life and in the life of our nation,” she writes in the book.
Chittister’s extensive list of award-winning writings on spirituality, including her online column “From Where I Stand” in the National Catholic Reporter, demonstrates her lifelong commitment to justice. She published her Prayer for Leadership through VenetVision, a resource and research center for modern spirituality. It reads in part:
“God, grant us leaders with hearts as big as the breadth of our own souls, and souls strong enough to follow leaders of vision and wisdom.”
The Chitti star reminded himself and the audience to counter the anxiety created by the contentious political scene, saying, “The energy has to start here.”
Organizers said Cheney and Chittister’s meeting was the largest paid educational event in the city’s history. Four days later, Cheney appeared with Harris in a series of moderated conversations in suburban cities in battleground states Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
“I needed to hear some optimism tonight,” former Erie City Councilwoman Liz Allen, who attended the Pennsylvania speech, said afterward. “I needed to hear some optimism tonight. If the church has taught us anything, it’s that I We should be people who have hope.”
In her prepared remarks and while answering questions from the audience, Ms. Cheney spoke of her determination to fulfill her duties as a mother of five and as a politician, but she was not sure about her next political role. I had no intention of making a statement.
“As citizens of this great country, we must never take for granted the amazing gifts that we have inherited and the sacrifices that so many have made over the years,” Cheney said. He added: “I have great optimism for this country.” I know this is a dangerous time. ”
