Era of vindictiveness will soon end

The year 2016 has been designated as “The Holy Year of Mercy.” As Pope Francis declared, the Holy Year is a response to the world’s need for a “revolution of tenderness” from which “justice and all the rest derives.”

It is in this same vein that I pray that the New Year will usher in a new hope that the era of vindictiveness and selective justice will soon end. A new hope that everyone--not just a select few—will reap the benefits of economic progress. A new hope that we will have a government that is just and compassionate and responsive to the needs of the poor and needy.