Nuns take on politics with lemonade in hand

CLEVELAND — For Sister Simone Campbell, hitting the campaign trail isn’t a political endeavor – it’s spiritual one.

Campbell is the executive director of NETWORK, a Catholic social justice lobby based in Washington D.C. And on Monday, she and 19 other nuns took to the streets of Cleveland, lemonade in hand, with the goal of understanding the political rifts felt by Americans. The nuns set up a lemonade stand to serve cool drinks to passers-by and engage them in conversation.

“We know that we got serious trouble in our nation, and politicians have spent their time yelling at each other more than solving problems,” Campbell said. “So we’re trying to take politics into our own hands; to try to mend the gaps in our politics.”

The nuns’ stop in Cleveland during the Republican National Convention is part of a 13-state bus tour that also includes a stop at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia next week.

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Their platform, Campbell said, isn’t partisan, and the group won’t endorse a candidate. But they’re taking on a laundry list of policy points, including equal pay, a higher minimum wage and immigration reform — and the nuns’ positions on the issues aren’t exactly on par with those of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

“Trump wants to build walls, and we’re trying to build bridges,” said Sister Bernadine Karge, a Chicago-based nun and an immigration lawyer. “We’re trying to tear down those walls.”

Pope Francis has made similar statements about Trump. The billionaire presidential candidate has made anti-immigration rhetoric a cornerstone of his campaign and has said that, if elected president, he would build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

As for the presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Campbell said she’s not helping to mend the country’s political landscape either.

“Neither candidate has a positive image, and that’s anguish for the people in this country,” she said. “We’re better than that. Democracy is about community, and I think we’ve seen both candidates widen the political gap.”