Fr. John L. Ubel of the Cathedral of Saint Paul recently drew comparisons between the current state of affairs in the United States and Nobel Prize–winning British author William Golding's 1954 novel “Lord of the Flies.”

In the June 21 edition of the church bulletin, Ubel recounted Golding's story about a group of boys who, when left to their own devices, fall into complete chaos. 

“The author was highlighting the human struggle between good and evil,” Ubel wrote. “But he clearly was signaling that unless society is self-critical, the drama that played out on a fictitious deserted island could eventually play out for real in wider society.”

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Ubel said that this similar situation is taking place in society today, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing with the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests and riots. 

“Sadly, following the initially peaceful protests, the situation rather quickly devolved into looting and riots,” Ubel said. “To date, nearly 1,500 buildings across the Twin Cities have been vandalized, looted or destroyed.”

Ubel said that it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to repair the Twin Cities. Additionally, the entire ordeal is impacting everyone, Ubel said, as Americans face a changing society and a strong push for reform. 

While civilian efforts to rectify police brutality are imperfect, Ubel said that as a man in his position, he will never understand how people of color feel on a daily basis. For the first time, however, police officers are possibly beginning to understand how people of color do feel, as they are being painted with a broad brush by those who believe that all police officers are corrupt and violent. 

“But here’s the rub,” he wrote. “This is precisely how many African American youths feel – eyed with suspicion every single time they enter into a convenience store.” 

Much like the reform that was needed in the Catholic Church, reform is now necessary in law enforcement and society as a whole, Ubel wrote. 

“So, I ask rhetorically – do you feel better about this local church than you did five years ago? If so, why? If not, why not? What more needs to happen?” he asked. 

While the Church can embrace sinners, it also must be honest about pushing for the changes that need to happen in order to protect its purity. 

“If these hopes come to fruition, we may be able to look back in 2025 and see the fruit that emerged from a summer of such pain and turmoil,” Ubel wrote.