As Catholic Christians and persons of good will, we recognize how easily we can be drawn into a contentious climate and fall short of basic charity in our attitudes and our speech. St. Peter cautions the early Christian community: "Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander" (1 Peter 2:1).

The Diocese of Des Moines, in collaboration with the U.S. bishops, is rolling out an initiative called Civilize It, which encourages greater civility, compassion and clarity in dialogue and engagement that will deepen our appreciation for varied voices, grounded in the belief that each of us by nature is inclined toward the true, the good, and the beautiful.