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As the weeks pass, the conversation continues to churn, moving from the halls of the Vatican to the town halls, classrooms, and online forums of America. The word acts as a permanent marker, a diagnostic stamp on a country that prides itself on strength. It serves as a reminder that power, when untethered from the fundamental requirements of unity and compassion, is merely a mask for a deep-seated injury. Whether the nation chooses to address this injury or continues to pretend it doesn’t exist will define the legacy of this era. Pope Leo XIV may have walked away after a single second, but the resonance of his voice lingers, serving as a silent, persistent question: now that you know you are wounded, what will you do to survive?
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