Pope Francis Is About To Enrage
Republicans In 6 Glorious Ways!
By
Samuel
Warde
According to the Pope’s official itinerary, Francis is scheduled to
arrive at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on the afternoon of Sept. 22
after a three-day visit to Cuba. Francis is scheduled to meet with President
Obama on Sept. 23 and to address a joint meeting of the United States
Congress two days later on Sept. 24.
According to the noted Catholic website Crux, other highlights
of the Pope’s trip to Washington, D.C. include speaking to US bishops at the
Cathedral of St. Matthew, canonizing JunÃpero Serra during a Mass in
Spanish at the Catholic University of America, and visiting the headquarters of
Catholic Charities of Washington, where the Vatican said Francis will meet with
a group of homeless people. Francis will also visit DC seminarians, according to a statement from Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl.
While many expect his Congressional address on Sept. 24 to be his
most memorable stop, considering Francis’ past political statements –
conservatives are sure to become outraged.
Religion News
Service reported that
Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, a top adviser to Francis, told an
audience at Georgetown University that “the Pope will come humbly, but will
talk clearly.”
Maradiaga, who leads Francis’ nine-member advisory council of
cardinals, offered insight into the Pope’s thinking and previewed six of the
points he expects Francis to make while addressing the Republican-controlled
Congress.
As Religion News Service noted, “Francis isn’t shy about
tackling controversial topics or upending conventional orthodoxies about
Catholics and politics — a prospect that makes U.S. conservatives especially
nervous, given Francis’ insistence on raising concerns about issues such
as economic justice, climate change and immigration.”
The points that Maradiaga expects Francis to make before
Congress include the
following six items:
Welcoming
Immigrants:
Maradiaga reiterated that Pope Francis would have preferred
entering the United States via a border crossing with Mexico to stress the
importance of welcoming immigrants and not building barriers or walls to keep
them out. He noted that while the trip’s itinerary did not provide for a border
stopover, Francis is certain to raise the issue of immigration while speaking
before Congress.
Battling
Economic Inequality:
Francis has been outspoken regarding his views about controlling
capitalism to create economic equality in the United States and around the
world, and Mardiaga noted that “Capitalism is not a god. It is not a divinity.
It is not a system that is perfect and does not need any modification. This
system is fostering tremendous inequalities.”
Promoting a Just Economy to
Strengthen Families:
According to Maradiega, a key component of Francis’ message with
be stating his belief that efforts to strengthen the middle class and the poor
in particular is vital to strengthening families.
Maradiaga noted that:
The (free) market economy is not complete. We need a social market economy. This is the big contribution of the Catholic faith to the system — to try to have this social component that will bring more justice to the system. It is not fair that a system that is producing so much richness could walk side by side with so much poverty.
Protecting
the Environment:
The Pope’s views on the environment and climate change have been
made quite clear and, according to Religious News
Service, “Francis is going to publish a major teaching document
on the environment ahead of his U.S. visit, and observers expect the encyclical
to accept the reality of climate change and mankind’s role in it, and to
call for action to address the dangers.” This forthcoming document has “led to
the consternation of many conservatives who have been trying to blunt the
document’s impact even before it is published.”
Maradiaga stated, “Do not expect statistics or numbers or
theories” in the encyclical. “He will go directly to the responsibility of all
the baptized, especially with creation. Because all of us have responsibility,”
adding, “I am clear. We cannot continue playing with creation and contaminating
the Earth.”
Fighting
Partisanship, Putting the Church First:
Perhaps one of the most bitter pills for Republicans will be the
Pope’s message to put Church first above politics. According to Maradiaga,
For many Catholics, first is the political party, then is the church. I see this in some attitudes of citizens who are first Republicans or Democrats. Then comes Catholicism. This is a big problem. Because we have to put everything in order. God is first, then all other human institutions.
Promoting
Dialogue, not Ideology:
World Religion News reported that “perhaps the most-bitter pill
for Congress to swallow will be Pope Francis’ challenge for all
to encourage
dialogue, not simply promoting ideology.”
According to Maradiaga,
One of the conditions for a true dialogue is to have peace in your soul, peace in your personality, to be persons of peace. But when you are in the trenches, trying to defend ideologies, you’re not capable of a true dialogue.
Even
the congresspeople can listen to other voices, to counsels, to advisers. It’s a
human attitude that we have to develop. The one who receives advice commits
less errors and is not mistaken. The one who does not like to listen to advice
will have a lot of trouble. So I think the Congress will receive very well the
advice (of the pope) — even if there are some things that will not be
comfortable.
Religious News Service concluded their report, noting that at a
recent mass, Maradiaga added an impromptu supplication to the prayers during
the liturgy: “Let us pray for the visit of our Pope Francis to the United
States,” he intoned. “It won’t be easy, but it will be a great blessing.”
Samuel Warde
is a writer, social and political activist, and all-around troublemaker.
