The
Pope just called out Trump with the PERFECT gift
President Trump met Pope Francis for the first time on May 24,
but the ocean of separation has not stopped the two from exchanging sharp words during the
preceding year.
While this was a time for building alliances on a formal
world stage, the Pope still found a classy way to stand up for his values.
He gave Trump a gift:
Andrew Freedman: Per White House pool, @Pontifex gave Trump a personally signed copy of his climate change encyclical today. 7:38 AM - 24 May 2017
Encyclicals are formal letters circulated by Popes to dictate
the highest priorities of the church and set the tone for Catholic values and
teaching.
The Pope published his 192-page encyclical two years ago, establishing in
no uncertain terms that combatting climate change is a moral imperative that
we cannot afford to ignore.
By contrast, Trump has said “global warming was created by and for the Chinese,” removed climate change from his EPA’s
website, and is traveling with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, former CEO of Exxon — one of
the environment’s worst offenders.
The gulf between the values of these men presented the Pope with a precarious situation.
How to both respect the dignity of an encounter with the President of the United States and do right by his core values, which this President actively opposes.
Pope Francis found the perfect solution — subtle and respectful
but unmistakeable.
This Pope is a prolific writer, and there can be no doubt that
the gift is a deliberate — and much needed — challenge to the President’s
reckless environmental stance.
The Pontiff has made clear how he views the environment and those who refuse to safeguard it.
The Pontiff has made clear how he views the environment and those who refuse to safeguard it.
“Our common home is being pillaged, laid waste and harmed with
impunity,” Pope Francis said two years ago. “Cowardice
in defending it is a grave sin.”
Unlike Trump, the Pope is not merely calling names. With his
gift, the Pope has issued a call to action for our president to abandon his
cowardice and begin the work of protecting that common home — the planet.