Pope Francis may be the leader of the Catholic church but he has a political message for the United States of America.
On his first state visit, Pope Francis introduced himself to 15,000 people as “the son of an immigrant family.”
With that statement, the people of Washington realized that the Pope was not here to bless the Catholics. His message is unlike the politics that is currently rolling through the capital. Pope Francis wants to see people come together.
In his opening address, he said, “I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families.”
Anyone who has walked past a television lately knows that immigration has become a hot button issue in America as well as in Australia. The campaign has so far been punctuated with fear mongering, questionable statements and insults.
That the Pope would utter these words upon his arrival suggests that the popular pontiff is less than pleased about the current trajectory of the right wing faction of American politics. As the son of immigrant families in a Latino country, it is hard to imagine that he took kindly to recent renderings of Mexicans as ‘rapists.’
Pope Francis will not just be kissing babies and visiting parishes on his visit. House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, invited the Pope to address Congress.
This invitation is not unprecedented. Much of the world finds Pope Francis heartwarming and fascinating for several reasons. Some of his exploits as Pope have been applauded by the media. For example, reports discovered that the Pope would disguise himself and go out to interact with the homeless on the streets of Rome. People also like that he has acknowledged the importance of climate change.
Pope Francis even helped broker the historic deal between Cuba and America. The deal resulted in diplomatic relations to begin again for the first time in nearly 50 years.
In addition to this, he has moved away from the church’s staunch stance on issues like divorce, homosexuality and abortion. A Pope is hardly likely to ever condone these things. However, Pope Francis has moved the church away from fire and brimstone and closer to the realities of the 21st century.
Pope Francis is a political pope but his message to Washington is that the partisan politics are getting in the way of the lives of ordinary people.
But it is not just his message that is non-partisan, the persona he has created reflects these views as well.
Both Democrats and Republicans find inspiration the work that he has done. Although his role is the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has lessons to teach both major American parties. These lessons include the importance of tolerance both in life and in politics.
After decades of a declining papacy, the pope has become more relevant than ever in modern society. He continues to be a spiritual guide for Roman Catholics. Yet, he has now emerged as a global political leader for the rest of the world. If American leaders are smart, they will listen to the man who has somehow transformed his position from being in decline to being of rock star status.