Pope Francis chose four "great Americans" to mention in his speech to Congress: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.
Arguably, Dorothy Day was the most radical, and therefore the most shocking of these individuals to hear spoken of in that great bastion of privilege, power, and the status quo.
She was a democratic socialist, a Christian socialist, a suffragist, a pacifist, an activist advocate for the poor, and the founder of the radical Christian anarchist Catholic Worker Movement.
At least one member of Congress had a deep appreciation for what a strikingly unusual event this was -- Bernie Sanders:
"The name Dorothy Day has not been used in the United States Congress terribly often," said Sanders in a short interview. "She was a valiant fighter for workers, was very strong in her belief for social justice, and I think it was extraordinary that he cited her as one of the most important people in recent American history. This would be one of the very, very few times that somebody as radical as Dorothy Day was mentioned."
Day was arguably the least famous of the four Americans Francis cited in the speech, but she was a vital and controversial figure on the American left. Like Martin Luther King -- also cited by Francis -- she had a thick FBI file, compiled by agents tracking her support for democratic socialism and opposition to foreign wars....
Sanders, well aware of Day's views and her critics, considered it bold and telling that Francis would praise her. "He is willing to identify with an extraordinarily courageous woman whose life was about standing with the poorest people in America, and having the courage to stand up to the very powerful," he said. "You know, her newspaper was the Catholic Worker, and she stood with the workers of America and fought for justice."...
I think his calling out for social justice, his talking about income and wealth inequality, his talking about creating an economy and a culture that works for everybody, not just a few, is a very, very powerful message."
A small thing, those few words spoken by a visitor to that august chamber. But perhaps just one more sign that indeed the times they are a-changing.
No wonder John Boehner was moved to tears...