Pope Francis Challenges Congress to Heal World’s ‘Open Wounds’
SEPT. 24, 2015
Nearly a week ago, Pope Francis ventured on a historic endeavor to try to change the conditions and lifestyle in Cuba. Now he is on another mission, to turn the perspectives of the American public and to bring about changes that he believes is for the better good. Just before Pope Francis landed at Joint Andrews Base in Maryland, the Catholic community in the United States were already debating on the issues that Pope Francis might bring forth in front of Congress. As soon as the Pope landed, both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were there to greet and accompany Pope Francis as he traveled to Washington D.C.. Today, September 24th, he went in front of Congress to express his thoughts on many issues deemed worthy enough to deliver his message to the American public.
The Pope, being the leader of almost 1.2 billion Catholics around the world, questioned American government's policies and conduct for the American people. He called for the American government to start using its political power to stop poverty that is ravaging across society. In addition, he asked the American government to help patch up the "wounds" in the world that are a result of hatred, greed and pollution. He acquainted himself with many liberal issues and wanted the government to resolve this issues in a orderly manner. He preached for the condemnation of firearm trade and the elimination of the death penalty. Yet, one issue he believed should be top priority is that the government shouldn't make decisions based on their wealth, but rather make decisions that will provoke wholesome change in humanity. “Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one, the greatest common good,” he told a joint meeting in Congress (New York Times). Along with many political issues, he also defended religious freedom and addressed the issue of same sex marriage. He believes that people should still follow the writings of the Bible and what a normal family consists of, yet he is willing to accept that family can be defined in various ways. "Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life," Pope Francis said (New York Times). Overall, Pope Francis wants the American government to help mend the bridges between the wealthy and poor, the oppressed and all of humanity as whole. After his confrontation with Congress, he decided to visit the homeless at St. Patrick's Church to get his message across to the rest of society about the importance of helping the poverty-stricken community.
Do you agree or disagree with what the Pope deems as important for the American government to address?
Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/25/us/pope-francis-congress-speech.html?_r=0
Do you agree or disagree with what the Pope deems as important for the American government to address?
Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/25/us/pope-francis-congress-speech.html?_r=0
11 comments:
This article is extremely interesting. I believe Pope Francis represents a new era in the Catholic church. His stances on many of the liberal issues mentioned in the article and more and not only unusual for a pope, but ground breaking for the catholic community. I believe that this visit to the United States is a huge stepping stone towards a new face of the Catholic church. It seems that many of the extreme conservative views the catholic church onced possessed are molding into more moderate ones and that these new stances are being greatly appreciated by the general public. It seems as if Pope Francis is a breath of fresh air and he is certainly proving himself to be not only in tune with our generation, but mindful of the issues we care about most.
Francis is certainly the most liberal of any Pope in their opinions of society. In a Church where leaders have not reflected the progressiveness of their numerous followers, it is hopeful to see how faith can be an effective tool in changing society or even adapting to society. The Pope, contrasting the President, is given the privilege by his people to be very individualistic with his opinions. However, I feel uncomfortable with the notion that such a singularly powerful person can shape the perspective of 1/7 of the world's population. In addition, I also possess a discomfort that he (or people believe he) has such power in policy making in the United States, a government designed to promote impartiality. I am by no means saying this violates the very ground of separating church and state, or that I disagree with the Pope's very progressive and hopeful message. I just believe the words of future popes should be taken more as a consideration, and less as a decree. I believe, whether or not I agree with his opinions, that those opinions should not directly influence policy in the United States.
Though he is a deeply religious man and, in the US, may be expected to have traditionally conservative views, this Pope is surprisingly liberal. I think that some of his liberalism--for example, his position on gun control-- could be because he lives and experiences European life. Europeans are generally much more liberal than Americans, so it makes sense that the Pope may have more liberal ideas. Also, as "Steve Irwin" said (unsure who this is sorry), the Pope seems in tune with our generation. On the whole, young people are moving towards more left-leaning stances on political and social issues, especially gay marriage. The Pope, by saying that families can be defined in many different ways, addresses the idea of marriage equality without straying too far from traditionally religious views of LGBT unions.
This world leader is, above all, concerned with the poor. As some predicted, his message to his followers was "tend to the disadvantaged." He went above and beyond in delivering this message by dining with the homeless, rather than taking his lunch with powerful, wealthy politicians. His decision shows Catholics, and non-Catholics, across the country that he truly believes in his mantra.
I agree with the pope about the importance of the American government bridging the gap between the rich and the poor. Today the 1 percent is expected to "control over 50 percent of global wealth by next year, according to Monday’s report". However, only "5.5 percent of global wealth [is left] for 80 percent of the world". The gap between the rich and poor is significant and will only grow if there is nothing done about it. I believe it is the government's duty to protect the people and help the rest of the 99% of the world. I don't believe it is fair that the rich is allowed to keep getting richer, while the poor are only getting poorer. The top 1% needs to be taxed, and the money collected needs to be used to help the people. It is unnecessary for the 1% to have that much money. They are living in their huge mansions, driving around in their Lamborghini' s while people are out here on the streets living out of a cardboard box. Why is this okay? According to a Forbes article from 2012, researchers at Princeton found "the positive effects of money had no effect on people’s happiness and moods after a level of $ 75,000.00 was attained". Although this was taken a few years ago, the amount of money someone needs to be happy should not have changed much in the past three years. An average celebrity can make millions of dollars a year. So if only $75,000 of that is necessary to be happy, then why is it necessary to have all that excess money that is only spent on cars, drugs, alcohol, and expensive summer homes they are rarely going to use anyways. Since the founding of our country, the government has worked to protect the needs of property owners. Well now it is time to protect the needs of the propertyless. Big businesses do not need tax cuts because that money is going straight into the CEO's pocket, not the low level workers doing all of the manual labor. The 1% has been protected for far too long and it is time for the 99% of the world to be defended.
Sources:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/wealthiest-getting-wealthier-lobbying-lot/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2012/07/27/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-happy-2/
I agree with what the Pope deems as important issues for the American government to address because they are not only prevalent and evident to American society, but this message comes from a highly moral and wise man who has good intentions. Although not all Americans will listen to the Pope’s advice due to disagreements in religious values as well as ignorance, I do believe that his thoughts are valuable and are meant to be heard by the majority of citizens in the United States. There are a multitude of issues in the America, and whether Pope Francis addresses the most pressing issues and chooses to not speak in regards to other issues, is his decision. However every problem is a problem and should be worked through by the American population to solve the most prevalent and moral issues of our society today. I agree with the Pope’s strong opinion on greed in American society, and are carelessness towards the environment. These ideas are very significant issues in our country and should most certainly be addressed not only through the Pope but through a political front as well. Pope Francis went on to examine the areas of death penalty, firearm trade, and that money should not be the main focus, but more so the well being of humanity. Ultimately, the issues that Pope Francis deemed important to the people of America and our government to me seem accurate and he addresses problems that put the well being of the United States at risk. The Pope does not seek after one specific group or place blame on a singular person, but he rather states that these issues must be taken into consideration for the well being of our country, which is a moral and valuable stance.
I think that Pope Francis’s vision for the United States should not influence policy makers at all. The pope’s purpose is to spread a spiritual message and to lead the Catholic Church; however, he has taken sides on political issues such as immigration, the environment, the economy and globalization. Also, I think it is important for the Catholic Church to stay out of politics; the separation of the church and state is vital to the health of both the American government and to the beliefs of the church. Pope Francis by taking positions on these issues is feeding into the political goals and strategies of others. He has become friends with many political people and these people may use him to “moralize” their politics (Henninger).
In my opinion, it is not Pope Francis’s place to tell the American government what to do. All of the issues that he is bringing up may not be in the best interest of all American people. He discusses the redistribution of wealth to the poor and the focuses on opening the doors of the immigration. It is up to the American people alone to decide the future of the United States, not Pope Francis.
On a non-political level, Pope Francis has influenced people by helping people to be grateful for what they have and to help the poor through charity. I think this is an important message for the pope to be giving. However, he should not become involved in politics.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-politicized-pope-1443047131
Although I believe Pope Francis's journey across the Atlantic is both a historic and momentous one, and I believe he has more capability to make positive strides in the Christian nation than any of his recent predecessors, I do not believe his words or his beliefs should have any tangible impact on American policy. He touches upon many major, presiding issues currently facing our nation which should be addressed, but the issues should not be of more dire concern because they originate from a religious official. For instance, religious people across the world see the death penalty as a moral sin, but there are many heinous crimes committed in the United States that many believe deserve death. Both sides have a true gripe, but the Pope's views should not be held higher than that of the average American man. I agree that Americans and American policymakers need to think more morally in regards to environmental, economic, and social issues, but I do not think the Pope's words per se should have an immediate impact. After all, separation of church and state was one of the most pressing desires of our founding fathers.
That being said, Pope Francis's words of kindness, and his motivating words for change should be held by the American people. If those words resonate, they should seek public reform.
I disagree with the Pope for the sole reason that I believe he isn’t taking into account the actual politics of government and he is just saying what he believes to be morally correct. As the greatest nation, he is speaking to Congress in hopes that we, as leaders of the World, lead the World and our nation to a better place through policy and changing things to be more in a Catholic light, such as the view on the death penalty. While Pope Francis wants America to help the poor and base the government less on money, he doesn’t really see the true goals of the government and would rather point out the need for more humanitarian reform and to help globally. He believes that the American government needs to address issues with an open mindset to make humanitarian change instead of for gain and the prosperity of the nation. I disagree with this because while humanitarian growth is important, the main goal of the government isn’t to cater to that and support global development. Looking at it from the Pope’s perspective, this is a more reasonable request for the betterment of a nation and of the World because he is striving for unity and peace within the World.
I agree with the statements that Pope Francis has made regarding what he finds important based on his morals, and he therefore wants to implement these morals in the political systems in the world. However, I do not think that the word of a single man, no matter how much power or influence he has on the world, should have too much impact on the American policymakers, especially considering that he is a religious leader. Our country is based on principles such as separation of religion and government, and not allowing one single voice to be heard more than others. If the government allows the pope's points to greatly influence policy, then both of these principles are being defied. That being said, I believe that people should take into consideration all of the points that Pope Francis is making, in their own opinions and considerations because his points could reflect a lot of goodness to come. For example, in light of so much violence and tragedy in America in recent years, it seems like a reasonable idea to consider gun control and termination of the death penalty. People always say that you can't counter violence with more violence, but that is exactly what people try to do; the government allows the killing of citizens because they committed crimes, and the purchase of firearms despite recent shootings. Pope Francis has some very good points about how people can move toward solving world issues that would ultimately change humanity. In addition, it is very respectable that the pope was not afraid to address such prevalent, controversial issues such as same sex marriage. He is definitely the most liberal pope, even just going off of the fact that he was not totally closed-minded to the idea of same sex marriage. His work with poverty is also very admirable because it reflects how he really values and cares for people who have been forgotten or oppressed, and genuinely wants to change many very pressing issues.
I agree with many of the statements that Pope Francis has made about his opinions of the American government. Although many of his beliefs are different than popes of the past, they bring out significant moral issues in today's changing society. For instance, gun violence in the past decade has dramatically increased in America, something that the government has struggled to come to a conclusion on, but should be a top priority. In addition, I agree with the Pope about his concerns about the gap between the rich and the poor. The government often times makes decisions based on what is best for the rich and how they would benefit. Although it is important to think about the rich because their corporations control much of the economy, it is also equally important that the government focus on the poor and protect their rights. I also agreed with how respectful the Pope was, not blaming certain groups, but rather bringing up major concerns and allowing everyone to consider it with their own opinion. The Pope was more liberal than I would have been, but brought up important points for our society. Whether these issues will be successfully addressed will have to be seen.
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