Giorgio: The Pope Goes to Capitol Hill
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
However, The Pope has left America and in his wake he left turmoil on Capitol Hill. House Speaker John Boehner, a Catholic, had been attempting to get a Pope to address a joint session of Congress for twenty years. He finally got his wish and the next day he resigned from Congress. His resignation will take place at the end of October.
The Golden Rule
The Pope spoke about the Golden Rule and he referenced four Americans for their contributions to our country. These four Americans where all leaders in the fight for social justice. He linked Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothea Day and Thomas Merton. He spoke about immigration and reminded us that we are all immigrants to the Americas. He spoke about divisiveness and about capital punishment. He did not speak about abortion, as many conservatives had hoped. In fact his speech was boycotted by the three most catholic and Conservative members of the Supreme Court, Justices, Scalia, Alito and Thomas.
What in his remarks prompted Speaker Boehner to resign? Was it his remarks about divisiveness in the world, which Boehner took as meaning on Capitol Hill or was it the talk about some in America’s hatred of immigrants.
What we do know is that the TEA Party members of the House don’t think the Speaker is conservative enough. They are spoiling for another fight and they want to shut down the government over the phony video attacking Planned Parenthood.
It is clear that John Boehner had some sort of epiphany during the Pope’s speech. He could be seen openly weeping. He knows that shutting down government isn’t the answer.
The Pope Acknowledges John Kerry
There was another moment prior to the speech that may have been lost on most commentators and pundits who watched the speech. It was very clear and deliberate. Pope Francis shook the hand of only one person as he walked down the center aisle of the House of Representatives. That man was Secretary of State John Kerry. And it was clear; the Pope reached out, not Kerry.
It is clear that the Pope appreciates Kerry’s efforts both in Cuba and in the Middle East. Pope Francis is heavily invested in bringing about change in Latin America. Much Like Pope John Paul II, who helped bring about the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, Pope Francis sees bringing democracy and prosperity to Latin America as part of his ministry. He is also playing a role in bringing about detente in the Middle East and supports the efforts of President Obama to enter into a peace accord with Iran, which will limit their attempts to create a nuclear bomb.
There were two parts of the Pope’s visit to our country. He visited both the White House and the Capitol as the head of the Vatican State and was introduced as “The Pope of the Holy See”. His meeting with President Obama was as the head of the Vatican State also, not as a religious leader. The remainder of the Pope’s trip was purely as a religious leader. This included the various Masses, convocations, visiting Ground Zero and the Family Conference in Philadelphia. Wherever he went the Pope was greeted by very large and enthusiastic crowds. The question is whether the message he was delivering was heard. We will have to watch Congress in the next week to see.
This Pope certainly had a large effect on America; let’s hope that his words will have a lasting effect as well.
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