By The Editorial Board
Pope Francis’ presence in the United States this week will be felt by everyone. After three days in Washington D.C., he will spend two days in New York, including stops at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, United Nations Headquarters, the 9/11 Memorial, Our Lady Queen of Angels School, Madison Square Garden and Central Park before traveling south to Philadelphia.
He will talk with American leaders at the Capitol and will address religious clergy at the site of the 9/11 Memorial. He will also meet with marginalized Americans, including inmates, refugees and immigrants. The events will draw news buzz and headlines.
His speeches and messages, undoubtedly Jesuit in spirit and action, will relay a compassion not seen from the Church in some time — a compassion that will likely lead to a surge in his favorability among Americans, particularly those on the left.
There is no doubt that his remarks have drawn ire with many Republicans, who have long opted to align themselves with the Church’s doctrines on issues ranging from gay rights to contraception. With Pope Francis as head of the Church, though, that default option may be backfiring.
From climate change to income inequality, the Democratic Party and its sitting president have found an ally in the Pope, and are attempting to use his remarks as they prepare for the upcoming presidential election.
There is little information about what specific issues the Pope will discuss during his time here, but considering where he will be stopping and the people with whom he will be spending time, it is not difficult to guess some of the issues he will be addressing. Here are some things we hope to hear.
Gay and Transgender People and The Church
Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at numerous churches in the U.S., including St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington D.C., and Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. As central parishes of their cities, they are a focus for the treatment of gay and transgender members of their respective communities. Though marriage equality was verified by the Supreme Court of the United States in June 2015, the sweeping decision is still receiving pushback. Equal protection in the workplace is not guaranteed in every state, and some federal employees, like Kim Davis, continue to believe it is a violation of their religious liberty to do their government job. In addition, many Catholic Americans who identify as gay continue to face disillusionment from their parishes. While here, Pope Francis should make note of their rejections by the church, and welcome them as full members to the Church.
Birth Control
The Pope has somewhat softened the Church’s tone on contraception, but the Church generally remains opposed to access to birth control. This is largely in line with other Church institutions, including the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as well as many Catholic hospitals, schools, and universities. Yet, many Catholics (78 percent according to a 2014 poll that surveyed 12,000 Catholics in 12 countries) support contraceptives. A lifted ban on birth control — or at least a nod toward supporting its expansion — will be a major step for the Church, and a confirmation of its willingness to listen to its supporters, who have expressed support for the use of contraceptives.
Prison Reform
While in Philadelphia, Pope Francis will visit the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, the largest prison operated in Philadelphia, and meet with about 100 inmates and their families. Paul Morrissey, one of the Catholic chaplains there, wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Pope Francis believes that the Christian Gospel calls us to imitate Jesus, who reached out especially to the marginalized, the outcasts in society, the lost sheep.”
Pope Francis’ visit to a federal prison will follow that of President Obama — the first president to do so — and will be seen as an acknowledgement of the crippling effects of our broken justice system. With millions imprisoned, close to 100,000 inmates in solitary confinement and outrageously long sentences for non-violent sentences, it is time for American officials to act with mercy when it comes to criminals in our society. They must enact policy that eases our federal laws for nonviolent crimes, requiring more humane treatment in federal and state prisons and offering more opportunities for clemency.
Climate Change
While in New York, Pope Francis will stop at the United Nations Headquarters where he will meet with various world leaders. In D.C., he will stop at the Capitol, where he will speak before various leaders and dignitaries. While the issue has long been one supported mostly by liberals in America, the issue became a heated topic following Pope Francis’ latest papal encyclical, “Laudato Si,” a damning piece regarding our collective responsibility to leave a clean and safe planet for our descendants. “The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,” Francis declares in the encyclical, released during the summer. “In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish.” With an upcoming conference of world leaders in Paris this December, more eyes than ever will be paying attention to this issue. The encyclical was generally received coldly by many on the right, but further discussion of this issue may push more Americans toward supporting actions toward climate change in the coming months and encourage leaders to become more conscious of collective responsibility regarding the planet.
These are not the only issues worth mentioning, but they are among the most important ones.
After all, the visit comes at a time when just about everything — especially religion — is politicized. But it also comes a time when religion — especially Catholicism — is playing too large of a role in government. Two-thirds of the Supreme Court justices are Catholics, Joseph R. Biden Jr. is the nation’s first Catholic vice president and 31 percent of the members of Congress identify as Catholic. Seven of the current presidential candidates identify as Catholic. Nearly 70 million Americans are Catholic, and no president since 1972 has won the popular vote for president without the Catholic vote as well.
Pope Francis will only be here for a week but, with so many eyes and ears tuned in, he has the opportunity to leave a lasting imprint on millions of Americans and our leaders. We trust that he will not disappoint.
