Thursday, October 01, 2015
Political Mayhem Thursday: The Pope and Politics
Last week's visit from the Pope carried, unavoidably, a lot of political baggage. He visited, after all, the UN, the White House, and Congress-- not exactly the itinerary of someone seeking to avoid entanglement with politics. And, of course, during his visit he talked directly about many of our most controversial political issues, and took definitive stands on many of them:
-- against the death penalty
-- for action to stem the effects of global warming
-- against abortion
-- for a deeper concern for the poor
-- for a better spirit of cooperation by political leaders
In the end, does it matter?
I think it does, at least to some people. The Pope's visit seems to have played a role in the resignation of House Speaker John Boehner, for example. In light of reflection, it may lead to some people moderating their views. This influence will be hard to identify, though-- I think it will be a quiet but powerful stream that wears away some rough edges.
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My sense is that this papal visit will probably influence American culture in the same way the previous visits have shaped us (much like what you describe, Mark, "hard to identify" but the subtle impact should not be confused with insignificant).
Of course, this visit (in terms of reception) was different in both both concrete and abstract measures. As a gauge for the long and dramatic story of Catholic acceptance into American political culture, the first papal address at the U.S. Capitol was super significant.
Also, the subtle shift in tone (I say tone because the issues you listed above are pretty basic to popes) I sense positively shaped the news coverage. Just like a storm that is headed for NYC seems much more important than a storm headed for Biloxi, this papal visit seemed to happen to the great opinion leaders of our nation in a way that it seemingly never happened to them before.
Having said that, I do not believe the extra media buzz will have much impact on the lasting impact of this visit.
By the by, I am intrigued by the Pope's unscheduled and under the radar visits to the Little Sisters of the Poor and with Kim Davis (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/30/us/county-clerk-kim-davis-who-denied-gay-couples-visited-pope.html?_r=0). Like so many of his predecessors, Francis is a very complicated man.
So, for
Of course, this visit (in terms of reception) was different in both both concrete and abstract measures. As a gauge for the long and dramatic story of Catholic acceptance into American political culture, the first papal address at the U.S. Capitol was super significant.
Also, the subtle shift in tone (I say tone because the issues you listed above are pretty basic to popes) I sense positively shaped the news coverage. Just like a storm that is headed for NYC seems much more important than a storm headed for Biloxi, this papal visit seemed to happen to the great opinion leaders of our nation in a way that it seemingly never happened to them before.
Having said that, I do not believe the extra media buzz will have much impact on the lasting impact of this visit.
By the by, I am intrigued by the Pope's unscheduled and under the radar visits to the Little Sisters of the Poor and with Kim Davis (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/30/us/county-clerk-kim-davis-who-denied-gay-couples-visited-pope.html?_r=0). Like so many of his predecessors, Francis is a very complicated man.
So, for
In his speech to congress Francis called on all nations to stop exporting arms and recommended that diplomatic actions should replace military action. He spoke of peace being our vision not retribution. Was I dreaming? What happened to this story?
The Pope depended on others for direction and information and was only as good as the folks around him and their info. He did have conflicting messages depending on his advisers interests. He always chose the liberal approach of identifying with the individual. I admired this and felt it explains his caring for Kim Davis.
Overall, I think his genuine goodness and gentleness were instructional, but I am a man.
The Pope depended on others for direction and information and was only as good as the folks around him and their info. He did have conflicting messages depending on his advisers interests. He always chose the liberal approach of identifying with the individual. I admired this and felt it explains his caring for Kim Davis.
Overall, I think his genuine goodness and gentleness were instructional, but I am a man.
The LGBT community has offered withering criticism of the meeting with Davis, which did seem rather furtive. And Francis' understanding of civil disobedience and its consequences, described on the plane on the way back before the visit was revealed, seemed a little confused, and not, well, entirely fleshed out.
I thought that the visit with Davis was the most overtly political part of the Pope's visit, which is maybe why it was furtive. The LGBT community isn't buying the "Jesus met with sinners, too" argument, either.
There were also other figures who loomed a lot larger in the resignation of the Speaker. I think the timing was mostly coincidental. Either that, or John Boehner is really impulsive.
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I thought that the visit with Davis was the most overtly political part of the Pope's visit, which is maybe why it was furtive. The LGBT community isn't buying the "Jesus met with sinners, too" argument, either.
There were also other figures who loomed a lot larger in the resignation of the Speaker. I think the timing was mostly coincidental. Either that, or John Boehner is really impulsive.
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