Don’t mistake Pope Francis for a Leftist
Both Democrats & Republicans urged to show restraint during Pope’s Capitol Hill speech!
President Obama, Vice-President Biden, and their families greeted Pope Francis with smiles when he landed at Washington, D.C., obviously looking forward to the historic visit that includes a gay-activist filled dinner at the White House and addresses to Congress and the United Nations.
With the tumultuous start to the 2016 presidential election cycle, the media is eager to politicize the event so that it is bad news for the Republicans:
Francis has blasted gun manufacturers, likening them to hypocrites. And in a series of tough speeches, Francis has railed against global capitalism, even calling it a “subtle dictatorship.”
Such comments make many Republicans cringe.
“I’m always concerned about those who are bringing spiritual messages that step too far over the line in terms of political issues,” said Sen. Dan Coats, an Indiana Republican and Presbyterian. “I think it can be dangerous territory because then it gives people reason to make a judgment on say, Billy Graham or the Pope or whoever, on the basis of their political leanings — not on the basis of their spirituality.”
The papal-preshow has been so biased that Pope Francis offered this response when asked if he were liberal:
As Pope Francis flew to the United States for the first time, the pontiff assured journalists on the flight that he is not a liberal. Asked to comment on the many media outlets who are asking if the Pope is liberal, the Pope seemed bemused and decisive.
“Some people might say some things sounded slightly more left-ish, but that would be a mistake of interpretation,” he said before landing in the U.S. late Tuesday afternoon for his historic trip . “If you want me to pray the creed, I’m willing to do it.”
In fact, many conservative Catholics adore Pope Francis. Ashley McGuire, a senior fellow with The Catholic Association, has these thoughts about the pontiff.
As a conservative Catholic, have I been challenged by Pope Francis? Sure. His admonishments about a “throwaway culture,” his challenge to go to the margins of society and to get outside the world of “dinners and receptions,” his constant refrain encouraging Catholics to accompany one another along life’s difficult journeys all have challenged me to the core. His focus on the environment, on immigration, on income inequality have caused me to think long and hard about where I stand on those issues and what I can do to help those who are suffering. But contrary to the narrative that Pope Francis is making someone like me worried about the direction of my church, I am energized about how to use my faith to shape the direction of my party. Pope Francis has made me confident and excited that I can bring the principles of my faith to the political arena in a way that improves my party and promotes the common good.
No matter their own personal politics, members of Congress are being reminded of proper protocol ahead of what is anticipated to be a very enthusiastic reception on Capitol Hill:
Political reporter David Hawkings says that leaders in the legislative branch don’t want to take a chance on seeing the historic first address of a Pope to a joint session of Congress turn into the kind of political circus that surrounds the annual State of the Union Address, with members vying for the aisle seats for a possible TV shot with the man of the hour.
“Too many members cannot be trusted to behave themselves when Pope Francis comes to the Capitol, the congressional leadership has decided,” Hawkings writes in CQ Roll Call. “And so, to enforce decorous discipline, some extraordinary measures are being readied.”
Various measures are being taken to ensure some amount of dignity and decorum is maintained. Dark colors and modest hem lengths on skirts are being promoted, and specific seating arrangements are being pushed to provide the Pope “personal space” so he can avoid being crushed in a throng of admirers (avoiding a congressional version of Brazil’s security incident.)
But, perhaps the hardest demands are these: Smartphone selfies, flash photography and cheering are being vigorously discouraged.
That last one is going to hit President Obama the hardest.
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Comments
To be fair, he does a pretty good impression of one.
I absolutely agree with you. And, especially so since Father “what’s his name” went on Fox News last night to defend his Pope and provide a media “translation” of the Pope’s in-route denial that he is “not a liberal.” I do not think it means what he thinks it means.
A liberal is a liberal is a liberal no matter how palatable and papal it is. Sentimental statements about the poor, the suffering, illegal immigrants, scientism’s global warming, etc. and misguided criticism does make for Christian duty. It makes for good media politics.
Beyond that, I do not have problem at all with a religious figure speaking to Congress. Religion and science coexist in the realms of absolute and objective truth. But politics, as we know, has a problem with truth. So….
As a Christian I do have a have problem with half-truths, scientific error and misjudgments cloaked in sincerity and presented to Congress.
Capitalism is NOT the problem. Marxist Materialism and Social Darwinism is the problem. Please get this right Pope!
http://www.acton.org/global/article/letter-rome-francis-trump-populist-nexus
Marxist Materialism and Social Darwinism are conjunctive.
Yep, if he’s not a leftist he’ll do until a leftist comes along.
Whatever you say, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell!
He is from Argentina. His experience with “capitalism” is not the US version.
Don’t mistake him for a freedom-loving capitalist either.
Pope Francis is not really a Leftist, he just plays one on the world stage.
“It is I who follow the Church … my doctrine on all this … on economic imperialism, is that of the social doctrine of the Church.” Funny but when the Pontiff calls out the hypocrites suddenly the GOP gets their undies in a wad.
This Pope’s idea of social doctrine is not the doctrine of the Christian church I am a part of.
And, living an isolated wealthy village called the Vatican with a gold mine of treasures is not my idea of social doctrine lived out.
And the Vatican has world-crushing AC too.
Somehow he forgot stops in North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabian, Russia, China, etc. etc. etc.
You can tell a person by his friends. So far, this guy’s buddies seem to be Castro and Obama.
What a stroke of bad luck, this guy becoming Pope. But is it luck? Being war is likely nature’s cruel way of preventing overpopulation, liberalism is likely nature’s way of countering conservatism’s success at preventing war. Hence, Obama and his Iran and Middle East deals, laying the groundwork for World War III, and this Pope solidifying it.
My husband is a conservative Catholic and is appalled by this pope.
Did the Pope intentionally schedule his visit to coincide with Yom Kippur?
He’s not a leftist but he’s convincing “conservative” Catholics to use their faith to push the Republican party to change on things like opening our borders to every third world citizen who wants to come here and get free stuff to pull the (D) lever, putting the United Nations in charge of the global economy, and… shit you lost me at those two.
Catholicism is the predominant religion among illegals from the south of us.
Gun manufacturers and climate change hocus pocus. What about persecuted Christians in the Middle East? Islamic terrorism? Abortion factories and harvesting of baby organs after killing them wiggling out of the birth canal.
Sorry, this pope is a fraud. I am Catholic and heartily ashamed of him.
It’s not so much that he has not addressed the things you mention; he has. It’s that a lot of his messaging is contradictory and confused.
On the one hand, he’s called for armed resistance against Islamism, and aid to Christians. On the other, he condemns arms manufacturers.
He wants the poor to be brought out of poverty, and at the same time seems to deplore THE single system that has done that without question for more people in world history than any other; market capitalism.
This could lead one to conclude he’s not excessively bright.
He’s a full blown Marxist.
And hangs around with other murdering Marxists (see castro).
Today’s lesson on Capitalism in the US, for the Pope: with good laws, the system inherently self-corrects, especially in a society with a free press.
Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli told ABC News on Tuesday that it would roll back the price increase for its old drug Daraprim
http://news.yahoo.com/company-says-cut-price-drug-accused-gouging-011809767–finance.html
This story is the next step in this week’s kerfluffle, brought to you by a a fraudster that has made huge, ignorant promises to his investors based on his misinterpretation of patents and misrepresentations about what his company can do.
This is no surprise to people who understand the patent laws and investor relations.
This is a 62-year-old drug apparently approved to treat toxoplasmosis, but now found to be useful against HIV infection. There is NO potential combination of patent laws and extensions that covers the molecule, anywhere in the world. Although Turing Pharmaceuticals allegedly bought or licensed some patent properties related to the drug, these are limited to something on the order of formulations, combinations with other drugs, or new uses. Once a drug is approved for use under any label, a doctor can prescribe it for any other off-label use, absent an FDA safety warning, or equivalent. A generic manufacturer would be free to make older versions of the drug formulation, but would be restricted from printing package inserts covering any patented new use.
Other news reports have alleged that this drug has been sold by a variety of companies, suggesting that a competent generic manufacturer would have no major problems with manufacture and scale-up. In the event a company attempts to raise the price of the drug high enough, physicians and patients will be motivated to seek other sources for the drug. Drug manufacture is now widely distributed across the globe, so that patent-free manufacture is a strong likelihood.
Sales for this drug last year were $10 million, and Turing paid $55 million to acquire rights to the drug.
I submit that, with the bad publicity generated by some surprisingly candid interviews of Turing CEO Martin Shkreli that have exposed his ignorance, investors will desert Shkreli, and that if he remains connected with Turing, there is bankruptcy in Turing’s future.
Hillary Clinton has proposed a law to cover all drug manufacturers, and cap costs of all prescription drugs at $250. This is a remarkably irresponsible and non serious proposal, as she very well knows.
Wrong. Capitalism *never* self-corrects.
What do you call bankruptcy if not “self correction?”
Under a free-market, capitalist system people are free to choose where they spend their dollars.
You should heed the sage advice of Samuel Clemens.
I saw the Pope’s comments reported last night and thought the reference to him as not a “liberal” was strange. When I googled it I found that news sources other than TIME which you linked to were reporting the question as communist or leftist. See the Washington Post reporting. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/pope-francis-arrives-reassures-us-im-a-catholic-not-a-communist-analysis/2015/09/22/f6ab10ae-617e-11e5-8475-781cc9851652_story.html
And obama is not a muslim.
What does it say about the pope if he spends more time on income inequality, social justice and global warming than he does on the dangers facing Christian in the middle east? When your followers are being wiped out, I would think that it should concern him more than it seems to.
Marxists and Muslims are deeply prejudiced against Marxists and Muslims, evidenced by the way they constantly deny being Marxists and Muslims.
Ah, but NOT to themselves! Which means they are simply lying liars who see the utility of lying to outsiders.
When your followers are being wiped out, I would think that it should concern him more than it seems to.
Quite a number of the beset Christians are not exactly Catholics. Still, we could hope he’d put in a good word for them when the microphones are on.
If Pope Francis were a Leftist, what would he do/say differently?
Bless a polar bear?
Maybe he means he is for a “less liberal” form of socialism.
The Pope adjusted to account for media reports of his apparent left wing ideology. Just like a politician. I’m not a Catholic, in fact, I’m estopped from entering any NC church (long story), but I really liked John Paul II. the only Pope I’ve ever taken notice of.