|
|
The
views expressed
on this page are soley those of the author and do not
necessarily
represent the views of County News Online
|
The Daily Signal
In Address to
Congress, Pope Defends Dignity of Politics, Work, Life, Family, and
Freedom
Ryan T. Anderson
September 24, 2015
Before a joint session of Congress this morning, Pope Francis delivered
a rousing address calling upon Americans to live up to the highest of
our nation’s ideals. Pointing to Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King,
Jr., Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton, Francis praised Americans for
their commitments to “liberty,” “liberty in plurality and
non-exclusion,” “social justice and the rights of persons,” and “the
capacity for dialogue and openness to God.”
Pope Francis began his address by highlighting the importance of
politics, praising it as calling from God:
You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of
your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the
common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A political
society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs
by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in
situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is
always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited,
called and convened by those who elected you.
Indeed, Francis offered Moses as a model for all lawmakers: “The figure
of Moses leads us directly to God and thus to the transcendent dignity
of the human being.” And he reminded members of Congress of their
central task: “You are asked to protect, by means of the law, the image
and likeness fashioned by God on every human face.” Later on he
reiterated, “All political activity must serve and promote the good of
the human person and be based on respect for his or her dignity.”
The loudest and longest ovation took place when Pope Francis reiterated
his support for the rights of all persons, regardless of age, stage of
development or disability: “The Golden Rule also reminds us of our
responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its
development.”
Pope Francis promoted an integral ecology of freedom. Emphasizing the
central role of religious freedom, he called on those gathered to work
on “safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual
freedoms.” This reiterated his call from Wednesday at the White House.
There, turning to address President Obama directly, Pope Francis said:
As my brothers, the United States Bishops, have
reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens,
to preserve and defend [religious] freedom from everything that would
threaten or compromise it.
Indeed, after celebrating a canonization Mass yesterday afternoon, Pope
Francis made an unscheduled, surprise visit to the Little Sisters of
the Poor—the order of nuns suing the Obama administration because of
its attempts to violate their religious freedom through the HHS mandate.
Pope Francis spoke extensively about the importance of the family,
explaining that his attendance at the World Meeting of Families was the
primary reason for his visit to the United States: “It is my wish that
throughout my visit the family should be a recurrent theme.” Indeed,
Pope Francis urged listeners to recognize “How essential the family has
been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of our
support and encouragement!” These remarks earned another long, loud
standing ovation.
Pope Francis also highlighted that the family is under assault:
Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which
is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without.
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.
To a culture contemplating assisted suicide, Francis reminded us that
the elderly “are a storehouse of wisdom forged by experience;” to a
culture that celebrates celebrity, Francis highlighted the dignity of
work and workers.
Indeed, Pope Francis quoted his encyclical, Laudato Si, noting that
“Business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and
improving the world. It can be a fruitful source of prosperity for the
area in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation of jobs
as an essential part of its service to the common good.”
In calling political leaders to care for the poor, Francis noted that
“The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on
many fronts, especially in its causes.” And he added that “it goes
without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and
distribution of wealth.”
Pope Francis also called for an end to capital punishment, for
politicians and scholars to work together to find the best ways to care
for creation, and to welcome the immigrant.
“We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners,
because most of us were once foreigners. I say this to you as the son
of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from
immigrants.”
All in all, Pope Francis reminded all of us of the importance of the
Golden Rule:
Let us treat others with the same passion and
compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the
same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. Let us help others to
grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves. In a word, if we want
security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if
we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities.
The Pope closed his address with three simple words: “God bless
America!”
Read this and other articles at The Daily Signal
|
|
|
|
