This we know about Pope Francis: Unlike most American politicians, he doesn’t say one thing in front of one audience and something entirely different in front of another. He’s consistent. He’s a man of his word. And he speaks truth to power, wherever he goes.
This should make for an interesting dynamic when he addresses a joint session of Congress on Sept. 24.
{mosads}Nobody will ever see an advance copy of the pope’s remarks, but for insights into what he might tell members of Congress, just look at his trip to South America last week.
In his speeches in Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay, he sounded like the man who came back to the New World expressly to chastise the greatest power of the New World — as a warm-up for what he’ll tell Congress.
In South America, the pope didn’t pal around with generals or political leaders. He spent his time with the poor, visiting several slums and a prison, and hanging out with neighborhood activists, farmers and trash collectors. At every stop, he emphasized that the mission of people of faith, as is clear in the Gospels, is to serve the downtrodden, not cater to the wealthy. This will come as a jarring message to Republicans in Congress, who have proposed cuts to every program that helps the poor.
Francis saved his strongest language for a denunciation of capitalism, which he identified as a form of “subtle dictatorship.” Quoting a fourth century bishop, he called the unfettered pursuit of money “the dung of the devil” and warned political leaders “not to yield to an economic model which is idolatrous, which needs to sacrifice human lives on the altar of money and profit.” This too is bound to offend Republicans, who want to get rid of all regulations and let the free market reign supreme.
The pope also condemned capitalism because of its role in development of global warming, thereby putting “at risk our common home, sister and mother earth.” As in his recently published encyclical Laudato Si’, Francis preached that climate change is real, that its primary cause is human activity and that political leaders have a moral duty to do something about it. This certainly won’t sit well with Congress’s Republican posse of climate deniers.
Finally, having come to the United States directly from Havana, the pope is bound to emphasize the importance of new, improved relations with Cuba, something that puts him in direct conflict with Republican leaders Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Speaker John Boehner (Ohio).
See what I mean? On point after point, Pope Francis preaches the exact opposite of what the Speaker practices.
The big question is, sitting up there on his throne behind the pontiff, how will Boehner react when the pope talks about capitalism and climate change?
Will he stand and applaud? Will he remain seated? Will his face get even redder? Will he weep?
It’ll be fun to watch.
This much is for sure: If the pope sticks to his guns, John Boehner may regret ever having invited him.
Press is host of “The Bill Press Show” on Free Speech TV and author of The Obama Hate Machine.