A Young Papacy in Summary
Pope Francis Makes His Address to Congress
September 29, 2015
On Wednesday, September 24th, Pope Francis arrived in Washington, marking the first papal visit in the U. S. since Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2008.
Named Pope in early 2013, Pope Francis’ young papacy has already been the subject of acclaim, surprise, and criticism from the American people. Though he stands firm on traditional Catholic doctrine, Pope Francis has been noted for his ability to confront the more controversial issues around the world. A few issues in particular that have really struck a chord with the American public include climate change and capitalism.
Recent Popes have not really addressed climate change head-on, but Pope Francis has been more than willing to criticize deforestation and air pollution. He has emerged as a proponent of renewable energy sources over fossil fuels, and sees consumerism as the root of environmental ruin.
Related to his caution of consumerism are Pope Francis’ negative views of capitalism. Though he does not carry any truly radical political agendas, he calls for a more equitable distribution of wealth, and for more fairness and respect in the capitalist practice.
In addition to these two concerns, Pope Francis called for welcoming of immigrants, both at the Mexican-American border and in regard to the current refugee crisis in Europe; he emphasized in particular that nearly all Americans are descendants of immigrants.
Following a tour of the national mall on Wednesday afternoon, Catholics around the U. S. eagerly awaited the first-ever papal address at a joint meeting of U. S. Congress.
His address focused strongly on his views of climate change and capitalism, however, there was some discontent in his failure to reaffirm Catholic doctrine. For instance, he referenced the importance of the family, but never explicitly mentioned his conservative position on gay marriage.
Though his apparent refusal to discuss his support of Catholic doctrine was frustrating to some, he presented his overall agenda very well. Pope Francis clearly is a different type of Pope, and he continues to set high expectations for his pioneering papacy.
