Continuing his tour of Washington D.C., Pope Francis stopped by Capitol Hill this morning to jointly address Congress. While his whole visit to the States has generated excitement for many, there has been an enormous amount of buzz surrounding what Francis might say in his homilies, speeches, interviews, and especially his address to Congress. More than any recent Pope, Francis is always being put in a partisan box, whether that be liberal or conservative, right or left. The news headlines seem obsessed with labeling him as a man with some sort of agenda. With this type of climate, there was much anticipation building for what his words would be to the political leaders of our nation.
While he spoke on many issues- i.e. environment, immigration, family and marriage, abortion – perhaps the most moving portion of his speech was his discussion of the refugee crisis. He roused Congress, saying:
“Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions. On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ (Mt 7:12)”
This encouragement bears so many qualities that Francis continuously shows the Church and the world. Be present with the person in front of you. See their struggles, share their struggles. Take care of each other, take care of those we do not know, for they are our brothers and sisters. In the most simplistic terms, Francis is calling us to see others as human beings who bear immeasurable dignity and to treat them as so. His words not only provide a suggestion of what should be done, but give conviction to the heart, which should lead to concrete action. Essentially, love on the move. This conviction reaches its height in this exhortation:
“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 yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us. The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.”
The response of Congress seemed to be exemplified in Speaker Boehner’s face. Throughout Francis’ entire address, Boehner was clearly moved and could hardly fight back his tears. And while Francis’ words are valuable, encouraging, and deeply moving, his stature of humility among the politicians of this nation, was perhaps the most moving thing of all. Pope Francis entered to resounding applause, and made his way to the podium with a joyful but humble smile. As he spoke, his words carried authority, compassion, and an ungraspable humility. Even through video, one could feel the piercing spirit of his humility as it filled the entire room.
As Francis continues his visit in the States, I will continue to celebrate the great joy of his visit. How good it is to have our Pope here in our great country and to hear him say, “God bless America!”
All excerpts can be found here
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