Abstract
Given the difficult relationship between the minority Catholics and majority Protestant population in the United States since its founding, many never expected to witness a pope addressing Congress. But it happened, and his speech did not disappoint: Pope Francis sought to move the narrow political agendas of both Republicans and Democrats to the larger questions facing our times. He did so by referencing the transformative works of four great Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr., and Thomas Merton. By pointing out their great contributions in response to the human need of their day, Pope Francis was urging both sides to use their power to adopt policies that would promote the general welfare, by finding God in our neighbor (i.e., “the migrant is a modern-day pilgrim”). The media fascination with which side won is not the right question to pose. Rather, his address needs to be understood in terms of the larger struggles facing humankind.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
Juan Carlos Scannone , S.J., “Pope Francis and the Theology of the People,” Theological Studies 77 (2016): 118–35. Scannone references four priorities exemplified in the thought of Cardinal Bergoglio (now Pope Francis): The priority of time over space, the priority of unity over conflict, the priority of reality over the idea and the superiority of the whole over the parts.
- 2.
“Foreign Leaders and Dignitaries Who Have Addressed the U.S. Congress,” History, Art and Archives of the United States House of Representatives, http://history.house.gov/Institution/Foreign-Leaders/Foreign-Leaders/
- 3.
See G.K. Chesterton’s biography , Saint Francis of Assisi (Chicago: Veritatis Splendor Publications, 2011) for his vivid depictions of the life of Saint Francis.
- 4.
“Amoris Laetitia of the Holy Father Francis to Bishops, Priests and Deacons, Consecrated Persons, Christian Married Couples and All the Lay Faithful, On Love in the Family,” March 19, 2016, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia.html. See also Michael Brandon Dougherty, “The Cowardice and Hubris of Pope Francis,” The Week, April 11, 2016, http://theweek.com/articles/617324/cowardice-hubris-pope-francis
- 5.
John Kingdon, Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies, Update Edition, with an Epilogue on Health Care (Upper Saddle River New Jersey: Pearson, 2013).
- 6.
Paul Cairney, Understanding Public Policy: Theories and Issues (Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011).
- 7.
Pope Francis, Speech Before US Congress (Rome: Holy See Press Office, September 24, 2015), 1 and 4. http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/holy-see/francis/papal-visit-2015/media-resources/upload/11-EN-congressional-address.pdf
- 8.
Kathleen Parker, “Pope Sees Kindred Spirit in Sanders,” Chicago Tribune, April 11, 2016, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-parker-pope-sanders-perspec-0331-md-20160411-story.html
- 9.
Pope Francis is the fourth pope to visit the United States. The first was Pope Pius in 1965; Pope John Paul II visited seven times and Pope Benedict , once. See USCCB, “Papal Visits to the United States,” http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/holy-see/francis/papal-visit-2015/history-papal-visits-to-united-states.cfm
- 10.
Robert Costa, “What John Boehner Told Me the Night Before He Said Was Quitting,” The Washington Post, September 25, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/john-boehner-in-twilight/2015/09/25/124fc54a-6399-11e5-8e9e-dce8a2a2a679_story.html
- 11.
See Al Webb, “Queen Elizabeth II Should Remain Head of Church of England, According to Poll,” May 19, 2012, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/19/queen-elizabeth-church-of-england_n_1528727.html
- 12.
Richard McBrien, “Bishops and the Pope,” National Catholic Reporter, June 6, 2011, http://www.ncronline.org/blogs/essays-theology/bishops-and-pope
- 13.
The text of the First Amendment is as follows: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
- 14.
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to the Danbury Baptists, January 1, 1801. Emphasis added.
- 15.
Robert Abzug, “Abolition and Religion,” History Now, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website, https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/slavery-and-anti-slavery/essays/abolition-and-religion
- 16.
Pope Francis, Speech Before US Congress, 2.
- 17.
Prohibition in itself is an interesting case study. It was proposed and defended by fundamentalist Christians on a biblical basis, but Catholic immigrants saw it as an undermining of their own culture. See Maurice Timothy Reedy, “How Dry We Were: Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Revisit Prohibition” (Television Review), America, October 10, 2011, https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/789/television/how-dry-we-were
- 18.
See, for example, Allen D. Hertzke, Representing God in Washington: The Role of Religious Lobbies in the American Polity (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1988), 4; Aaron L. Haberman, “Mrs. Ruhlin Goes to Washington: Louise Ruhlin, School Prayer, and the Possibilities and Limitations of Religious Political Lobbying in Modern America,” Journal of Church & State 51 (2009): 289–311, http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/jcs/csp039; Benedict E. DeDominicis, “US Catholic Clergy and the War in Iraq,” Paper presented at 65th Annual National Conference, Midwest Political Science Association, Palmer House, Chicago, IL, USA, April 12, 2007.
- 19.
For a discussion, see Thomas Massaro, S.J. “Fighting Poverty and Providing Safety Nets: An Agenda for US Catholic Advocacy in Social Policy,” in The Almighty and the Dollar: Reflections on Economic Justice for All, ed. Mark J. Allman, 172–87 (Winona, MN: Anselm Academic, 2012).
- 20.
Pew Research Center, “Lobbying for the Faithful,” May 15, 2012, http://www.pewforum.org/2011/11/21/lobbying-for-the-faithful-exec/
- 21.
Pope Francis, Speech Before US Congress, 3.
- 22.
Ibid., 1.
- 23.
Author interview with Cynthia Phillips, USCC Lobbyist, July 28, 2000.
- 24.
John Coleman, “American Catholicism, Catholic Charities USA, and Welfare Reform,” Journal of Policy History 13 (2001): 90–91.
- 25.
Pope Francis, Speech Before US Congress, 1.
- 26.
Ibid.
- 27.
Ibid., 5.
- 28.
Tom Roberts. “Bishops, Old Allies Split on Aid to the Poor,” National Catholic Reporter, December 1, 1995, 3–4.
- 29.
Pope Francis, Speech Before US Congress, 1.
- 30.
Ibid., 3.
- 31.
Pope Francis, “Laudato Si’: Praise Be to You: On Care for Our Common Home,” Crux, June 18, 2015, http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/06/18/read-the-encyclical-for-yourself-laudato-si/. See also Congressman Paul Gozar, “Why I am Boycotting Pope Francis’s Address to Congress,” Townhall, September 17, 2015, http://beta.townhall.com/columnists/congressmanpaulgosar/2015/09/17/why-i-am-boycotting-pope-francis-address-to-congress-n2053596
- 32.
Ismat Sarah Mangla, “Pope’s Congress Speech Sparks Partisan Reactions, Underscoring Liberal-Conservative Divide,” The International Business Times (IBT), September 24, 2015, http://www.ibtimes.com/pope-congress-speech-sparks-partisan-reactions-underscoring-liberal-conservative-2112780
- 33.
Pope Francis, Speech Before US Congress, 1.
- 34.
Ibid., 4.
- 35.
Ibid.
- 36.
Margaret Thatcher , Speech to Joint Houses of Congress, February 20, 1985, http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/105968
- 37.
Karen De Witt, “Queen’s Address to Congress Celebrates Mutual Respect,” New York Times, May 17, 1991, http://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/17/us/queen-s-address-to-congress-celebrates-mutual-respect.html
- 38.
Pope Francis, Speech Before US Congress, 2, 3, 4.
- 39.
Larry McShane, “Bernie Sanders Insists He Didn’t Lobby for Invite to Vatican Conference with Pope Francis,” New York Daily News, April 8, 2016, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/bernie-sanders-accepts-invitation-meet-pope-francis-article-1.2593187
- 40.
Dorothy Brown and Elizabeth McKeowan, The Poor Belong to Us: Catholic Charities and American Welfare (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997).
- 41.
“Washington: FFRF calls on Congress to disinvite Pope Francis.” US Official News, September 30, 2014, https://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic
- 42.
Molly Jackson, “Did Supreme Court Justices Boycott Francis’s Speech?” Christian Science Monitor, September 28, 2015, https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2015/0928/Did-Supreme-Court-Justices-boycott-Pope-Francis
- 43.
Paul Gosar , “Why I am Boycotting Pope Francis’s Address to Congress” Townhall, September 17, 2015, https://townhall.com/columnists/congressmanpaulgosar/2015/09/17/why-i-am-boycotting-pope-francis-address-to-congress-n2053596
- 44.
Pope Francis, Speech Before US Congress, 4.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cammisa, A.M. (2018). The Pope and the United States: Faith as Dialogue. In: Lyon, A., Gustafson, C., Manuel, P. (eds) Pope Francis as a Global Actor. Palgrave Studies in Religion, Politics, and Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71377-9_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71377-9_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71376-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71377-9
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)