Written By: Ruth Gledhill
Pope Francis spoke up for the victims of abortion and for
those caught up in the immigration crisis in his strongest speech so far
since arriving in the US.
In an address to US Catholic bishops,
he said: "The innocent victims of abortion, children who die of hunger
or from bombings, immigrants who drown in the search for a better
tomorrow, the elderly or the sick who are considered a burden, the
victims of terrorism, wars, violence and drug trafficking, the
environment devastated by man's predatory relationship with nature – at
stake in all of this is the gift of God, of which we are noble stewards
but not masters. It is wrong, then, to look the other way or to remain
silent."
Reuters
US President Barack Obama meets with Pope Francis in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Sept. 23, 2015.
Of the many thousands of words he will speak over
the next few days in Spanish and English, this one paragraph effectively
summed up the heart of his mission to the United States where he has
met with a rapturous welcome.
The Pope, who is 78, looked exhausted as he arrived at he arrived the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washington DC for the first canonisation on American soil, of Spanish
Friar Junipero Serra, who converted indiginous peoples in California to
Christianity in the 18th century. The canonisation is controversial
because the ministry of Serra is regarded by some contemporary commentators as far from saintly. It generated a Twitter hashtag of its own, #SerraisnoSaint.
There were also protests on Twitter at how the all-male processions
of bishops and priests during services highlighted the male-only
hierarchy of the Catholic Church, and protests from the Women's
Ordination Worldwide group outside St Matthew's Cathedral in Washington.
The women, with placards stating "All are equal in God's eyes" and
"Ordain Women", have made plans to accompany him throughout the visit,
including to New York tomorrow and then Philadelphia at the end of the
week.
One highlight of the day was when the Pope stopped unexpectedly in
his popemobile to greet a five-year-old girl, Sophie Cruz, the daughter
of illegal immigrants, who handed him a letter pleading her case.
"I want to tell you that my heart is sad," she said in the letter which
she had memorised in English and Spanish. "I believe I have the right
to live with my parents, I have the right to be happy.
"All immigrants just like my dad help feed this country. They deserve
to live with dignity. They deserve to live with respect. They deserve
an immigration reform."
Immigration is expected to be among the issues raised by Pope Francis in his address to Congress tomorrow.
In an exclusive comment for Christian Today, Caroline Wyatt, who is
in the US covering the visit for the BBC, said: "Washington is not a
town normally impressed by VIP visits. But it seems that Pope Francis is
different. Federal workers have been given a day off, due to the tight
security surrounding the Pope, and his every route has been lined by
enthusiastic, cheering crowds. Many have been impressed with the way
this Pope lives his message about poverty and taking care of the
environment: his black Fiat 500 is not the usual sort of limousine used
by VVIPs."
She added: "However, there is a certain nervousness here in
Washington about what he might say at Congress, when he becomes the
first Pope to speak to US lawmakers. Some have protested against that
invitation, saying that a religious leader had no place speaking to
democratically-elected body of representatives. Others wonder what he
will focus on in his speech, with some hoping for more on migration, the
environment and social issues – and others wanting less."
She said he was in the US to send a message to the Catholic faithful -
"that the face of Catholicism in the US is changing, and that they need
to embrace that, and the migrants who are bolstering congregations in
the west and the south are to be welcomed, while the Church here needs
to come together across the divides over sexuality, abortion and many
other issues that split both America and its Catholics. He also wants to
send a clear message to the world's richest nation: that it needs to
focus more on helping to save the environment, and stop damaging the
world we all share, and that that is a task that cannot wait."
The Pope is well aware of the political pitfalls of all the topics he
is addressing, from migration to the environment to the child abuse
scandals that have plagued the Roman Catholic church, and he has chosen
his words carefully throughout this trip, she said. "Though he did joke
on the plane to the US about reports in parts of the US media
questioning whether he really was Catholic because of some of his
comments on the economy. He jokingly offered to recite the Creed just to
prove it. None of the journalists on the Vatican plane took him up on
the offer.... "
Oh, these photos are wonderful! I think that you trip was amazing! You can use thesis papers. Believe me, you will not regret!
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