Monthly Archives: September 2015
A Pope for All Seasons
For those predicting division and anger in the US Congress , Pope Francis delivered a characteristic surprise with one of his politically most finely balanced speeches since his election. He won over the great American nation within seconds , paying tribute to the ‘land of the free and home of the brave’ before drawing on the example of four exemplary Americans who between them cut across race, party, religion, and sex: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Thomas Merton, and Dorothy Day. There were no walk outs, nor organised partisan sit-downs. …
Pope Francis’s Cuban politics
An article in today’s influential Spanish newspaper El Pais by its respected Rome correspondent Pablo Ordaz suggests than not all has been is peace and love in the current Vatican press corps while in Cuba. Commenting on the Pope’s visit to the island, Ordaz comments that it has been notable for its low-key and- in Ordaz’s view- disappointingly weak reaction to the Castro regime’s human rights record which showed its darker side when anti-regime leaflets were scooped up by security police, dissidents were prevented from getting anywhere near Pope …
Pope Francis as Trump’s Nemesis
Pope Francis stands for most of everything Donald Trump finds objectionable. I would list this, in no particular order, as the following: Kindness and tolerance of minorities and other races and religions. Concern about global warming to the extent of calling for an immediate and drastic cut-back of polluting energy generators and waste. A critique of unbridled capitalism and a belief in the common good, based on human solidarity, and a truly Christian community as envisaged by the Beatitudes. Humility. Spirituality. Jesuitical Discernment. An ability to listen to the other. …
