The Pope: Conservative or Liberal?

Pope Francis is coming to town.  This will be his first trip to the U.S., and he will also be the first pope to address Congress on Sept. 22. Although his speaking agenda is not yet solidified, he will most likely address some of his key issues on immigration, poverty, and climate change. Seen as more liberal than his previous predecessors, the Pope  continues to challenge previous religious and political norms while upholding the Catholic Church’s main doctrine.

pope vs. donald
Immigration
Concerns are growing as more immigrants are making their way across borders. Contrary to Trump’s proposal to build a wall between United States and Mexico, Pope has called for international action in welcoming refugees and migrant children in particular. In a speech to the Mexico-Holy See Colloquium, he stated, “This humanitarian emergency requires, as a first urgent measure, these children be welcomed and protected. These measures, however, will not be sufficient, unless they are accompanied by policies that inform people about the dangers of such a journey and, above all, that promote development in their countries of origin.”

Climate Change
The Democrats have praised the Pope for helping to bring climate change to the forefront. However, climate change skeptics believe he should stay away from these issues. Republican Senator James Inhofe stated, “The pope ought to stay with his job, and we’ll stay with ours.” Many Republicans oppose regulations that reduce green-house gas emissions. Furthermore, a recent poll done by the Pew research center showed that about 80% of ultra-conservatives deny that climate change is happening.

Abortion
The Pope’s most recent decree allowing all priests to forgive those who have committed abortions in the “year of Jubilee” has raised tides of controversy among conservatives. However, he still defends and believes in the sacredness of life. In a letter to his people, he stated, “For this reason too, I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it.”

Gay Marriage
Although the Pope still upholds the traditional view of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, he has stated that some forms of same-sex civil unions may be tolerable by the church. In an interview he stated, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Pope Francis has opened up dialogue of gay marriage within the Catholic church.

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Joyce Chu is a policy corner writer who has a passion to bring awareness to important social and political issues happening in the world. She graduated from University of California, Irvine with a double bachelors in International Studies and Journalism. Joyce discovered her passion for journalism when she was studying abroad in Israel. While there, an unruly conflict took place as Israel and Gaza stated to bomb one another. Through this experience she realized that she desired to be in places of action/ areas of conflict, and to tell the stories that are happening on the ground. Joyce hopes to not only bring social awareness, but to inspire change through music and other art forms. Hope comes from inspiration, and inspiration is the mechanism that will drive people towards action and empowerment.