Beginning Sept. 22 and lasting through the majority of last week, Pope Francis visited the United States of America, and in doing so, he has revived the face of progressive Christianity.
For so long there has been an unspoken but obvious association between politically conservative groups in this country and the Christian community. Perhaps it was the rise of the Tea Party in 2010, which clung to the Church’s image when it espoused its farright ideologies, or perhaps it was the conservative nature of the previous Pope, Benedict XVI, that held these two groups together in our minds.
It was the pontiff’s American visit last week, however, that began to again broadcast the voice of the liberal Christian.
Wearing nothing but the white cloak and top that he always wears, our Pope’s appearance contrasts from the previous Pope, who wore royal colors and displayed his wealth in more ways than one.
Pope Francis’s entire message is to help others before you help yourself. He wants to end poverty and make sure everybody’s life is livable and relatively free of suffering. He is spreading Christianity not just through preaching, but also through practice; he is leading by example.
Perhaps the most noteworthy part of his visit to the States was his address to Congress. In his speech, he brought up many different issues, even some controversial ones, essentially holding a platform with which no one party could entirely agree.
He covered wealth inequality and said there should be a smaller gap between rich incomes and poor incomes, which is more often than not a Democratic principle. He covered abortion, and said he supports life, which the GOP loved. He covered climate change and asked the US to cut emissions and stop polluting, which was another Democrat stance. He even called to end the arms trade the United States is involved in.
Other than the issue of abortion, it appears that Pope Francis sides more with the Democrats than the Republicans. It is because of this that it is no surprise many Republicans are choosing not to follow the Pope’s message.
The conservative Republicans who have long cited their religion as the primary reason they push for certain issues feel betrayed about the pontiff’s stances. Whether it’s the issue of gay marriage or funding for Planned Parenthood, many politicians hide behind religion as a way to not reform hard pressing issues. It becomes confusing when they choose to hold their beliefs despite the Pope, the most powerful man in the religious world today, telling them to adopt a different mindset.
In one case during his visit, the Pope was called “liberal” with a negative connotation by a conservative speaker, to which he replied, “If I am a liberal, that must mean Jesus was a liberal.”
All politics aside, it feels like a new dawn for progressive Christians who have stayed under-represented and largely silent these past few years. No longer is the Christian voice coming from a bible- belt hick who believes the outdated rules of the Bible should still apply today.
Pope Francis is calling for Christians to use their heads and to basically be good people who give more than they take, care about the environment and help those who cannot help themselves. It is about time there becomes a distinct difference between the ignorant conservative groups and the moral Christians.
The Pope is paving the road for tomorrow’s Christians to travel, thus strengthening the image of religion and making it relevant, once again, in today’s increasingly non-religious society.