L&S expert says pope's historic address to Congress will urge change

September 4th 2015 Simon Kuran
Arts & Humanities
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When Pope Francis speaks, the world listens. Ever since his election in 2013, the 266th pope has issued pronouncements on economic disparity, homelessness, the environment and other social issues that have caught the world's attention even as they've shaken the status quo in the Vatican. His charitable tone, humble practices (forgoing the official papal residence, for example) and incisive statements (including his recently-released Encyclical on the global environment) have been shared widely through fast-moving media and seized on by leaders around the world.

Pope Francis (Photo courtesy Presidency of the Nation of Argentina/Wikimedia Commons) Pope Francis (Photo courtesy Presidency of the Nation of Argentina/Wikimedia Commons)

On Thursday, Sept. 24, Pope Francis will address a joint meeting of the United States Congress, the first pope to do so. Exactly what he will say is unknown, but the environment is a safe bet, as is economic disparity here and abroad.

"Pope Francis wants the papacy to speak directly to the pressing social and political issues of the day," says Giuliana Chamedes, an assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who specializes in the study of the Vatican and political Christianity. "He will push his audience for change."

Will the pope's words have an immediate effect on U.S. leaders? Not necessarily, says Chamedes — the voice of the Catholic church just isn't as strong here as in other regions like Latin America. But this pope's words will draw news coverage.

That means he will be able to put shine the spotlight on those social, political, and economic issues that he finds most pressing.

"His address to Congress will no doubt be forceful; its aim will be to try to push American politicians and the American public at large to engage more directly with issues like climate change and economic justice," says Chamedes.

While the pope's words may please some members of Congress and anger others, Chamedes says it's unlikely that he will be vilified. His geopolitical position is too delicate for that.

"I think mainstream politicians would feel uncomfortable taking direct issue with the pope," she says. "While many of his positions may seem to align more with Democrats, let's not forget that the person who invited him to address Congress was Republican House Speaker John Boehner."

Chamedes, who studies the intricate relationship between Christianity and politics, says popes throughout history have tried to influence the outcome of global events.

"What Francis is doing is not really that new in the history of Christianity," she says. "There's been frequent papal intervention in world affairs, including Pope Pius XII's statement, in 1944, in which he said democracy was an acceptable form of government. That statement served as a stamp of approval for European Christian Democratic parties, which became the dominant political movement in Western Europe. And Pope John Paul II was celebrated as one of the leaders responsible for the implosion of the communist bloc."

Popes like John Paul II and Francis, she says, are often perceived as "moral leaders" even by non-Catholics, which adds geopolitical weight to whatever they choose to say.