Time
By Ryan Teague Beckwith
September 23, 2015
He approaches it as a pastor and not as a political player
Like
a practiced American politician, Pope Francis began his first public
remarks on U.S. soil Wednesday by talking about his immigrant
forefathers. “As the son of an
immigrant family,” he said, “I am happy to be a guest in this country,
which was largely built by such families.”
The
moment was subtle but subversive, in a way that this pontiff excels.
America is in the midst of a years-long argument about immigration, a
political fight whose divisions
have only seemed to deepen as the 2016 presidential race gets underway.
But
while Pope Francis has proudly interjected himself into the debate over
climate change inside the United States and helped broker a
rapprochement with Cuba, he has
approached immigration more at the symbolic level. On the plane ride to
the U.S., Francis lamented that he was not able to follow through on
his original wish to enter the country by crossing the border from
Mexico.
That’s
because Francis’ goal in the United States is more pastoral than
political. He is visiting a country whose Catholic churches are in the
midst of a demographic sea
change, with older denominations on the East Coast struggling to stay
afloat, while their counterparts in the South and West overflow with
immigrants.
According
to the Pew Research Center, more than one-third of U.S. Catholics are
Hispanic, a rate which has grown by five percentage points since 2007,
while more than
half of Latinos in the U.S. identify themselves as Catholic.
In
a speech to U.S. bishops later Wednesday, Francis addressed this topic
directly, talking about their pastoral mission to serve immigrants,
something which he acknowledged
can be difficult. “I too know how hard it is to sow the Gospel among
people from different worlds, with hearts often hardened by the trials
of a lengthy journey,” said the Argentinian native.
At
the end of the speech, he returned to the topic again, urging them to
continue working to understand the hopes of these “pilgrims”—a word with
special resonance with
a strong tradition of making pilgrimages to holy sites and one that the
official Vatican text carefully placed within quotes in the official
transcript.
“From
the beginning you have learned their languages, promoted their cause,
made their contributions your own, defended their rights, helped them to
prosper, and kept
alive the flame of their faith,” he said. “Even today, no American
institution does more for immigrants than your Christian communities.”
Noting
the “stream of Latin immigration” affecting their dioceses, Francis
then spoke to them directly as the first Latin American pope, thanking
them for their hard work
and encouraging them to continue.
“Perhaps
it will not be easy for you to look into their soul; perhaps you will
be challenged by their diversity. But know that they also possess
resources meant to be
shared,” he said. “So do not be afraid to welcome them. Offer them the
warmth of the love of Christ and you will unlock the mystery of their
heart. I am certain that, as so often in the past, these people will
enrich America and its Church.”
That
message resonated with people who were outside the church. Daniel
Pineda, 30, stood across the street 17th and Rhode Island Avenue as the
pope was speaking, still
giddy over having filmed him briefly as he passed by.
“My
family is Latino, we come from Peru, ” said Pineda, who said he’s
looking forward to hearing more of the Pope’s message on immigration.
“The Pope isn’t afraid to deliver
a message. People here are tired of the gridlock. It’s great to see a
pope come here and talk about that, that we need to be more open-minded
and talk to each other.”
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