Louis Capozzi | A wholly political pope

Citizen Capozzi | While Pope Francis’s political advocacy excites many Penn students, it alienates some Catholics and politicizes the papacy.

By Louis Capozzi 09/28/15 1:15am

The arrival of Pope Francis in Philadelphia last weekend was a mixed blessing. While the pope’s arrival christened a classless Friday at Penn, the pomp surrounding his visit created a trinity of chaos, store closings and traffic.

Pope Francis caused a similar stir last week in Washington, D.C., where he became the first pontiff to address the U.S. Congress. In his speech there last Thursday, Francis called for an end to the death penalty, encouraged immigration reform, demanded action on climate change and criticized capitalism.

Pope Francis’s progressive tone has made him nationally popular, especially with young people. This popularity is especially apparent at Penn, where most students I’ve spoken to support the pope. College freshman Francesca Polizotto, a practicing Catholic, was pleased by the pope’s political stances. “A lot of his policies are rooted in Biblical studies, especially climate change, which is a moral issue,” she noted. College sophomore Gabrielle Jackson also seemed pleased with the pope’s actions, noting “he has a duty as a moral enforcer, and he definitely has a lot of influence. He made [Speaker of the House] Boehner cry after all!”

While many students are enjoying an intellectual baptism in John Boehner’s tears, others are concerned with Francis’s specific policy positions. Wharton senior and practicing Catholic Nicholas Zarra “disagrees with Pope Francis’ positions on climate change and financial inequality” and thinks it is “crucial for Catholics to understand the differences between the pope’s moral message and the efficacy of his suggested policy positions.” Former College student Zak Slayback is alarmed by Francis’s crusade against fossil fuels. “If Francis cares for the poor, he should reverse his stance on fossil fuels,” Slayback argued. “His luddism on fossil fuels is really, really, really dangerous.”

Yet other students are more generally concerned about the pope’s increasingly partisan nature. “People suddenly don’t seem to care about the separation between church and state, which has long been an important ideal in this country,” College senior Melissa Beswick disapprovingly noted. “Francis crosses the line historically respected by pontiffs by actually advocating direct action in the United States,” Slayback agreed.

Others, like College freshman Kevin Meyers, disagreed, arguing, “We as a society have already given up on the separation between church and state. Religion is on our money and in our pledge of allegiance. Only if God isn’t on the money and in the pledge should the pope avoid political statements here.”

And so the debate commences! But that’s the real point. Like a regular politician, Pope Francis is starting partisan arguments and distracting from more fundamental questions about faith. Is it wise for Pope Francis to be throwing fuel on controversial political issues?

Saint Augustine, a 5th century C.E. theologian, believed the Roman Catholic Church should only take stances on issues the Bible addresses. He wrote that, even in somewhat ambiguous cases, the Catholic Church “should not rush in headlong and so firmly take our stand on one side that, if further progress in the search of truth justly undermines this position, we too fall with it. That would be not to battle for the teaching of Holy Scripture but for our own, wishing its teaching to conform to ours.”

In that spirit, Pope Francis should be especially careful about championing socialism. In his speech to Congress, Pope Francis praised Dorothy Day, delighting American leftists like Bernie Sanders. Day, a controversial socialist activist, once said, “We need to overthrow not the government ... but this rotten, decadent, putrid industrial capitalist system which breeds suffering in the whited sepulcher of New York.”

After praising Day, Pope Francis argued “the fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts ... It goes on without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth.” In a 2014 interview, Francis justified his anti-capitalist rhetoric with scripture, saying “I must say that communists have stolen our flag. The flag of the poor is Christian. Poverty is the center of the Gospel.” Indeed, but the Bible does not prescribe policy proposals to help the poor, and certainly doesn’t propose a socialist system.

In a country where religious belief and church attendance are declining, does Pope Francis want to start such partisan conversations? Regardless, the arguments have begun and will undoubtedly continue. To quote all the politicians who will politicize the Pope’s comments from the previous week, “God bless America.”

LOUIS CAPOZZI is a College senior from Mechanicsburg, Pa., studying classics and history. His email address is capozzil@sas.upenn.edu. “Citizen Capozzi” usually appears every other Monday.

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