When Popes Confront the Political World
Pope Francis spoke as an orthodox Catholic - he is for compassion, for the poor, immigrants, the disabled, and the unborn. He will likely persuade no one but will inspire all because each can take his or her own message from the carefully crafted remarks. James Carroll's father was the first director of the NSA. His father - like all in Congress today - was a "realist". His conventional wisdom played a major role in driving us into the nightmare of Vietnam - a nightmare principally because men like his father "knew" that the Pope was speaking of ideals - not actuality. - gwc
When Popes Confront the Political World
ByJAMES CARROLLPublishedSEPTEMBER 24, 2015, 11:08 AM EDT1057 Views
Everything Pope Francis does seems unprecedented and unmatched, but when he stands before the General Assembly of the United Nations this week, the image of another pope will intrude. The U.N. speech delivered by Pope Paul VI in 1965, almost exactly fifty years ago, resonated across the world. Closer to home, the Pope’s words opened a breach between me and my father, and though our situation was particular, our sad conflict was not unique, but typical of a generation. For people of a certain age, Paul VI at the U.N. remains the unlikely measure of the difference a pope can make, of the pain that can come when a pope speaks the truth, and of the tragedy that can follow when that truth is ignored.
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