Pope Francis in America

By Choi Yearn-hong

After landing at Andrews Air Force Base, Pope Francis was sensational at the White House, the Catholic University mass in Washington, D.C., the US Congress, the United Nations, Harlem School, Ground Zero, Central Park and Madison Square Garden in New York. On Sunday, he visited Philadelphia.

He is a super star with calls of inspiration and obligation to American politicians, businessmen and the public. His messages are not new. His messages are about caring for the planet, climate change, the poor and disadvantaged and opening the door to immigrants and refugees. I was an advocate of One Earth, environmental protection and nature conservation for renewable energy and sustainable development during my active teaching career and government career.

Why is Pope Francis a superstar? Of course, he is the Pope, the head of all Catholic people on earth. However, he has appealed to the public. I do not know how many nonbelievers have become believers or will convert to Catholic, but his popularity may be higher than President Barack Obama during his stay in America. I know he is not interested in the highest office or political power. His power is only the power of persuasion.

During the Pope’s visit to the United States, I fantasized about Jesus Christ, who promised to come back. I imagine many spectators on the street wanted to touch the Pope and shake hands with him. As a matter of fact, he hugged young boys and girls, including handicapped people. All hoped for a miracle when they saw and touched him, as Jesus produced. But he is Pope Francis. He advocates God’s words and deeds wherever he goes, as Jesus did during his short life.

After Pope Francis left town, House Speaker John Boehner resigned from the top leadership of the U.S. Congress and the Republican Party, majority party in the House and the Senate, over his failure to avert the crisis of government shutdown due to the deep White House-Congress conflict about uncontrollable or unmanageable budget growth. The speaker had tried to bring peace with President Obama, but was rejected by his Republican Party. On the same day, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the White House. Both leaders made a delicate dance in the summit bringing peace on pending political agendas on international affairs, cyber security and bilateral economic issues.

Pope Francis should have stayed longer in Washington, D.C. Or he should have stayed in the White House between Presidents Obama and Xi and Obama, and Boehner. He should have stayed longer in Congress between the hardline Republicans and softline Republicans. Certainly, Pope Francis is a political figure who has delivered political messages for the planet, peace and wealth equality with compassion and loving care. How about compassion and loving care? Homeless people will be in the shelters. They will beg for money tomorrow in the same street where Pope Francis passed by.

What is the value of Pope Francis’ visit?

I am sure that the value is enormous, but his calls of inspiration and obligation may not bring visible and tangible results in the immediate future. Nevertheless, they were meaningful reminders to our daily lives. All my life, I taught what Pope Francis spoke. What was my value to my students and colleges?

My students and colleges may answer that question. But I would like to say that my life was meaningful as a college professor and a government official. I advocated and taught more practical public policies to be implementable from cost-benefit analysis of alternative policy proposals rather than dreamful and idealistic political campaign messages.

Pope Francis seems to me to be a left-leaning democratic socialist. I was a humanitarian socialist. After long observation of economic phenomena, I concluded that economic wealth should grow to save the unemployed, poor and disadvantaged rather than transferring the top 10 percent of wealth to them. I become an economic conservative with my aging. Pope Francis is not yet aging.

The Washington Post editorial, “Political Pontiff,” on Sept. 25 ends:

“In the past, popes have had the most political impact when they spoke up for people who were silenced; think of Pope John Paul II in Communist Poland. In the United States, there is no shortage of advocates ― and opponents ― of Pope Francis’ various stands. His is a powerful voice, but in Washington’s debates, it will remain one among many.

Dr. Choi, a political scientist who retired after a long teaching career in the US and Korea, is a Washington-based writer.