The last couple of weeks have been a tornado of arguments
around the Globe, especially for America, from the Republican Party
presidential debate to teen Ahmed Mohamed going to Jail for showcasing his
homemade clock. On Tuesday afternoon, Pope Francis landed on American Soil. This
marks a historic moment for the United State because no other pope has visited
the United States since 1965. Perhaps his timing is appropriate; though the US has
given him the warmest welcome Pope Francis is ready to create uncomfortable
moments (as he should) by bringing light to controversial modern day issues.
The pontiff received the media’s attention with his blunt
comments - not only has he condemned capitalism and imposing inequalities for
the poor but he also has blunt critiques for society, global economics, and
other national topics.
Yesterday afternoon the pontiff directed a speech to the
Senate and the House of Representatives and surprised many with his choice of
topic. Francis is different from other popes; he introduces himself as a “son
of inmigrants” from which America was built.
The pope started his speech with a controversial statement.
He challenged congress to see immigration as a moral issue rather than a
political issue, that instead of treating people as numbers they should be
treated as people. "Do not be afraid
to welcome them... I am certain that, as so often in the past, these people
will enrich America and its church" he stated in his speech by making
the argument that America was once a country full of foreigners which made the
Country we are today. His thoughts on
immigration come in an appropriate time, just very recently the republican
presidential candidate Donald Trump made strong accusations in regards to
immigration against Mexico by stating that if elected he will build an
impenetrable wall across the border. But what people say? 51-year-old Maria Lira made the
journey to D.C. from Pennsylvania where she traveled to make a statement
for the undocumented. She believes that the pope is the voice of the community
because he addresses issues that everyone wants to raise.
Next, Pope Francis addressed climate change. He proclaimed
that we need to take immediate action and we cannot pass this problem to the
next general. Furthermore, he stressed that America has a duty to act now and
advocated that we need to lead that movement. Similar issues have been brought
up before but it seems like GOP is slightly more interested in what really
matters in this country, the money, just recently they challenged president
Obama in regards his plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants because it
would hurt the economy and the improvement to the environment would be minimal.
Would this plan be effective? I am not sure but what I do know is that it would
immoral and illogical to forget to protect and maintain human life at any given
time, and that includes our planet.
Francis also urged Cuba and the United States to reconnect
after more than half a century of tension. He remained positive during his
speech because “the dream continues to
inspire us all” every day we wake up in America, although Pope Francis
advocated many changes, I am quite unsure on how proactive we are with Cuba.
Can we finally rebuild ties? Only time will tell.
The pope is charismatic and people agree with his ideas.
Dolores Reyes, a community resident, waited hours to see him. Reyes stated “He is more humble, more connected with people,
with everyone. He is a great Pope. I love his approach."
Though the pope has left, his arguments still ring. We
should endeavor to practice individualism and self-reliance to see in order to
move forward. Global Climate and immigration, the main issues he addressed will
require everyone’s participation. Until next time Pope Francis.
