Will the trip bear fruit?
It was wheels up Sunday night after a busy week in the United States for Pope Francis. A few days after the trip, which included an unprecedented papal address to a joint session of Congress, a speech to the United Nations, and time in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families (the primary reason for, and culmination of, his trip), Carl Anderson, head of the Knights of Columbus, the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world, talks about some of the highlights and potential fruit. — KJL
Kathryn Jean Lopez: What did you make of Pope Francis’s visit to the United States?
Carl Anderson: I think both the pope and the American people are very pleased that they have finally met and gotten to know each other better. Let’s hope it begins an increasingly fruitful dialogue. But already we can see a new energy among many Catholics. On his return flight to Rome, the pope was asked about his “star” status during the trip, and he responded that he is not a star, but a servant. So let’s hope the lasting effect of his visit will be that more people who heard his message will follow his example of service.
Lopez: He mentioned Dorothy Day during his speech to Congress. She was once described, as a National Review editorial noted the other day, as “an apostle of pious oversimplification.” Do you feel that way about Pope Francis, as many conservatives seem to?
Anderson: Pious people often have simple messages. “The family that prays together stays together.” “Take time to love Jesus in the poor.” “Jesus, I trust in you.” I think the pope sought to connect with the American people through the example of four Americans, and he had a good measure of success. Both Saint John Paul II and Benedict XVI came to the papacy after many years of scholarship and teaching. Paul VI, Saint John XXIII, and Pius XII were trained diplomats. Francis comes to the papacy from a different place. He has a missionary attitude. I think he has concluded that — in Western societies rapidly embracing a postmodern secular, even pagan culture – a reintroduction of the core of the Gospel in a more simple way is needed. During his address at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, he said something very revealing. In effect, he said that in our current situation endless analysis is not helpful; what is needed is to actually live the Christian life. Evangelization is not the same as catechesis. Catechesis comes later. When it comes to the work of evangelization, Paul VI wrote that teachers are listened to most attentively when they are also witnesses.
Lopez: What was the economic outlook you heard in his speech to Congress and throughout the trip?
Anderson: The pope is clearly calling all of us to greater economic stewardship and to be our brothers’ keepers. There are millions of Americans in business who get up each morning and strive to do the right thing. Many businesses in this country are already committed to corporate responsibility and sustainable investment. But, of course, we can do better. There is too much greed, cheating, and corruption. Just think of Volkswagen and the LIBOR scandal.
A moment ago I mentioned my hope for a fruitful dialogue. I think this would be one of the best places to begin — dialogue between the Church and the business community. The Church has much to offer in terms of the values that should guide business and economic decision-making. The business community has a great deal of practical experience in terms of how things work on the ground and the challenges to responsible decision-making. It is a natural place for dialogue.
We also need to be realistic. Where in the world — other than the United States — do we find a free-market system that has, even with all its imperfections, offered millions of people an opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty or to advance economically? In most of the world — including Europe and Latin America — some sort of socialism is the norm. So why should we assume a familiarity with the type of ethically responsible, free-market opportunity society that so many of us experience in the United States?
Lopez: Many ask: Why wasn’t he harsher/clearer about abortion? Marriage, too? Especially when before the White House and Congress?
Anderson: Perhaps he could have been more specific, but I think he was certainly clear enough. The pope highlighted these issues, and he did so in an interesting way. At the U.N., he spoke of the need to have a proper relationship with nature in order to understand “moral law” or what we might call “natural law.” He stated clearly the connection between concern for ecology and concern for human ecology. As part of this, he included the need for defense of life at every stage of development and reiterated the nature of marriage. He has shown us that our faith reflects the natural order of things, and that those actions in opposition to the natural order should be avoided. His message is quite clear that if we recover a proper relationship with nature, we can also recover a proper relationship with what our country’s founders called “the laws of nature and nature’s God.” Does any member of Congress or head of state not know what a pope means when he uses such language in relation to abortion and marriage? Clearly the pope chose not to be confrontational or harsh in speaking to those he hopes will change their position on these issues. I think he specifically chose not to “introduce” himself in these venues in a confrontational way.
The pope specifically chose not to ‘introduce’ himself in these venues in a confrontational way.
This also goes back to your earlier question. His argument from “human ecology” does not seem to me to be an “oversimplification” but actually something quite sophisticated. And it is entirely in continuity with the thinking of Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. The more interesting question is whether those listening to him in the Congress or at the United Nations are capable of thoughtful analysis, or is it simply a matter of power or ideology? I think the pope has put those in Congress who agree with him on the environment in a difficult position — especially those Catholic members of Congress who agree with him on ecological issues but oppose him on the implications of what he says regarding “human ecology” as it affects abortion and marriage. Before his visit, one prominent Catholic politician who adamantly supports same-sex marriage and Roe v. Wade announced that he had read every page of the pope’s encyclical on the environment. One wonders what he thought of the sections on “human ecology.” Perhaps an “inconvenient truth”?
One other thought: The pope gave a number of speeches at different venues, and his “message” is represented by their totality; especially important were the speeches in Philadelphia on religious liberty at Independence Hall, and at the World Meeting of Families, where he said, “The family is the protagonist of an integral ecology.”
Lopez: How significant was his visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor?
Anderson: In a word? Very.
Pope Francis often speaks of the need for action. So his action speaks volumes. He went there in support of the sisters’ legal fight to be true to their conscience as they resist the Obama administration’s HHS mandate on contraception and abortifacients. I am sure every bishop grasped the meaning of the pope’s visit, as well as did millions of Catholics. Coupled with his messages on religious liberty during the trip, and his comments on the importance of the right to conscientious objection during the flight home, his visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor was unmistakably significant.
Lopez: Why was Junípero Serra’s canonization important? Will there be more controversy? What might you hope people keep in mind about him? What lasting effects do you pray his canonization has?
Anderson: The canonization of Junípero Serra was courageous and very important. Saint Junípero is the first Hispanic saint from what is now the United States. He is a model of evangelization and helps guide us in terms of the integration of various cultures within our Catholic communities. He was an immigrant who brought the Gospel to the farthest reaches of his world. I hope his canonization will be an inspiration for many people, and especially for Hispanics who have so much to offer this country in terms of the witness of their own faith.
In terms of the controversy, people need to remember some key points. First, he was a champion of the humane treatment of the native peoples. Saint Junípero defended their human rights and spoke out against imposing the death penalty on them even when they killed his fellow missionaries. He also worked to protect them from — and prepare them for — the clash of civilizations that would inevitably occur with European settlement. The devastation of native people did not occur at the hands of Franciscan missionaries, but later, in the next century, during the California “gold rush.” That is when people actually began speaking of the “extermination” of the American Indians in California.
Saint Junípero Serra is a symbol of the contribution of Hispanics to the development and growth of the United States. Let’s remember that many cities in the southwest United States and California were founded by him and his fellow Catholic missionaries, connecting many Americans to their legacy on a daily basis.
Lopez: Did he kowtow to Cuban authoritarianism?
Anderson: I did not notice him “kowtowing” or “bowing” to Cuban authoritarianism. Pope Francis said he was coming to Cuba as a “missionary of mercy.” He brought the Gospel to Cuba, which is a country that generally suffers from a lack of hearing this message. While in Cuba, he told the people to serve others, not an ideology. I think that message is particularly important. But perhaps the most important message is that it came from a fellow Latin American — not from a European or a “Yankee.” What the political Left has always understood is that politics follows culture. The Catholic Church in Cuba today needs greater room to breathe. In preparation for his trip he asked the Cuban people to pray a simple prayer: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, make my heart more like yours.” That simple prayer could be the greatest change agent. Let’s see what happens.
Lopez: The president talked about religious persecution during his remarks welcoming Pope Francis to the White House. What are the hard questions he needs to be asked about the Christians in Iraq and Syria today? What can the U.S. do?
Anderson: Every country at the United Nations, the United States included, needs to be asked what it is concretely doing to stop the genocide against Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. Holding those responsible for such crimes against humanity is not enough. Christians are a minority that has lived in that region for two millennia, and they are now being destroyed. They are powerless and a threat to no one. They are truly sheep being led to a slaughter — a slaughter that could be stopped. But they are something more. They are a test of whether what we say about human rights has reality beyond words uttered from a podium on the White House lawn.
Specifically, the United States can immediately send more aid to the refugees in Jordan and Iraq. Their conditions are a scandal. And the United States can immediately provide more visas to Christians seeking asylum. The fact that virtually no Christians have been granted visas is another scandal. The pope has previously described the situation as genocide, and he called for international action to be taken in this regard. The diplomats gave the pope a standing ovation. Let’s see what, if any, action they take.
Lopez: What are the Knights practically doing to help persecuted Christians in the Middle East?
Anderson: The Knights of Columbus have been helping with immediate general relief in Syria, and with food, shelter, and medical services in Iraq. To date we have donated more than $4 million in support of Christians and other religious minorities at risk in the region. While the media are largely focused on the situation in Europe, the fact is that the vast majority of Christian refugees remain in the Middle East. It is an immense tragedy, and we continue to raise money and awareness to help them.
Lopez: The whole theme of the visit — and the World Meeting of Families – was “Love Is Our Mission.” What do you, as someone who wrote a book on a Civilization of Love, think that means, practically speaking?
Anderson: First, this theme is intended as entirely practical. Every person is called to a vocation of love. We are called to love of God and love of neighbor. Ancient philosophers described man as a “rational animal,” but Christianity adds to this that man is a “loving animal.” In fact, Christianity says that a person’s life is meaningless unless he or she encounters love. The family is the first school in teaching love and the vocation of love. That is why Saint John Paul II so often said, “Families, become what you are.” He meant by this that the family must be that place where love is taught. That is the mission of the family, and the family accomplishes its mission not by transforming itself into a classroom but by being a community of persons who love one another and who are able to extend that love to others.
Lopez: What do you expect the fruits of this visit, now that he’s back in Rome, might be?
Anderson: For one thing, I think the American people now have a better sense of Pope Francis, and he has a better sense of the American people and our society. For another, I think his call for people to be prophets of the family will bear fruit. So too will his call to recover a proper balance with nature, which, as he pointed out, can help us rediscover natural law as it relates to key issues of our day. Likewise, his call to stewardship of all the gifts we have been given, including our faith, families, neighbors (meaning all people at any stage of life, especially the most defenseless) is important for our future. I hope people will reflect on what the pope has said with a certain sense of humility. It is totally useless to have the attitude that I agree with the pope 100 percent when he agrees with me. Christianity has always been a sign of contradiction. The apostles and their successors have been commissioned to preach the Gospel “in season and out of season.” Those seasons exist in every society, but they exist also in the life of every believer.
— Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute and editor-at-large of National Review Online. She is co-author of the new revised and updated edition of How to Defend the Faith without Raising Your Voice. Lopez is a co-founder of Catholic Voices USA, which has been working with the World Meeting of Families and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in preparation for the pope’s visit.