As I stepped off my Philly-bound train onto the steps of a deserted 30th Street Station, I couldn’t help but look with awe at the world I had stepped into. A wall of uniformed officers and armed forces personnel lined up along a makeshift fence, directing a bubbly throng towards the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where Pope Francis was scheduled to give a speech at the Meeting of the Families that night. Standing amidst the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Aretha Franklin, and Andrea Bocelli was an energetic fragile Pope Francis, giving me and the thousands crowded in the park around me a remarkable message on the importance of protecting society's most vulnerable.
However, the papal visit to the U.S. showed more than anything that Pope Francis is a man of action. Instead of just talking about the importance of immigration reform and the need to show dignity and respect to some of society’s most vulnerable members, he up and visits an elementary school in East Harlem to give an uplifting speech to 24 students from inner-city schools as well as a group of 150 immigrants and refugees. Instead of just parroting Catholic social teachings on the importance of caring for and rehabilitating the wayward souls of society, he decides an uplifting address to prisoners at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional facility would send a powerful message. And I believe it did.
In many ways, I believe Bernie Sanders to be a man who reveals his beliefs and desires for the direction he wants to take this country by the actions that he takes as well. He says he is not actively involved in organized religion. But in terms of economic justice, he said, “I find myself very close to the teachings of Pope Francis.” He described the pope as “incredibly smart and brave.”
After a close look at the transcripts of the Pope’s teachings on politics and social justice and a comparison to some of Bernie’s important campaign points, I have reason to believe that, although there still remain some fundamental differences between teachings of the Catholic Church and Bernie Sanders’ brand of liberalism, the respect Sanders has for the Pope and his teachings may be reciprocated by the big man himself. Take a look at some of the similarities I found.
On Reducing Income Inequality
Pope Francis Says:
“..today we also have to say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality.”
“How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?”
“If politics must truly be at the service of the human person, it follows that it cannot be a slave to the economy and finance.”
“A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people.”
Bernie Sanders Says:
Increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour by 2020.
Create 1 million jobs for disadvantaged young Americans by investing $5.5 billion in a youth jobs program.
Put at least 13 million Americans to work by investing $1 trillion over five years rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, railways, airports, public transit systems, ports, dams, wastewater plants, and other infrastructure needs.
Expand Social Security by lifting the cap on taxable income above $250,000.
Make tuition free at public colleges and universities throughout America.
Require public colleges and universities to meet 100% of the financial needs of the lowest-income students.
Guarantee healthcare as a right of citizenship by enacting a Medicare for all single-payer healthcare system.
Knowing that black women earn 64 cents on the dollar compared to white men, pass federal legislation to establish pay equity for women.
On Climate Change and Environmentalism
Pope Francis Says:
“When nature is viewed solely as a source of profit and gain, this has serious consequences for society.”
“Any harm done to the environment, therefore, is a harm done to humanity.”
“A selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged.”
Bernie Sanders Says:
Introduce climate change legislation to tax carbon and methane emissions.
No to the Keystone XL pipeline.
I Secured $3.2 billion in the economic stimulus package for grants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in a program that has funded upgrades for more than 86,000 buildings and installed more than 9,500 solar energy systems.
On the Prison System
Pope Francis Says:
“It is painful when we see prison systems which are not concerned to care for wounds, to soothe pain, to offer new possibilities.”
“To enable real men and women to escape from extreme poverty, we must allow them to be dignified agents of their own destiny.”
Bernie Sanders Says:
Introduce legislation that will end the private prison industry.
Invest in drug courts and medical and mental health interventions for people with substance abuse problems, so that they do not end up in prison, they end up in treatment.
For people who have committed crimes that have landed them in jail, there needs to be a path back from prison.
Reinstate the federal system of parole.
Provide real education and real skills training for the incarcerated.
On Foreign Policy
Pope Francis Says:
“Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world.”
“When countries which have been at odds resume the path of dialogue…new opportunities open up for all.”
“War is the negation of all rights…if we want true integral human development for all, we must work tirelessly to avoid war between nations and between peoples.”
“There is urgent need to work for a world free of nuclear weapons, in full application of the non-proliferation treaty, in letter and spirit, with the goal of a complete prohibition of these weapons.”
Bernie Sanders Says:
Move away from a policy of unilateral military action, and toward a policy of emphasizing diplomacy, and ensuring the decision to go to war is a last resort.
Support the Iran deal, which emphasizes diplomacy and communication over hostile invasion.
Support Obama’s efforts to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba.
On Immigration Reform
Pope Francis Says:
“Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a ‘culture of care’ and an integrated approach to combating poverty [and] restoring dignity to the excluded”
“ On this continent…thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life…We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons…trying to respond…in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’"
“We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners.”
Bernie Sanders Says:
Sign the DREAM Act into law to offer the opportunity of permanent residency and eventual citizenship to young people who were brought to the United States as children.
Expand President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to include the parents of citizens, parents of legal permanent residents, and the parents of DREAMERS.
It would be misdirected to assume that there do not exist fundamental rifts between Catholic ideologies taught by Pope Francis and those in line with the thinking of 21st century policymakers such as Bernie Sanders. Issues such as abortion rights, the LGBTQ push for marriage equality and the resultant push by conservatives for broader protections of religious freedom, and what types of services should be offered by federally-funded medical programs continue to take center stage as presidential candidates and state and federal representatives find themselves vying for the hearts of the American people.
However, I can say definitively that this nation’s Catholics, whether they be hard-core conservatives or left-wing liberals of the Sanders’ brand, should all intently follow Sanders’ every move. Because in all honesty, he may become the best non-religious follower of contemporary Catholic social teaching on the ballot today.
