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Pope Francis Speaks to Congress. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired September 24, 2015 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:30:04] POPE FRANCIS: ... we must not be taken aback by the numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces...
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... and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation, to respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal.
We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays (ph) to discard whatever proves troublesome.
Let us remember the golden rule, do unto others as you...
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... do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
This rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. Let us help others to grow as we would like to be helped ourselves.
In a word, if we want security, let us give security.
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If we want life, let us give life. If we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities.
The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time use for us.
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The golden rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.
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This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels (ph) the global abolition of the death penalty.
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I am convinced that this way is the best. Since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes.
Recently my brother bishops here in the United States renewed their call for the abolition of death penalty.
FRANCIS: Not only...
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... not only do I support them, but I also offer encouragement to all those who are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.
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[10:35:19] In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention the servant of God, Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed were inspired by the gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.
How much progress has been in this area in so many parts of the world? How much has been done in these first years of the third millennium to raise people out of extreme poverty? I know that you share my conviction that much more still needs to be done, and in times of crisis and economic hardship, a spirit of global solidarity must not be lost.
At the same time, I would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially, in its course (ph).
I know that many Americans today as in the past are working to deal with this problem. It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements of an economy which seeks to be modern, inclusive and sustainable.
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Business is a noble vocation directed to producing wealth and improving the world. It can be a fruitful source of prosperity from the area in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential job of its service to the common good.
(APPLAUSE) This common good also includes the Earth, a central theme of the
encyclical which I recently wrote in order to enter into the dialogue with all people about our common home. We need a conversation which includes everyone since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots concern and affect us all.
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[10:39:06] FRANCIS: In (inaudible), I call for a courageous and responsible effort to redirect our steps and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity. I'm convinced that we can make a difference, I'm sure.
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And I have no doubt that the United States, and this Congress, have an important role to play. Now is the time for courageous action and strategies aimed at implementing a culture of care and an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded and at the same time protecting nature.
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We have the freedom needed to limit and direct technology to devise intelligent ways of developing and limiting our power, and to put technology at the service of another type of progress, one which is here, more human, more social, more integral. In this regard, I am confident that America's outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead.
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A century ago, at the beginning of the great war, which Pope Benedict XV termed a pointless slaughter, another notable American was born, the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. He remains a source of spiritual inspiration and guide for many people. In his autobiography, Merton wrote, "I came into the world, free by nature, in the image of God. I was nevertheless the prisoner of my own violence and my own selfishness, in the image of the world into which I was born. That world was the picture of Hell, full of men like myself, loving God and yet hating him; born to love him, living instead in fear of hopeless self-contradictory hunger."
FRANCIS: Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.
[10:44:55] From this perspective of dialogue, I would like to recognize the efforts made in recent months to help overcome historic differences linked to painful episodes of the past. It is my duty to (inaudible) breaches (ph) and to help all men and women in any way possible to do the same.
When countries which have been at odds (ph) resume the path of the dialogue, a dialogue which may have been interrupted for the most legitimate of reasons, new opportunities open up for all.
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This (inaudible) requires courage and daring (ph), which is not the same as irresponsibility (ph).
A good political leader is one who, with the interest of all in mind, seizes the moment in a state (ph) of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always hopes to initiate processes rather than possessing (inaudible).
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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.
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Here, we have to ask ourselves, why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and societies? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money; money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood.
In the face of the shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms drive.
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Three sons and one daughter of this land; four individuals of four dreams. Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty and plurality and (inaudible); Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons; and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God. Four representatives of American people.
FRANCIS: I will end my visit to your country in Philadelphia, where I will take part in the World Meeting of Families. It is my wish (inaudible) the family should be a reoccurring theme: how essential the family has been to the building of this country...
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... and how worthy it remains of our support and encouragement.
[10:50:32] Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question that is the very basis of marriage and the family.
I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.
(APPLAUSE) In particular, I would like to call attention to those family
members who are the most vulnerable, the young. For many of them, a future filled with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair.
Their problems are our problems.
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We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together, to talk about them, and to seek effective solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions.
At the risk of oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many options that they too are dissuaded from starting a family.
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A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty, as Lincoln did; when it fosters a culture which enables people to dream of full rights for all brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work; the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and (inaudible) peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.
In these remarks, I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream.
God bless America.
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[10:55:34] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: A very moving and powerful address by Pope Francis before member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. The Pope -- in powerful words, very moving words -- addressing some of the most contentious issues out there.
We have full analysis of what we've just seen. You see a standing ovation by members of the House and Senate. The first time ever a pope has addressed the United States Congress.
Dana Bash is inside there. Dana -- this was really a moving, moving address.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it absolutely was. No matter where you stand on the political aisle, no matter what your religion -- this was a moment in history. And you could see pretty much to a person that members of Congress got it. They were listening like I've never seen or heard them listen before. It was really remarkable.
Having said that, all of the talk about not having a partisan response -- it's hard to avoid that in a partisan place like the United States Capitol, especially these days.
And the idea of human activity causing environmental problems, which the Pope said explicitly, brought Democrats, most of them to their feet, and many Republicans did not do so -- barely clapped.
And then on another issue, of course, talking about the idea of immigration was another. Even when the Pope talked about the Golden Rule and linking the Golden Rule to do unto others as you want them to do to you, linking that to immigration, you saw Democrats get up and cheer and some Republicans not do so.
So, it was definitely partisan when it comes to the response in many lines. But there was one moment I thought that really struck me at the very beginning, which was absolutely nonpartisan. When the Pope talked about "the land of the free and the home of the brave", not only did members of congress clap, but the four Supreme Court justices who were here t They clapped as well, which is highly unusual for them to clap at anything at an address like that. But that is as something that was completely nonpartisan. Just a patriotic moment that everybody joined in on.
BLITZER: The Pope will be going into Statuary Hall. This is a live picture you're seeing of Statuary Hall. The Pope will have a moment to reflect on some of the great individuals who are in those statues there.
Christiane Amanpour -- there were some not so subtle references -- his opposition to abortion, he supports traditional marriage as it's called, clearly opposition to same-sex marriage. Lots of support for immigration, lots of support for protecting the environment, dealing with climate change. Lots of support for greater efforts to engage in income inequality to help the poor, to help the needy. And he made specific references to these politicians he was addressing -- please, cooperate for the common good.
CHRISTIAN AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. And he also talked about his opposition to the death penalty globally. That was sort of a surprise.
He addressed what makes this country great through the four particular great Americans that he chose. Lincoln for liberty; Martin Luther King for the dream and of tolerance and civil rights of all people, Dorothy Day for her social justice and work on behalf of the oppressed; and Thomas Merton, the Cistercian monk who was so rigorous himself and so devoted to religious tolerance.
So he discussed all those things, political, pastoral and did give a little bit of a lesson to the political leaders to say, you can get your country to be great. You can keep doing that. You have to do it by pooling all your resources and not being divisive. So he really had a lesson for everybody -- for the faithful, for
the political, for the finance community. He talked about what made America great. Business made America great but it has to be put to the service of young people in the country in general. He spoke very clearly about the needs and the unmet needs of young people and also of the elderly as well.
BLITZER: I want to bring Chris Cuomo into this conversation. Chris, it was really moving, I've got to tell you. You had to listen closely because he does speak with a thick accent, but you could understand those powerful words.
[11:00:00] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you also had to speak closely -- Jim and I were discussing -- because of the subtlety and the nuance that the Holy Father used in knitting together so many ideas in an effort to find this space that joins the people in that room.
