ເປັນທີ່ຄາດກັນວ່າ ພະສັນຕະປາປາ Francis ຈະກ່າວເຖິງ
ບັນຫາຫຼໍ່ແຫຼມສຳຄັນໆ ທີ່ຮວມທັງເລື້ອງອົບພະຍົບຈາກພາກ
ຕາເວັນອອກກາງ ການປ່ຽນແປງຂອງດິນຟ້າອາກາດ ແລະ
ລັດທິທຶນນິຍົມເກີນຂອບເຂດ ເວລາພະອົງ ຊົງກ່າວໃຫ້ໂອ
ວາດຕໍ່ກອງປະຊຸມລັດຖະສະພາຄົບຄະນະ ໃນວັນພະຫັດມືນີ້.
ຫຼາຍສິບພັນຄົນ ມີກຳນົດທີ່ຈະໄປເບິ່ງການຖະແຫຼງທີ່ວ່ານີ້
ຈາກເດີ່ນສະໜາມຂອງຕຶກລັດ ສະພາ ແລະອີກຫຼາຍຮ້ອຍ
ຄົນຈະເຂົ້າໄປເບິ່ງຢູ່ຂ້າງໃນສະພາຕ່ຳ ໃນຂະນະທີ່ພະສັນ
ຕະ ປາປາ Francis ຊຶ່ງເປັນສັນຕະປາປາ ຜູ້ທຳອິດ ໃນປະ
ຫວັດສາດ ທີ່ຈະກ່າວໃຫ້ໂອວາດຕໍ່ ສະພາສະຫະລັດ.
ຂ້າງໃນຂອງຕຶກສະພາທີ່ມີການແບ່ງແຍກກັນນັ້ນ ການລໍຄອຍທີ່ວ່ານີ້ແມ່ນຢູ່ໃນສະພາບ
ທີ່ ຕື່ນເຕັ້ນທີ່ສຸດ ແລະຈະບໍ່ມີຜູ້ໃດກະຕືລືລົ້ນໄປກວ່າທ່ານຜູ້ນີ້ ຊຶ່ງໄດ້ເຊື້ອເຊີນໃຫ້ພະສັນ
ຕະປາປາໄປ ກ່າວກໍຄືທ່ານ John Boehner ປະທານສະພາຕ່ຳ ຜູ້ຊຶ່ງນັບຖືສາສະໜາກາໂຕລິກ ຢ່າງເຄັ່ງຄັດນັ້ນ.
ໃນວີດີໂອພິເສດ ທ່ານ Boehner ໄດ້ກ່າວວ່າ ສະມາຊິກສະພາ ແມ່ນມີຄວາມສົນໃຈ ໃນ
ສິ່ງທີ່ຜູ້ນຳທາງສະສະໜາອົງນີ້ ຈະມີຄວາມຄິດເຫັນຢ່າງໃດ. ທ່ານ Boehner ໄດ້ກ່າວວ່າ
“ການຢືນມືເຂົ້າໄປຊ່ອຍພວກທຸກຍາກ ແລະຄວາມຈິງທີ່ຜູ້ຄົນຄວນຈະມີສາສະໜາຢູ່ໃນ
ໃຈຫຼາຍກວ່ານີ້. ພະອົງມີທ່າທີບາງຢ່າງ ທີ່ຖືວ່າເປັນເລື້ອງນອງນັນ, ແຕ່ວ່າ ພະອົງແມ່ນ
ພະສັນຕະປາປາ.”
ພະສັນຕະປາປາ Francis ໄດ້ກ່າວອອກມາຢ່າງແຂງຂັນ ກ່ຽວກັບເລື້ອງໄພອັນຕະລາຍ
ຕໍ່ໂລກຂອງເຮົາ ທີ່ໄດ້ຮັບຜົນກະທົບຈາກຄວາມບໍ່ຍຸຕິທຳທາງດ້ານເສດຖະກິດ ແລະການ
ປ່ຽນແປງຂອງດິນຟ້າອາກາດ ແລະວ່າ Vatican ຍິນດີກັບຂໍ້ຕົກລົງກ່ຽວກັບໂຄງການ
ນິວເຄລຍຂອງອິຣ່ານ.
ທ່າທີຂອງພະສັນຕະປາປາ ກ່ຽວກັບບັນຫາເຫຼົ່ານີ້ ແມ່ນໃກ້ຊິດກັບຄວາມຄິດເຫັນຂອງປະທານາທິບໍດີ ໂອບາມາ ທີ່ສັງກັດພັກ Democratic ຫຼາຍກວ່າທ່າທີຂອງພັກ Republican ນັ້ນ.
ຄຸນພໍ່ Thomas Reese ນັກວິເຄາະອະວຸໂສ ຂອງອົງການລາຍງານຂ່າວກາໂຕລິກແຫ່ງ ຊາດ ກ່າວວ່າ ການສະແດງປະຕິກິລິຍາຂອງລັດຖະສະພາ ຕໍ່ການກ່າວຄຳໂອວາດຂອງ
ພະສັນຕະປາປາ Francis ນັ້ນ ຈະມີການເປີດເຜີຍໃຫ້ຊາບ.
ຄຸນພໍ່ Reese ກ່າວວ່າ “ໃນຂະນະທີ່ພະອົງໄປເຖິງລັດຖະສະພາແລ້ວ ແລະຖ້າຫາກພະ
ອົງກ່າວວ່າ ພວກເຈົ້າຄວນຈະຍິນດີຕ້ອນຮັບພວກເຂົ້າເມືອງ ແລະພວກອົບພະຍົບ ພວກ
ເຈົ້າຄວນຈະເບິ່ງແຍງດູແລພວກຄົນທຸກຍາກ ຫຼືວ່າ ພວກເຈົ້າຄວນຈະປົກປ້ອງສະພາບ
ແວດລ້ອມແລ້ວ ນີ້ແມ່ນບັນຫາທັງຫຼາຍທັງປວງ ແລະວ່າ ຕອນທີ່ພະອົງກ່າວເຖິງ ບັນຫາ
ເຫຼົ່ານີ້ ພວກທີ່ສັງກັດພັກ Democrats ຈະພາກັບກະໂດດຂຶ້ນແລ້ວຕົບມື. ແລະວ່າພວກ
ພັກ Republicans ນັ້ນຈະເຮັດຢ່າງໃດ ນັ່ງທັບມືຂອງພວກເຂົາເຈົ້າເບາະ? ແລະຖ້າຫາກ
ວ່າພວກເຂົາເຈົ້າລຸກຂຶ້ນຢືນແລະຕົບມືແລ້ວນັ້ນ ພວກ Tea Party ທີ່ນິຍົມແນວທາງເດີມ
ນັ້ນ ຈະບໍ່ພໍໃຈກັບພວກເຂົາເຈົ້າ, ເພາະສະນັ້ນຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຄິດວ່າ ນີ້ແມ່ນທ່າທີ ທີ່
ລະອຽດອ່ອນ.”
At the U.S. Capitol, anticipation has reached a fever pitch over Pope Francis’ address to Congress on September 24. And no one is more excited than the man who invited him, devout Catholic and House Speaker John Boehner. In a special video, Boehner said lawmakers are very interested in what His Holiness has to say.
“His outreach to the poor, the fact that people ought to be more religious. He has got some other positions that are a bit more controversial, but it is the pope!”
Squirm in their seats
Some analysts say those controversial positions could end up making Boehner regret his invitation. Pope Francis has spoken out strongly about the dangers to our planet posed by economic injustice and climate change, and the Vatican has welcomed the Iran nuclear deal. The pope’s positions on these issues are closer to Democratic President Barack Obama’s views than those held by leading Republicans.
Father Thomas Reese, the senior analyst at the National Catholic Reporter, said Congress' reaction to Pope Francis should be fascinating to watch.
“And when he comes to Congress, if he says you should welcome the immigrants and refugees, you should care for the poor, or you should protect the environment, these are issues that, when he says them, the Democrats are going to jump up and applaud," he said. "And what are the Republicans going to do — sit there on their hands? If they get up and applaud, then the [conservative] tea party people are going to be very upset with them. So I think they are in a very delicate position.”
Republican Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona says he will boycott the speech because of the pope’s focus on what Gosar calls the “fool’s errand” of climate change. Gosar, who is Catholic, wrote, "When the pope chooses to act and talk like a leftist politician, then he can expect to be treated like one."
On the Democratic side, Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois contrasted the compassion of Pope Francis for migrants with the harsh, anti-immigrant rhetoric of leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
"In many ways, Pope Francis represents the anti-Trump, the antidote to his venom. I, like a lot of my Democratic colleagues and a lot of my Catholic colleagues — and frankly, the majority of Americans of all faiths and political stripes across the nation — are very much looking forward to the pope’s visit and the pope’s words because our nation needs a counterbalance, a counterweight to what has become the ugliest, most xenophobic, most anti-immigration campaign in anyone’s memory," said Gutierrez.
Billionaire businessman Trump has said some illegal immigrants are "rapists" and "criminals," and that “when Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best."
On other issues such as gay marriage and abortion, the pontiff may say things many Democrats do not like. Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California is also a devout Catholic, but a strong supporter of women's reproductive rights and gay marriage.
Call for unity
Analyst Reese says U.S. Catholics are politically divided, just like other Americans, and that is also reflected in Congress. Reese, however, says he believes Pope Francis will have this message for U.S. lawmakers:
“I think, hopefully, he will also tell them, ‘Get over your partisan politics! You know, it is time to get together, work together to solve the problems of this nation and of the world.’ And at that point, all the American people will get up and applaud!”
It may take more than even a visit by Pope Francis to get members of Congress to stop fighting and work together.