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NEW DELHI: Pope Francis’ historic tour to the United States has officially come to an end. The visit was undeniably political, with the Pope delving into some of America’s thorniest issues, including immigration, poverty and climate change.
Although the Vatican maintains that the Pope was only reiterating the teachings of the Church and not making political statements, the politically powerful points were driven home through dialogue and practice. These include introducing himself as the son of immigrants, pleading before the US Congress to end “hostility” toward immigrants, and driving around in an environmentally conscious tiny Fiat.
(Pope Francis addresses the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly)
Here’s a look at some of the most powerful statements made by Pope Francis whilst in the US:
"The real danger comes from man....”
The Pope quoted a speech from his predecessor Pope Paul VI in 1965 at the UN General Assembly, drawing attention to the moral duty that human beings have to protect the earth. "Any harm done to the environment, therefore, is harm done to humanity,” he said.
"We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners."
The Pope made several statements in support of immigration whilst in the US, including the one above at the address to the US Congress. "Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War,” the Pope said.
(Pope Francis addresses the 114th U.S. Congress for the first time in history).
"Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade."
The Pope, known for advocating a more sustainable form of Capitalism, did not shy away from hitting out at greed and the driving force of capital. In the statement above, made at the address to the US Congress, the Pope also advocated an end to the arms trade.
"The poorest are those who suffer most from such offenses, for three serious reasons: they are cast off by society, forced to live off what is discarded and suffer unjustly from the abuse of the environment. They are part of today's widespread and quietly growing 'culture of waste.'"
In the above statement at the UN General Assembly, the Pope touched on three issues that have been the cornerstone of his speeches in the US: poverty, climate change and sustainable economic and social development.
(Pope Francis engages well-wishers as he kisses a child after arriving in New York)
"The common home of all men and women must continue to rise on the foundations of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of a statistic."
The Pope focussed on human dignity at the UN General Assembly, adding that people had the power to flight global poverty. "Integral human development and the full exercise of human dignity cannot be imposed. They must be built up and allowed to unfold for each individual, for every family, in communion with others, and in a right relationship with all those areas in which human social life develops – friends, communities, towns and cities, schools, businesses and unions, provinces, nations, etc,” he said.
"In opposing every attempt to create a rigid uniformity, we can and must build unity on the basis of our diversity of languages, cultures and religions."
Leading a multi-faith prayer for world peace at Ground Zero -- the site of the September 11 attacks -- the Pope reiterated the importance of plurality in faith, religion, culture and language.
