Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has called Pope Francis a socialist whose views express a direct critique of conservative politics.
In an interview that aired yesterday, Fr Thomas Rosica, CEO of Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, questioned Senator Sanders on a range of issues, including poverty, abortion and the papal encyclical Laudato si'.
When asked whether he thought the Pope was a socialist, Sanders said yes, citing Francis’ views on inequality and wealth distribution.
“I think what the Pope has done in a very bold way,” he said, “is not only talk about what he calls the dispossessed, that is the children who are pushed aside, the elderly who are lonely and are pushed aside, people who just don’t have enough income to survive…but what he has also done is raise the issue of the worship of money, the idolatry of money, and to say maybe that’s not what human life should be about”.
He went on to say the Pope had provided “a very, very radical critique of the hyper-capitalist world system that we’re living in today”.
Sanders’ remarks about the Pope were made during an interview in Sanders’ offices on Capitol Hill on the eve of the Pope’s arrival in the United States last September, but have only now made public, just days after Republican presidential contender Donald Trump found himself embroiled in an argument with Francis after the Pope questioned his Christian faith.
On the return flight to Rome from Mexico last week Francis was asked specifically about Trump, who has made building a wall between Mexico and the United States a central part of his platform. “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel,” Francis said. Trump said it was “disgraceful” of Pope Francis to question another person’s faith. Later, the Vatican stated that the Pope’s comments were not meant as a “personal” attack on anyone, while Trump said that, having read the full transcript of the Pope’s remarks, he found them “softer” than initial news reports.
In his Salt and Light interview Sanders said he believes Pope Francis has “come along in history at exactly the right moment”. He is not an exponent of “trickle-down economic theory”, he said. His views are “a direct critique of conservative politics”.
Fr Rosica also asked Sanders about his support for abortion rights. “The best that I can say on those issues is let’s respect each other when we disagree, and let’s work together on those areas that we do agree on,” Sanders said, noting that he and Pope Francis also disagree on gay marriage.
In a statement on their website, Salt and Light said: “We are aware that certain views held by Senator Sanders oppose the moral teachings of the Catholic Church…We recognise that respectful and charitable dialogue, especially with those who fundamentally disagree with certain or all aspects of the Church’s teachings, is the appropriate Christian approach in dealing with complex social and political issues.”
They invited all other presidential candidates to be interviewed on their views relating to the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis has denied accusations that he is a socialist. Ahead of his trip to the US he said: “I am certain I have never said anything more than what is in the social doctrine of the Church.”
Loading ...
