Associate Professor of Religious Studies Rosemary Carbine comments on Pope Francis' first visit to the U.S. and delves into the religious and political implications of his visit. Carbine specializes in modern and contemporary Christian theology (both Catholic and Protestant), focusing particularly on liberation theologies in and beyond Latin America; U.S. feminist, African-American womanist, and U.S. Latina / mujerista theologies; theological anthropology (or religious understandings of the person); public / political theology (or religious engagement in U.S. public life); and, theological education (the teaching and learning of theology in various educational settings).
The Pope's visit to the United States recalls the mixed religious and political responses to Pope Francis’ encyclical on the climate crisis Laudato Si. This letter underscores anthropogenic climate change, emphasizes our moral failure to recognize and fulfill ecological responsibilities, and replaces prevalent notions of global technocratic power with ecological and intergenerational solidarity. It situates the climate crisis as part of a global context of injustice and inequality, especially but not only by citing Catholic bishops' statements from the global south.
But, this prophetic letter also tests the limits of papal influence on American bishops and presidential candidates alike: bishops promote religious liberty to oppose abortion, birth control, and same-sex marriage, and candidates rely on Catholicism to fuel these culture wars but distance themselves from or outright denounce Catholic social teaching (some Catholic congressmen planned to boycott the Pope's address, and some Catholic political leaders resist Catholic social teaching in their economic policies). Will the tenor of bishops and candidates alike change as a result of the Pope's visit and message?
