by Gabe Mielke ‘16
In the midst of classes on Thursday, September 24, Pope Francis addressed the assembled members of the United States Congress, becoming the first pope to ever do so. Due to his status as the first Jesuit pope and his focus on social justice issues, Francis occupies a particular spot in the hearts of many Ignatians. It is to be expected that a number of Wildcats would have opinions about the Pope’s address.
Pope Francis focused on presenting a uniting message, a call to action for the stalemated politicians of the United States: “Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples…”
Charles Heintel ‘16, known school-wide for having strong opinions on nearly everything, had this to say about Francis’ address: “Pope Francis said many things which Republicans would disagree with and that Democrats would disagree. Not once did he mention abortion, which is very disappointing, especially when he easily could have while he was speaking about the death penalty.”
Charley ended with the this: “Overall, I am satisfied with his speech, but I think it could have been better. The Pope often has a style of not being afraid to call out those who practice/perpetrate things that he does not like. It would have been nice to see him do a little more of that.”
Not everyone agreed with Charley. Senior Conor McGuire gives his opinion on the Pope’s address in this Eye interview:
What do you, as a Saint Ignatius student, think about the Pope’s address? Do you agree with Charley or Conor, or do you have your own opinion of the speech? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
