Days before US election, Pope Francis speaks against WALLS and the politics of FEAR.
He first spoke of building bridges, not walls, last winter -- and it is no coincidence that he is repeating this now, and in a Jesuit publication.
Pope Francis himself is a Jesuit, so his views will be reported more accurately here than in some US publications, like that of the Catholic League, that are published by individual Catholics and merely reflect the views of those individuals.
If you know any wavering Catholics, please point them to this article. It might help a wavering Catholic to feel more comfortable voting for Hillary and against Trump.
http://www.americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/days-us-election-pope-francis-warns-against-politics-fear
In a speech delivered at the Vatican just three days before the U.S. presidential election, Pope Francis urged social justice activists from around the world not to give into the politics of fear by building walls but instead work to build bridges.
“Because fear—as well as being a good deal for the merchants of arms and death—weakens and destabilizes us, destroys our psychological and spiritual defenses, numbs us to the suffering of others,” he said.
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The pope did not mention the Nov. 8 U.S. election, but many of the themes he touched on have played out in debates between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton in recent months.
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The pope said on Saturday that Christians should not give into the temptation to build walls, even in the face of “hateful and cowardly attacks,” a reference to global terrorism.
“Dear Brothers and Sisters,” he said, “all walls fall.”