I can only say that the communists have stolen our flag. The flag of the poor is Christian. Poverty is at the center of the Gospel, he said, citing Biblical passages about the need to help the poor, the sick and the needy. Communists say that all this is communism. Sure, twenty centuries later. So when they speak, one can say to them: but then you are Christian. [Pope Francis, via Reuters] In other words, since his concern for the poor causes critics to accuse him of Marxism, Pope Francis reversed their accusations: rather than Christianity looking suspiciously communist over its concern for the poor, perhaps communism looks suspiciously Christian. After all, justice for the poor is hardly a communist invention; as Pope Francis points out, a focus on helping the poor was native to Christianity long before the 19th century. But Pope Francis reversal has another effect: namely, it calls into question why our political narratives immediately categorize any demand for justice for the poor as anti-Christian communism. In fact, it would seem rather impossible to practice any legitimate form of Christianity without seeking justice for the poor. If we immediately identify support for impoverished people as evidence of some anti-Christian impulse, then weve built up a political narrative that cant sustain the truth about Christianity.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 19:41:36 +0000
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