I’m a progressive Christian. Not a Catholic. But I like a number of things about Pope Francis.  His stand on preserving the earth (so our children and grandchildren survive).  Also his support of immigrants and their needs.

You take your allies where you can get them.  The Pope’s concerns are worldwide, not just in relation to the United States, nor just the Americas.  But his perspective is quite clearly different from that of many in this country (USA) – all the way to the top, our current president.   Note the statement of one US bishop, as quoted by the Washington Post:

“‘The pope makes it a lot easier for me to be a bishop because he’s very clear in his teaching, and [on] this one in particular, he’s trying to awaken the conscience of the citizens of the world,’ Cupich said.”

I don’t agree with the Roman Catholic claim to be the earthly organization representing Christ.  In general, I perceive that organizations are not very good at discerning and applying spiritual realities, whether the words of Christ, the rest of the Bible or holy books of other religions.  But we need them.  And we can celebrate when one is as courageous and clearly driven by love more than by power, as is this Pope.

I highly recommend the article from which I quoted above, found here.  It also discusses Catholics who differ with Pope Francis on the immigration issue, both here and in other nations, so more than just a “feel good” piece.  Yet it is an uplifting story of the care and courage of a religious leader which we seldom see, whether you agree with him on his exact approach and positions or not.

It is not and should not be only political leaders who exert influence on the matters we elect them to administer.  Francis seeks to improve the immigration problem by encouraging us to love and to serve – attitudes and actions that counter the fear and possessiveness driving much of the reaction to migration, whether it’s legal or illegal.