Catholic leaders in the U.S. have had plenty of disputes with the Obama administration over issues like abortion, birth control and marriage, but don’t expect Pope Francis to wade into specific policy battles when he addresses Congress.
Vatican-watchers say the pope, who visited the White House Wednesday and will speak to Congress Thursday morning, will likely touch on themes of respect for life and religious freedom that are of deep importance to the Catholic Church. But Francis will approach the issues from a 30,000 foot level instead of directly targeting policies like the mandate for employers to provide workers with birth control coverage, or the Supreme Court’s ruling in June requiring states to recognize same-sex marriage.
“I think that he won’t use this as an opportunity to speak in detail about specific policies,” said Stephen Schneck, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at The Catholic University. “I’d be really surprised if it went in that direction.”
“It would surprise me if he raises that kind of specific issue in Congress,” said John Thavis, author of multiple books about the Vatican.
Francis gave a preview of his approach on Wednesday in an address at the White House. He spoke of “the right to religious liberty” and indirectly praised U.S. Catholic bishops, who have strongly opposed the administration’s birth control requirement, for defending it.
“As my brothers, the United States Bishops, have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it,” Francis said.
Later in the day at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, he urged U.S. bishops to stand strong on “the challenging issues of our time,” including immigration, abortion and climate change.
“The future freedom and dignity of our societies depends on how we face these challenges,” Francis said. “The innocent victim of abortion, children who die of hunger or from bombings, immigrants who drown in search for a better tomorrow.”
Pope Francis comes to D.C. amid a heightened focus on abortion. Senate Republicans attempted to advance legislation banning most late-term abortions this week, and House conservatives are trying to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood in a government funding bill.
Birth control coverage under Obamacare has sparked a fierce legal dispute between Catholics and the administration over the last few years. The administration has given religious schools, charities and hospitals an accommodation from the requirement to provide birth control coverage, but dozens of Catholic and evangelical groups are challenging it in court, saying it doesn’t go far enough.
One or more of the cases, perhaps one brought by a group of nuns called Little Sisters of the Poor, might be heard by the Supreme Court next year.
Little Sisters and other challengers have the strong backing of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which represents Rome in the U.S. The bishops also criticized the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling in June, calling it “profoundly immoral and unjust.”
But when Francis gives the first-ever papal address to Congress, he won’t be speaking to just Americans. The words of the Catholic Church’s leader are generally regarded as broadly applicable to Catholics around the world, and that’s why many experts expect him to stay away from U.S.-centric political issues.
“While it will touch on our issues, it’s not going to be bound by them,” said Chad Pecknold, a Catholic University professor of theology. “So I think the public address will not directly take on issues that are inside baseball for Americans.”
The exceptions could be in the areas of climate change and immigration, issues on which the pope has expressed strong feelings. In comments at the White House on Wednesday, Francis applauded Obama for his limits on emissions pollution.
“Mr. President, I find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution,” Francis said. “Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to our future generation.”
Those are areas of common ground for the pope and Democrats, and Francis’ strong support for immigration reform and climate regulations have helped smooth his relationship with the president despite disagreements over social issues.
“The poisonous atmosphere you see between American conservatives and the president, I don’t think that’s leaked into the relationship between the Vatican and the president yet,” Schneck said.
