{"id":28872,"date":"2014-01-06T08:53:46","date_gmt":"2014-01-06T13:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/?p=28872"},"modified":"2016-09-30T15:58:39","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T19:58:39","slug":"ny-times-popular-voice-in-dc-the-pope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2014\/01\/ny-times-popular-voice-in-dc-the-pope\/","title":{"rendered":"NY Times: Popular voice in DC? The pope"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Will wonders never cease?<\/p>\n

Details:\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Shortly before leaving the Capitol for the holiday recess, Senate Democrats gathered behind closed doors to lay out an agenda for 2014. When the majority leader, Harry Reid, exhorted colleagues to \u201cdeal with the issue of income inequality,\u201d the talk took a spiritual turn.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know,\u201d declared Senator Bernard Sanders, the Vermont independent, who caucuses with Democrats, \u201cwe have a strong ally on our side in this issue \u2014 and that is the pope.\u201d<\/p>\n

That Mr. Sanders, who is Jewish, would invoke the pope to Mr. Reid, a Mormon, delighted Roman Catholics in the room. (\u201cBernie! You\u2019re quoting my pope; this is good!\u201d Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois recalled thinking.) Beyond interfaith banter, the comment underscored a larger truth: From 4,500 miles away at the Vatican, Pope Francis, who has captivated the world with a message of economic justice and tolerance, has become a presence in Washington\u2019s policy debate.<\/p>\n

As lawmakers return to the capital this week and mark the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson\u2019s declaration of a \u201cwar on poverty<\/a>,\u201d Democrats \u2014 including those Catholics whose politics have put them at odds with a conservative church hierarchy \u2014 are seizing on Francis\u2019 words as a rare opportunity to use the pope\u2019s moral force to advance issues like extending unemployment benefits and raising the minimum wage.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has given a number of us in the political ranks encouragement, and really a challenge, to step up and remember many of the values that brought us to public life,\u201d Mr. Durbin said.<\/p>\n

\u2026Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, a potential 2016 presidential candidate who speaks of poverty in the context of his faith, has praised Francis for \u201cbreathing new life into the fight against poverty,\u201d and is working on a Republican plan to address the issue. Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker and now a co-host of CNN\u2019s \u201cCrossfire,\u201d said he would talk more about poverty on the program\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u2026Mr. Durbin, who attended Catholic schools but, as a senator, switched parishes to avoid being denied communion because of his support for abortion rights, no longer feels \u201cbeleaguered by the conservative leadership.\u201d Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, a Democrat who served as an altar boy from grade school through college, described himself as feeling \u201cliberated\u201d after a recent speech to a university center on Catholic intellectual life brought nary a question about his support for abortion rights. He credited Francis for changing the tone.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0Read it all.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Will wonders never cease? Details:\u00a0 Shortly before leaving the Capitol for the holiday recess, Senate Democrats gathered behind closed doors to lay out an agenda for 2014. When the majority leader, Harry Reid, exhorted colleagues to \u201cdeal with the issue of income inequality,\u201d the talk took a spiritual turn. \u201cYou know,\u201d declared Senator Bernard Sanders, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,39,45],"tags":[11190,1413],"class_list":["post-28872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","category-pope","category-ripped-from-the-headlines","tag-politics","tag-pope-francis"],"yoast_head":"\nNY Times: Popular voice in DC? The pope<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Will wonders never cease? 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