Pope Francis: Cuba, Immigration, Climate Change Likely Top Issues in US Visit
Pope Francis' six-day trip in the U.S. starts on Tuesday, and he will spend a week talking about issues affecting the Latino community.
The Argentinian-born Pope will address a joint session of Congress on Thursday, where he is expected to speak about topics that even the federal legislative body has had trouble solving.
Cuba:
Pope Francis' comes to the U.S. following several days in Cuba. He was an instrumental figure in the renewed diplomatic relations between Cuba and U.S. President Barack Obama publicly acknowledged the pope's involvement, stating the Argentinian issued an appeal to both presidents, which included the release of an American held in Cuban jail.
Last December, Obama thanked Francis for providing the "moral example" that showed "the importance of pursuing the world as it should be, rather than simply settling for the world as it is."
According to a communiqué on behalf of Pope Francis, a letter was sent to Obama and Cuba President Raul Castro "to resolve humanitarian questions of common interest, including the situation of certain prisoners, in order to initiate a new phase in relations between the two Parties." The Holy See was also host of delegations from both countries in October 2013 to facilitate discussions on "delicate matters," which resulted in "solutions acceptable to both Parties."
It is unknown if Pope Francis will mention the Cuban embargo during his speech to Congress, but it is an issue the Obama administration called for Congress to address.
Immigration:
The most obvious topic in Pope Francis' agenda is immigration. Fueled by the influx of undocumented immigrants entering the U.S. since last summer and the Syrian migration crisis into Europe, he will challenge lawmakers to act.
Congress, notably the current 114th legislative session, has struggled to compromise on comprehensive immigration reform. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell previously said the issue will not be discussed during the remainder of the 114th Congress.
In early August, in response to the possibility picking up immigration reform in the Senate, McConnell said, "Not this Congress. I think when the president took the action he did, after the 2014 election, he pretty much made it impossible for us to go forward with immigration reform this Congress."
The "action" McConnell referred to is the November 2014 executive actions that included the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and creation of the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA), which would provide temporary, but renewable, three-year stays for eligible undocumented immigrants. According to the Obama administration, nearly 4.9 million undocumented immigrants, currently living in the U.S. before January 2010, would be qualified in addition to criteria by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The 113th Congress had an opportunity to pass comprehensive immigration reform when Senate bill 744 received bipartisan support and passed the upper legislative chamber. The House of Representatives, however, did not pick up the bill for a debate or vote.
House Democrats, including Rep. Xavier Becerra and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, released a video for Pope Francis to further push the dialogue on immigration reform.
Climate Change:
House Democrats are also calling on Pope Francis to engage in the climate change dialogue. A second video, including Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona and Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, acknowledged climate change affects low-income communities and need for clean power alternatives.
Pope Francis has already engaged himself in the climate change conversation. In June, he released the 192-page encyclical about climate change with input from the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
"It must be said that some committed and prayerful Christians, with the excuse of realism and pragmatism, tend to ridicule expressions of concern for the environment," wrote the pope, calling for more environmental education, reducing water consumption, more public transportation or carpooling, planting trees and turning off unnecessary lights.
"We thank the Holy Father, Pope Francis, for being a resolute voice for human dignity and compassion," said Becerra, who also serves as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, in a statement.
"House Democrats agree with Pope Francis on the compelling need to fix our broken immigration system, to combat climate change that threatens our health and communities, and to raise the minimum wage so that no one working hard full-time lives in poverty. Ahead of the Pope's speech to Congress on Thursday, we hope he urges Congress to take heed and take action."
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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.
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