Popes and Presidents | Irish Voice

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Strange Bedfellows in the Fight for Peace, Climate and Immigration

“The idea of pope as lobbyist in American politics at a turbulent time is not without precedent.”

Pope Paul VI and Lyndon B. Johnson 1965On the occasion of Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States (September 22 – 27, 2015), Turlough McConnell reflects in the Irish Voice on the history of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the US Government. An exhibition currently on view at the Archives of the Archdiocese of New York highlights Pope Paul VI’s work with President Lyndon B. Johnson during the Cold War and the Vatican’s influence on organizing the cease-fire between the US and Vietnam in Paris, 1973.

“…Though the pope will have an ally in President Obama, the challenge to curb and address the consequences of manmade climate change and temper the anti-immigration debate are provocative positions to deliver before a body of legislators containing more than a few skeptics.

The idea of pope as lobbyist in American politics at a turbulent time is not without precedent. Just two months before his death in 1963 John XXIII issued his last encyclical, In Pacem in Terris, (Peace on Earth), in which he outlined a vision of universal peace, justice, charity and liberty.”

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