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In an October 2 interview with CNBC, President Barack Obama says that he is “hugely impressed” with Pope Francis. As a pro-life Catholic and a lover of religious liberty, I’m not too thrilled with Pope Francis’ latest fan.
It may be puzzling that a non-Catholic, pro-abortion rights president such as Barack Obama would really feel that way about the Pope. If he’s so pleased with Francis, he may very likely be a prime example of those who misunderstand Francis and the teachings of his Church. But here is what else he had to say:
“First of all, he seems somebody who lives out the teachings of Christ,” he added. “Incredible humility, an incredible sense of empathy to the least of these, the poor.
President Obama is not exactly a humble man. And while he may espouse to care for the poor, he truly has no understanding of those who really are the least amongst us, the unborn.
The President also has this to say about Francis:
“He’s also someone who is first and foremost thinking about how to embrace people as opposed to push them away,” Obama continued. “For any religious leader, that’s a quality I admire.”
This view of the Holy Father is one I would not argue with. Although the piece from CNBC mentions that Obama and Francis have not met yet, their conversations would certainly be ones of great interest. For with Barack Obama, a non-Catholic who believes in same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion, Francis would have the opportunity to speak to someone who is not on the same level of faith. Perhaps, if he were to embrace Obama, Francis could reach him in a way no one else has before.
Barack Obama is not subject to Pope Francis’ authority as a non-Catholic, though it would be interesting to see how his pro-abortion stance would be addressed by the Vatican if he were.
The Obama administration not only has an agenda of same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion, but a radical one at that, even at the expense of religious liberties. But, faithful Christians know that nobody is beyond God’s saving. If Francis is someone whom the president is “hugely impressed” by, then perhaps at the very least, he is someone whom the president will listen to.
Conservatives have expressed concern about remarks from Francis, including and especially those made in his latest interview. However, let us consider that perhaps Francis is behaving in such a manner because there are those, like Barack Obama, that he can save. If Francis can get the most pro-abortion rights president in our nation’s history to change his ways, won’t his attitude make that much more sense? Won’t it be worth it?
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