On Thursday, a day surrounded by partisan strife, in a city that seems to survive purely on partisan struggle, the pontiff of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis I, addressed the nation in the most divisive room on the globe, the Congressional Chambers of the United States. The man affectionately dubbed by members of the Church and by those who yearn to hear his message of love, as simply “the People’s Pope”, came to speak to address the issues that plague this world today. He discussed the climate, the refugee crisis, the decline of the family unit, and the need to preserve the sanctity of life at all stages.

Pope Francis lived up to his nickname, as I could see lines and crowds of people stretching far down Louisiana Avenue waiting to hear him speak even hours before he would enter the chambers. Thousands poured onto the West Lawn to view the address being screened just outside the Capitol Building. 

“The People’s Pope” turned out the activists of all walks and ideologies in large numbers. One British woman in line behind me remarked, “This is what’s great about America. In so many countries, there’d be men with guns here to shut you up if you talked like that.” Her words rang very true amidst the cries and shouts of climate activists, pro and anti-abortion crowds and various others. However, on a day where the focus seemed to be purely on the Pope’s political musings, the most important message given to the people was not about climate change or abortion, but was rather one of acceptance.

Perhaps the best representation of what the Pope Francis was trying to combat against took the form of the protestors that greeted me, as I got closer to the lawn. Men and women with megaphones and signs proclaimed, “You do not worship God, you worship the Pope! Roman Catholics will go to Hell if you don’t repent!”

The Pope recognized these types of sentiments when he spoke about fundamentalism in any form, “There is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil.”  This reductionism is more prevalent than any of us realize in our society today.

In a world where politics is such a polarizing subject, our society seems to demand that we categorize those with whom we disagree as inherently, evil or ill willed. No one wants to recognize the unique perspectives of all of those around us and is willing to label their opponents as racists or sexists or as degenerates who are hell-bent on the destruction of the principles of America.

In this nation, that approach is not how we have ever accomplished anything. Pope Francis alluded to our history as Americans. “The challenges facing us today call for a renewal of that spirit of cooperation, which has accomplished so much good throughout the history of the United States,” he said. The Pope recognized, as should we all, that brilliant thinkers, like Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, who disagreed on so many vital issues, built this nation. If Hamilton and Jefferson had resorted to name-calling and personal attacks, we must ask ourselves where the United States would be today.

People today have substituted the passion and wonder that we all once had for politics and making a difference in the world, with anger and vitriol. Politics has become a battle of good against evil and the absolutist tendencies of those involved with it, especially on college campuses, has created the idea that there is no possibility our own worldviews could ever be wrong and those who disagree are inherently bad people. According to the Pope, however, “Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good.”

This is the view we, as a people, and as a nation, must overwhelmingly adopt in order to move forward to create that greatest common good. That goal is what impassions us all to delve into the political world. It is not, in most cases, the desire to oppress various groups of people or to unravel the moral fabric of the United States.

One of the most often-used words during the Pope’s address was “dialogue”. He asked the people of this nation to work together and said, “It is my duty to build bridges and to help all men and women, in any way possible, to resume the path of dialogue – a dialogue which may have been interrupted for the most legitimate of reasons – so new opportunities open up for all.”

The dialogue that Pope Francis calls us all to engage in is often lost in our society today, for the most illegitimate of reasons. We, as a people, love to criticize and rant about the partisan divides in Congress while meanwhile sowing the seeds of division into each of our own daily interactions. 

The Pope recognizes that dialogue is what built our society in the past and what will continue to build it into the future. No one wants to negotiate with those who assumes they are racist, sexist, or homophobic, or with anyone who thinks you are a Communist with a thirst for the blood of the unborn. Groups who shut down speeches by shouting down politicians trying to make a difference or picket funerals to antagonize groups of people will not be those who will be remembered for making a positive difference in our world.

While that British woman made an excellent point about America and our government’s tolerance for the free speech rights of all, it is not people with guns who shut down our speech, but rather those who cannot see past political differences to start dialogues. We, along with politicians, pundits, and our peers have our strong opinions about the Pope’s political agenda, but his tactics bring people from all backgrounds into the fold and to the negotiating table. Until we can embrace his ideas for dialogue and acceptance, there will never be incredible substantive change in the United States of America.