Congresswoman Corrine Brown Calls on Congress to Embrace Pope Francis' Challenge to "Build a Future of Freedom'

Statement

With regard to Pope Francis' address to the United States Congress, Congresswoman Brown made the following statement:

"In a world faced with religious turmoil, political divisiveness and violent conflict, it is the responsibility of Congress to pivot its work on love, peace and justice for the millions of Americans that we have been called to serve. I was very pleased to join my colleagues in hearing these sentiments expressed from Pope Francis this morning during what was the first time the pontiff addressed a joint session of Congress -- a message focused on the continued growth of our nation.

"Pope Francis did a remarkable job linking Catholic principles to American icons in an effort to stimulate the much-needed change that our country desires. He praised President Abraham Lincoln for the conception of a "new birth of freedom'. In order to achieve this freedom, Congress must be led by a "love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.' All too often, the invisible, yet ever-present party lines of political partisanship create wedges between the problems that we face as a country and the solutions that our people so desperately need. As the pontiff explained, "our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples.

These efforts must also be extended to reach those in our society who are often overlooked, such as the homeless. As the Ranking Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, I have been working overtime to bridge the gap between HUD and the Department of Labor to ensure that we provide our veterans with safe, affordable housing and jobs, which is consistent with President Obama's vow to end chronic homelessness. Pope Francis said it best when feeding the homeless at St. Patrick in the City: "there is no justification whatsoever, for lack of housing."

Many years ago, when delivering what is now known as the "I Have a Dream" speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that "the American negro has come to cash a check… it is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note… instead of honouring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked insufficient funds."

The pope praised Dr. King for being an advocate for "liberty in plurality and non-exclusion'. Far too many of our constituents believe that rights and freedoms promised to them in our country are distributed to the masses on the basis of race or class, which essentially results in the exclusion of the fulfilment of the "American Dream' for communities of color. Today, we were reminded that we must "constantly relate to others', "reject mindsets of hostility' and "do unto others as we would have them do unto us', thus ensuring that everyone can reach their full potential.

Today was a wake-up call to Members across both aisles that it is our duty to lead with a spirit of compassion and dignity -- to sacrifice the premium placed on the discharge of personal agendas in exchange for the building of a greater nation. We are challenged to remember that we are all the family members of immigrants, so as Pope Francis stated, we must "view them as persons, see their faces and listen to their stories', as many of them have migrated to America in search of a better life. I am excited about our new call to action -- one in which calls for cooperation, selfless leadership and justice for all citizens. I look forward to working with my colleagues in strengthening our great nation."

Source