From a reader:
Pope's Upcoming U.S. Visit: This really is a time to "Fight the Power, and Transform the People, for Revolution"
July 6, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Dear Revolution newspaper/revcom.us,
I’m writing because I really feel that Revolution newspaper/revcom.us has a critical role to play with the pope’s upcoming U.S. visit. His visit requires a major social intervention. This really is a time to “Fight the Power, and Transform the People for Revolution.” Below are just some initial thoughts. The pope is visiting the U.S. in September and will be in Washington, DC, New York (Mass at Madison Square Garden), and Philadelphia (Mass on the parkway). We are talking tons of people flocking to see him, easily more than a million.
His visit has been framed around visits to target groups such as “the poor” and “immigrants.” The oppressed will be gathered as part of a show where some “lucky enough” will be graced by his presence. In Philadelphia, he will visit a prison and speak with those incarcerated, and in East Harlem, New York City, he will visit a Catholic school. There is special attention on his visit to immigrant populations, mainly Latino. Obviously he will address Congress, meet with Obama, stop by the UN, etc. For those who truly care about really getting all of humanity free, who do not wish to see women slammed back to the Dark Ages, who value the lives of people who are LGBTQ, who care about science and critical thinking, we can’t ignore this visit!
The eyes of the world will be watching this visit and people will travel far and wide to be there. Those who aren’t there will be tuning in. As Revolution newspaper has exposed, this pope successfully re-branded not only himself but the Catholic Church, too. Many people see this pope as “much better,” “gentler,” or “more just,” and therefore good. They point to his recent remarks about climate change as an example. As Revolution newspaper previously wrote, “With substance-free but carefully crafted gestures like wearing different clothes, moving to a different house, and occasionally expressing concern about income inequality and saying that he really, really cares about some of the people who his church nevertheless continues to oppress, Francis has miraculously revived the Roman Catholic brand. Talk about resurrection!” He has been, in many ways, the Obama for the Catholic Church. His church and his actions contribute to an overwhelming amount of worldwide oppression and needless suffering. At the end of the day, he has not and will not do away with any core practices, rules, and beliefs. He has not and will not stop: preventing abortion and birth control, protecting priests and others who rape and exploit children and women, condemning LGBTQ people, fostering ignorance and ordained bigotry, and overall acceptance of intolerable conditions because it is god’s will.
For a more recent example, just weeks ago, he spoke at a huge March for Life gathering in Peru. In fact, his visit to the U.S. was prompted by his invitation to the World Meeting of Families. His more inclusive attitudes are confused with progress and not seen as responding to the necessity of being a better recruitment/retention tool. People need to get real about what the pope represents and what he doesn’t, who/what he serves and who/what he doesn’t, and we have to help people see that.
The core of the pope’s visit is the World Meeting of Families. What is that? It “seeks to strengthen the bonds between families and to witness to the crucial importance of marriage and the family to all of society.” It is all tradition’s chains and then some, with some fancy window dressing but still anti-women, pro-traditional marriage, anti-divorce, pro-Dark Ages morality and thoroughly anti-abortion, complete with session titles like: “The Special Place of Women in the Family, the Church, and the World,” and “One Ring to Rule Them All: The Covenant of Marriage.”
This truly is a time to “Fight the Power, and Transform the People, for Revolution.”
Basic Details (his full schedule was just announced):
- Wednesday, September 23, Washington DC (White House and Mass)
- Thursday, September 24, Washington DC, Congress in morning
- Friday, September 25, New York: UN in morning, World Trade Center Memorial, visit to Catholic school in East Harlem in afternoon and 6 pm Mass at Madison Square Garden
- Saturday-Sunday, September 26 and 27, Philadelphia, includes visit to prison and Mass on the parkway, mainly participation in Festival for Families
Initial Ideas:
- Exposure & Call to Action—Through articles in Revolution newspaper, memes, posters, social media work, etc., exposure on the pope that he isn’t this good guy, that the Catholic Church isn’t some neutral institution, what harm it does, exposing this World Families Meeting, calling on people to come and fight this and bring revolution into the mix. We should present what the oppressed really need and what those who care about those who are oppressed should be doing.
- Be There—I really think Revolution newspaper needs to be at these gatherings raising hell. Hell no, gay marriage isn’t the work of the devil! Hell no, women aren’t incubators! Hell no, this isn’t the best of all possible worlds! Hell no, this suffering isn’t god’s will! We should be there with large visuals of the crimes of the Catholic Church. The paper already has some good images that could be enlarged and new things could be created. Also enlarged BAsics quotes (3:22). We need people agitating that we don’t need this criminal pope, what we need is a revolution! I think going out with palm cards and other materials for the Revolution and Religion talk would be important, maybe organizing showings inviting people to come.
These are just initial ideas and obviously bolder actions are needed as well.
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