Americans Must Draw Upon Best of Their Traditions

In his Address to the Congress of the United States of America, on September 24, 2015 Pope Francis called on Americans to draw upon the best of their culture and traditions.

Here are his main points:

1. Don't engage in ideological reductionism and fundamentalism, reducing our understanding of the world and human beings to stark contrasts of black-and-white. Stop demonizing people; find a way forward instead.

2. Welcome -- don't fear -- the "stranger" within your midst.

3. Matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. Political decisions should be taken at a local level if possible, rather than by a central authority (this is the definition of subsidiarity). The political process must not be ruled by economic financial interests.

President Abraham Lincoln

4. If we want security, let us give security. If we want life, let us give life. If we want opportunities, let us give opportunity. The yardstick that we use for others will be used for us.

5. Human life is sacred, from conception until natural death, and this includes the lives of people convicted of crimes.

6. There must be compassion for those who are trapped within the cycle of poverty. The fight against poverty and hunger must be waged on many fronts and must be constant. The economy must be modern, inclusive and sustainable.

7.  We need an inclusive conversation in order to re-direct our steps and to take courageous steps to combat poverty, promote human dignity and protect nature.

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

8. A good political leader initiates processes rather than simply occupying space. It takes courage to re-establish dialogue with nations after dialogue has been interrupted (even for good reasons).

9. We must not be silent. We must confront and stop the global arms trade.

10. Three American sons and one American daughter who represent the American People: Lincoln represented liberty. Martin Luther King represented liberty, plurality and non-exclusion. Dorothy Day represented social justice and the rights of persons. Thomas Merton represented the capacity for dialogue and the openness to God.

Dorothy Day

11. The family must be a recurrent theme in our public discourse and it has been essential to the building of this country. It is worthy of support and encouragement, yet it is threatened, as never before, both from within and without. We must be particularly concerned about the most vulnerable family members: the young, many of whom seem disoriented and are often trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair.

12. We need to return to dialogue and contemplative peace as inspired by the example of Thomas Merton. America is the land of dreams and it will remain so as long as it follows the example of its own sons and daughter: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.

Thomas Merton