Francis and Trump: Opposites Competing for the American Soul


John ThatamanilABC Religion and Ethics 28 Sep 2015

Donald Trump and Pope Francis are incarnations of the kind of power to which they appeal. To choose between them is to make a basic human decision about the shape of a worthy life. Credit: Aristide Economopoulos / Sean Rayford / Getty Images

The two most popular figures in American life in recent weeks are polar opposites: Pope Francis and Donald Trump.

Trump is a favourite candidate of white nationalists and xenophobes. The Pope, by contrast, speaks tirelessly on behalf of the poor, the marginalized, immigrants and the planet - "our common home."

The Pope points away from himself and to the needs of others. Trump constantly points to himself. Trump has no platform save Trump. His core message is, "I am great. I will make the nation over in my own image, and so it too will be great again."

Read more at
http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2015/09/28/4320668.htm

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