Name:   lucky67 - Subject:   Pope Date:   9/18/2015 5:39:07 PM

You have to wonder if John Boehner knew what he was getting into.

Boehner, the Republican House Speaker, is a lifelong Catholic who says he’s been trying for 20 years to get a pope to address Congress. He finally succeeded. On Sept. 24, Francis will be the first pontiff ever to speak before a joint session of Congress. He’ll speak in English rather than his native Spanish. And he’ll most likely say a lot of things objectionable to the Republicans who hold majorities in both branches of Congress, and to many champions of American-style capitalism.

Francis has decried western policies that have generated “a “new idolatry of money,” as he wrote in a lengthy papal “exhortation” in 2013. “The earnings of a minority are growing exponentially,” he wrote, producing “a new tyranny.” He also attacked “trickle-down theories” such as cutting taxes on the wealthy to stimulate growth, which many business leaders support. Such tax-cut plans are also favored by Jeb Bush, Donald Trump and other Republican presidential candidates.

Meanwhile, if you do a web search for “Pope Francis socialist,” you’ll find lots of nervous chatter about the pontiff endorsing a “noxious ideology” and fomenting “a revolt that will overthrow American capitalism.” Even the usually understated Economist magazine called the pope an “ultra-radical” who seems to be a devotee of Vladimir Lenin. If Francis were a U.S. presidential candidate, he’d be to the left of Bernie Sanders.