Pope Francis delivered comments earlier today relating to the U.S. presidential election and his advice for prospective Christian voters as they attempt to discern who it is they will vote for. When asked what his counsel would be, he had this to say:
“You have asked me a question that describes a difficult choice because, according to you, there are difficulties with one and difficulties with the other … During political campaigns, I never say a word,” the pope said. “The people are sovereign. I would only say, study the proposals well, pray and choose with your conscience.”
Francis then proceeded to talk about his ideas through the metaphorical lens of a “fictional situation,” perhaps shadowing Jesus’ utilization of parables to communicate truth.
“When in any country there are two, three or four candidates who don’t satisfy everyone,” he said, “it means that perhaps the political life of that country has become too politicized and that it does not have much political culture … People say ‘I’m from this party’ or ‘I’m from that party,’ but effectively, they don’t have clear thoughts about the basics, about proposals.”
The Pope’s comments may be alluding to the lack of third, fourth, fifth, etc., party representation in both federal and state government in the U.S.; a stark contrast to the Parliamentary makeup of other “free” Western nations.
What do you think? Does the two-party system stifle a more robust political culture? Are U.S. voters highly informed on political, economic, and social issues? Watch this “man-on-the-street” segment and then let us know your thoughts on Facebook or in the comments below.
