A local pastor said Pope Francis' speeches during his visit to the U.S. could open doors for faith-based advocacy.
Rev. Cassandra Gould, pastor at Quinn Chapel AME Church in Jefferson City, and 300 other members of People Improving Community through Organizing (PICO) International Network held a Philadelphia conference in conjunction with Francis' visit. The organization is full of faith-based leaders from various Christian and non-Christian communities, Gould said, who fight against social injustice.
Fitting in with that theme, Gould said the group made various stops on Friday: a federal detention center "to bear witness to mass incarceration, a police station to seek accountability, a fast food place to shed light on the need for living wages, and the sight of (President) George Washington's slave quarters to shed light on racism in America."
At Washington's slave quarters - now known as Independence Mall, Gould and PICO members listened to Francis speak on immigration.
"I thought it was very appropriate for the pope to give his speech on immigration on that site," she said.
Gould said Francis' message on marginalized people is one not solely for Catholics, but humanity as a whole. She added that faith communities should not only listen to the pope's words, but act on them. While churches and faith groups support food pantries and other direct care services, they also need to move policy forward, she said, and Francis' visit is a signal to do that.
"We need to bridge that gap between the pulpit and the public square," Gould said.
Personally, she said Francis' practice of liberation theology - a movement bringing attention to the poor and social change that started in Latin America - was significant for her. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Francis is the first pope from the Americas.
"I think because of his roots, he gets it in a way that other world leaders may have never got it," she said.