CNN Religion Commentator Father Edward Beck argued, “We’ve become very xenophobic, I think, in our country” and “the gospel is really less capitalism, a little bit more Socialist” on Monday’s “CNN Newsroom.”
Beck, while discussing Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to the US stated, “I think when he comes here, he’s going to say, ‘What are you willing to do with the immigrants you have? Are you willing to give them path to citizenship? And what are you going to do to even allow more immigrants to come in?’ We’ve become very xenophobic, I think, in our country. Some of it with good cause because of the issues that we’ve had. I mean, remember, the Boston bombers were refugees from Russia. So, there needs to be a vetting of refugees, of immigrants. The pope would be on board with that. But [what] he’s going to say is, ‘What is your Christian perspective with actually doing something practical?'”
Beck later added, “what the pope will scold is unbridled capitalism that says it’s all about you. Remember, the gospel is really less capitalism, a little bit more Socialist. It says if somebody has two coats, and you meet somebody who only has no coat — or has not coat, you have to give them one of your coats. Now, that’s not really according to our ethos and our perspective, I don’t think. You say, ‘Well, you’ve got to work for your own coat.” But you don’t ask, ‘Why don’t you have a coat?’ You first meet the need.”
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