How the Next Pope Can Support Faithful Catholic Politicians

Because our government has increasingly undermined religious liberty and the protection of genuine human dignity, there has never been a greater need for faithful Catholics in public service. Though I spent sixteen years in Congress, it was during the last eight—under the papacy of Pope Francis—that I gained a deeper understanding of how a pope can positively and negatively impact Catholic politicians striving to live the fullness of the faith. As we await the proclamation “Habemus papam,” I humbly offer some of the lessons I learned.

Pope Francis famously implored priests to “be shepherds with the smell of sheep”; to be present with their people. To his credit, Francis practiced this with politicians throughout his papacy, up until his final day when he met with Vice President JD Vance. 

I had the opportunity to meet with Francis three times, as he held private audiences annually with representatives of the International Catholic Legislators Network, along with their families and staff. This is no liberal group; all attendees must demonstrate support of all Catholic doctrine in their public service. At these audiences, the pope took the time to meet with every person in the room. His warm greeting conveyed the value he placed on us, our families, and our work. 

Pope Francis’s 2015 visit to Washington and his address to Congress—the first by a pope—was also a sign of encouragement for our service as representatives. In a country that is more than three-quarters non-Catholic, his presence was a boost for all Catholic politicians. 

While this aspect of Francis’s papacy will always be fondly remembered, I cannot say the same about some of his freewheeling public statements. Very early on, I experienced how these comments could be used as a cudgel against faithful Catholic politicians. 

Six months after his installation, Pope Francis was interviewed for the Italian Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica by editor in chief Fr. Antonio Spadaro. In this interview, Francis said, “We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage, and the use of contraceptive methods.” He went on to say, “The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently.”

These words were easily taken out of context and used extensively by politically powerful left-wing organizations. As a pro-life Democrat—who eventually lost a party primary after these groups spent millions of dollars to oust me—I was a popular target. 

Following the pope’s interview, an Illinois pro-abortion political committee said, “Given Lipinski’s single-minded obsession with taking American women back to the dark days of illegal abortion and no access to birth control, I doubt he will heed the pope’s recent message that the Catholic Church has spent too much time attacking abortion rights.”

This prompted me to quietly send a letter to Pope Francis. In it I wrote, “I am deeply concerned that Your Holiness’s words are being misinterpreted and misapplied, not only in public debate but in the less admirable activities of American politics, which too often involve distorting the Church’s teaching in order to attack political leaders of conscience.” My intention was to make sure that the pope understood how his public comments were being turned to serve vile purposes. 

The reply I received made the point that Francis clearly addressed the Church’s “unequivocal condemnation of the crime of procured abortion” in Evangelii Gaudium, which made “specific reference to attempts by legislative authorities to deny the unborn their human dignity.” It also conveyed Francis’s “appreciation of the efforts of all those who prophetically promote legal protection for nascent human life.”

Unfortunately, similar episodes continued to play out. This two-step pattern of ambiguous language and subsequent clean-up became endemic. I do not believe these were attempts to undermine doctrine. Instead, the pope seemed to be following his own exhortation, hagan lío, “make a mess.”  

As a professor, I know this approach is a valuable pedagogical tool. In the real world, however, the devil and his allies thrive in chaos. It not only facilitates the type of direct attack I described; it introduces confusion into the consciences of Catholics struggling to be faithful in the face of tremendous political pressure. I rarely saw this internal battle end well. 

I will always be appreciative of Pope Francis’s commitment to be present for those of us serving in public life. I am hopeful his successor will continue this approach. However, if we are going to see more Catholics living faithfully in the public square, this presence will need to be accompanied by greater clarity and less ambiguity in the communication of God’s truth.