Yes, Pope Francis Is "Antifa", In The Very Best Sense Of The Word
Since I follow Vatican affairs closely as part of my overall research, this story from Vatican News (linked at the bottom of this page) popped up in my Google News feed this morning. Sometimes I'll step back to reflect on things which seem like marginal events, but in the large actually mean everything, in addition to hitting home on a personal level. This short news item reporting on Pope Francis' visit to the Franciscans of Assisi Children's disability care program (Seraphic Institute) was one such example..
In the Jewish Tradition, what Pope Francis is celebrating is called "doing a Mitzvah". Martha and I were Caregivers for a number of years, which for us, translates to "givers of care". The distinction seems slight but represents a whole universe of difference.
Pope Francis is so very, very right. The giving of care to the disabled and the ill is actually an exchange of gifts. I always felt as though I was receiving something profound in return that I could take with me and carry forward in life from those people I cared for, no matter how physically or cognitively compromised they were. Which is why Martha and I both loved doing it, and it was never "just a job".
In this case, Pope Francis is reaching out to children with disabilities and supporting the structures and people who care for them. Unlike many Fundamentalist and Charismatic fake "pro-life" hypocrites, Pope Francis is waging a fight to defend the dignity of life for those already born, albeit into challenging circumstances. I don't for a moment fail to appreciate the significance of what he is doing, now that virtual Nazi style economic austerity and ethics are being revived by Billionaire backed right-wing Think Tanks and Autocrats, here and abroad.
He is also no doubt historically aware that the Nazis killing machine in Germany launched the first stage of their genocide plan through mass involuntary euthanasia against the disabled, (including children) the mentally ill, and others not considered fit to live who were thought to be a financial burden to the Reich, or a "life unworthy of living". (Known as the "T-4" program)
Likewise, Francis' namesake, the Franciscans of Assisi whose auspices he is supporting in their disabilities program, were the leading underground channel for helping resist the Nazi occupation of Italy by aiding the escape of Jews and other refugees from Europe during the War. This should not be seen as coincidental, given Francis many years of activism against the fascist Military Junta of his native Argentina, which was backed by the very same pro Fascist networks he is fighting today both within the Church and without.
Francis' is a committed anti-fascist, and his personal interventions have been timely and strategic, not only for the Church. (though in making them he is also attempting to atone for the many crimes against children committed in the Church's name in the past) He is mindful that his days remaining as Pope are short, therefore everything he does now is calculated for maximum effect and have multiple levels of meaning, in the context of the War that he is fighting. He is not wasting time, and knows what he is doing.
An excerpt--
["Society and politics, he said, should do their part to promote a world in which a person with disabilities is viewed “as one of us”.
“Adopting this principle,” he said, “we realize that a person with disabilities not only receives, but gives as well. Caring for them is not a ‘one-way’ gesture but an exchange of gifts....
The love you show, he said, “knows how to see another through their eyes or gestures; it anticipates their needs, never gives up in the face of trials, discovers each day the strength to start over, and finds joy in every tiny progress made by the person being helped.”]
