Pope Benedict XVI and Rev. Jeremiah Wright Agree: US Has Historically Mistreated Minorities

Pope Pope Benedict XVI and Rev. Jeremiah Wright may seem like very different Christian leaders. Rev. Wright speaks in the confrontational style and tradition of many African American church leaders of a certain age. He has seen his people suffer-- though he has devoted his life to alleviating that pain-- and you're darn right he's angry. The Pope, at least on his recent US trip, is a model of diplomatic speech. (One must remember that the Pontiff has in the past also spoken too bluntly, as in his controversial remarks on Islam.)

But both the Pope and Rev. Wright are aware that US history reveals not a perfect country, but a legacy that includes both racism and genocide. That's the piece that's missing in the analysis of the Wright remarks: they have a core of truth which even the conservative Pope, if not the mainstream US media, acknowledge. The US has historically mistreated minorities. That doesn't mean that America is to be damned, but it is point that should not be forgotten, and one which the US right rarely contemplates.

The first day that he landed in the US Pope Benedict XVI echoed, albeit in much more politic and compassionate language, the point of the controversial remarks of Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Here are the Pope's remarks, as expressed in his mass and his speech, which are really not that much different from the point Rev. Wright was making--albeit too harshly.

NPR:

"Americans have always been a people of hope," he said. "Your ancestors came to this country with the experience of finding new freedom and opportunity.

"To be sure, this promise was not experienced by all the inhabitants of this land; one thinks of the injustices endured by the native American peoples and by those brought here forcibly from Africa as slaves."

It was not the first time on the trip that the pontiff has delicately critiqued his host nation.

Speaking to his American bishops Wednesday, he said the U.S. must be welcoming to immigrants, helping them to flourish in their new homes.


Pope Benedict XVI on April 16, 2008: The course of American history demonstrates the difficulties, the struggles, and the great intellectual and moral resolve which were demanded to shape a society which faithfully embodied these noble principles. In that process, which forged the soul of the nation, religious beliefs were a constant inspiration and driving force, as for example in the struggle against slavery and in the civil rights movement. In our time, too, particularly in moments of crisis, Americans continue to find their strength in a commitment to this patrimony of shared ideas and aspirations.

Update HuffPo: Excerpts from Rev. Jeremiah Wright Interview with Bill Moyers