On the recordDecember 9, 2013
if my colleague will yield, through the Chair, for one last point, he raised something that brought to my mind a recent story I read about the new Pope, Pope Francis. What an extraordinary man, this Catholic. I am amazed at this man, his humility and his popularity with Catholics and non-Catholics alike, those of different faiths and those of no faith. They say that of an evening he will take off his papal garb and put a simple suit on and go out into the streets of Rome with a friend and meet with poor people and talk to them. I can't even envision in my mind what that must be like, but it sure tells me a lot about him, and I think it is a reminder to all of us of two things: When he gives a message to the world about income inequality, it is not a political message to the United States or one country; it is a more basic message about the values in life whatever your religious beliefs or whether you have a religious belief. When he takes off the papal garb and goes out as an ordinary person, I hope it is a reminder to all of us that we need to keep in touch with the very people we represent, some of whom are not wealthy enough to have a lobbyist or to be politically articulate during a campaign but deserve our representation just as much.
