September 29, 2015

THE BASICSTopic: Pope Francis visits the United States

Articles “Pope of the people, and the politics, of historic U.S. visit” (Reuters) “Pope Francis visits Philadelphia, extols America’s founding ideals” (Fox News) “Pope Francis greeted by Obama with ornate White House ceremony” (The Hill) “Pope Francis’ U.S. Visit Could Benefit Both Left and Right” (The New York Times) “In U.S. visit, Francis will tout immigration, call for compassion toward migrants” (Politico)

Questions to Consider Why did the Pope come to the United States? What is the World Meeting of Families? Did he

come as a head of state or a religious leader or both? What does being a Jesuit mean about Pope Francis? How does his vow of poverty, chastity and

obedience influence his views? What does Pope Francis’ self-identification as a son of immigrants suggest about his view of

welcoming immigrants? What is the Pope’s view on climate change? How did President Obama refer to this issue? Was the Pope’s visit political, pastoral, or both? Pope Francis was announced to Congress as

“Pope Francis of the Holy See”. What does that mean in Congressional language? What did the Pope emphasize in his speech to the US Congress? What did the Pope say that

might be interpreted as advice to reduce polarization within Congress? What did the Pope say about the greatness of America? How did he refer to the American

dream? What did he mean when he referred to the US as the “land of the free and the home of the brave”?

Are there issues on which the Pope and political figures in the United States agree? Are there issues on which the Pope and political figures in the United States disagree?

What is the Free Exercise Clause of the US Constitution? What is the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution and how are they related to the Pope’s visit? What is religious liberty and how is it connected to the Pope’s visit?

What policies/social issues did he promote? Was his visit controversial? Was his visit celebratory? Why or why not? What are the results of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States? What role did the Pope play in the US recognition of Cuba? Why was he particularly helpful?

THE EXTRASPre-teaching, Extensions & Further Reading

“Full text of Pope Francis’ remarks to Congress” (Constitution Center) “Who is Pope Francis?” (Archdiocese of Washington) “Francis, the Perfect 19 th Century Pope” (opinion) (The New York Times) “John F. Kennedy and Religion” (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)

Lesson Plans

“Who is Pope Francis?” (video and other resources) (PBS Newshour)

What’s the Connection? Constitutional

“Religious Liberty” (ACLU) Oregon

“What Do Oregon’s Catholics Think About Pope Francis?” (OPB) Students

“Catholic students celebrate Pope Francis’ visit” (The Des Moines Register)

Oregon State Social Science Standards8.14. Explain rights and responsibilities of citizens. HS.31. Describe United States foreign policy and evaluate its impact on the United States and other countries. HS.33. Explain the role of government in various current events.HS.35. Examine the pluralistic realities of society (e.g., race, poverty, gender, and age), recognizing issues of equity, and evaluating need for change. HS.59. Demonstrate the skills and dispositions needed to be a critical consumer of information.HS.60. Analyze an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon form varied or opposing perspectives or points of view.

CCSS Anchor Standards2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

We the People Lesson ConnectionsMiddle School, Level 2

Unit 5, Lesson 24: How does the Constitution protect freedom of religion?

Unit 6, Lesson 28: What is the relationship of the United States to other nations in the world?

High School, Level 3 Unit 5, Lesson 28: How does the First Amendment affect the establishment and free

exercise of religion? Unit 6, Lesson 38: What are the challenges of the participation of the United States in

world affairs?