Social Justice Groups Will Make the Most of Pope's Visit

Pope Francis is seen as a champion of the poor and when he visits the United States this week, social justice movements will look to seize upon his words to further their causes — whether it be the fight over income inequality, police brutality, mass incarceration, climate change or immigration reform. 

"This is a major moment for us as a faith-based organization dedicated for justice," said Onleilove Alston, Director of Faith in New York, a religious group that takes part in social justice movements. "Pope Francis has really put the biblical call for justice in front and center in the media and not just for Catholics."

According to Faith in New York's website, the group is made up of 80,000 families that come from 70 different churches in every borough except Staten Island. They have been involved in post-Sandy rebuilding efforts, the black lives matter movement, and fast food restaurant strikes that recently resulted in a wage board recommending fast food workers be paid a minimum of $15 an hour by the end of 2018.

Alston said that in preparation for the Pope's visit congregations have been holding discussion-oriented workshops aimed at building connections between the Pope's teachings and issues such as income inequality, climate change and mass incarceration. While in Philadelphia, Pope Francis is scheduled to visit inmates at a prison. 

"I studied liberation theology at Union Theological Seminary and what these small groups remind me of are the Christian based communities in South America which lead to this kind of founding of liberation theology as a framework," Alston said.

Alma Reyes has helped organize these small workshops at St. Leo's Catholic church in Corona, Queens. She said the gatherings at her church have inspired discussions about the plight of the unemployed, of people who make minimum wage or who, because they are in the country illegally, have their wages stolen by unscrupulous employers. 

"Unfortunately, these are things we live with everyday," she added. 

Reyes said the workshops were crucial to raising the social consciousness of people and what better way to do it than by using the words of someone like Pope Francis who she said was so special to her church community.

"I know he is bringing important messages for this country and the different problems it has including immigration," Reyes said. "I expect that it won't fall on deaf ears and that people like Congress will listen."

She will not get to see the Pope in person. Instead Reyes said she would attend a large conference in Philadelphia that is focused on the challenges families face. It is sponsored by the Catholic church. 

Alston will get to see the Pope. She was invited to attend a ceremony at Ground Zero where he will honor the victims of 9/11. Plus, she said 100 of her members plan to gather along Fifth Avenue and hold up signs about immigrant detention, police brutality and racism as the Pope passes by on his way to St. Patrick's Cathedral on Thursday. 

"It's about letting Pope Francis know that we, people of faith, support his prophetic message for justice," Alston said.