He expects the pope to speak about ‘‘the excesses of capitalism,’’ migration and climate change before legislators, he said in an interview in Rome.
‘‘I think that he will call people in our Congress, in our nation, to recapture or capture the values that made our nation great: the hospitality, the generosity, the concern for those who fall through the cracks,’’ Hackett said.
Blames the Markets
Economist Jeffrey Sachs says Francis believes global markets are ‘‘destroying the common good.’’
In the pope’s view, the markets are to blame for human- induced climate change, the trafficking of millions of people, and hundreds of millions of poor people suffering, Sachs -- who works with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which advises the pope on economics and the environment -- said via e-mail.
The pope will appeal for ‘‘a new approach to the world economy and society’’ when he meets President Barack Obama and when he speaks to Congress and the UN.
‘He will call for people to overcome what he calls the ‘globalization of indifference’ and instead give help to the excluded, including the poor and the uprooted migrants,’’ said Sachs, who is a professor at Columbia University.
Francis sparked controversy in June, especially in the U.S., when he blamed a ‘‘spiral of self-destruction’’ on rich nations and the global economy in an encyclical, a letter to bishops, titled ‘‘Laudato si,’’ which means ‘‘Praised be.’’
Marxist?
The pope has criticized ‘‘an economy of exclusion and inequality,’’ saying ‘‘such an economy kills.’’ He has spoken of the ‘‘right of control of states’’ to impose limits on the ‘‘absolute autonomy’’ of markets and financial speculation.