SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Naomi Klein speaking on The Nightly Show. (Screengrab from Comedy Central video)
You'll Love Naomi Klein's Take on the Pope's Popularity
Speaking on Comedy Central's The Nightly Show, the author says people are 'psyched about' Pope Francis' messages
Sep 24, 2015
Author and activist Naomi Klein joined a panel discussion on Comedy Central's The Nightly Show Wednesday and shared her thoughts on why Pope Francis' messages seem to be resonating so well with huge numbers of people.
The segment aired the day ahead of the pope's historic address to U.S. Congress.
Responding to host Larry Wilmore's question on why the pope has become such a celebrity, the This Changes Everything author said, "I don't think it's about religion. I don't think it's that suddenly people are converting to Catholicism. I think basically he's kind of like [Senator] Bernie Sanders in a white dress, and people are psyched about it."
Wilmore comments on how the pope is saying revolutionary things--including that God does not have magical powers.
"He's talking about climate change, right?" Klein said. "And it's important to say God is not a magician because a lot of what you hear from right-wing Catholics is, 'We don't have to worry about climate change because God will just magic up our mess, and he loves us, and everything's fine.' And he is saying, actually, if you make a huge mess, you have to live with it. Mommy's not coming and neither is God."
As for the Independent senator from Vermont's own view on Pope Francis' visit, he said on the Senate floor Tuesday that he hopes "that some of my colleagues would examine the very profound lessons that he is teaching people all over this world," and cited the pope's comments on the crisis of global inequality.
"We are living in a nation in which the top one-tenth of 1 percent owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. We are living in a world in which the top 1 percent owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 99 percent. The very rich are becoming much richer, while the rest of us become much poorer," Sanders said.
"The pope is right in saying all of us must address the grotesque income and wealth inequality we are seeing throughout the world," he continued.
The issue was among those the pope highlighted in his speech to lawmakers Thursday, saying, "I would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially in its causes."
Watch the full Nightly Show segment below:
Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Author and activist Naomi Klein joined a panel discussion on Comedy Central's The Nightly Show Wednesday and shared her thoughts on why Pope Francis' messages seem to be resonating so well with huge numbers of people.
The segment aired the day ahead of the pope's historic address to U.S. Congress.
Responding to host Larry Wilmore's question on why the pope has become such a celebrity, the This Changes Everything author said, "I don't think it's about religion. I don't think it's that suddenly people are converting to Catholicism. I think basically he's kind of like [Senator] Bernie Sanders in a white dress, and people are psyched about it."
Wilmore comments on how the pope is saying revolutionary things--including that God does not have magical powers.
"He's talking about climate change, right?" Klein said. "And it's important to say God is not a magician because a lot of what you hear from right-wing Catholics is, 'We don't have to worry about climate change because God will just magic up our mess, and he loves us, and everything's fine.' And he is saying, actually, if you make a huge mess, you have to live with it. Mommy's not coming and neither is God."
As for the Independent senator from Vermont's own view on Pope Francis' visit, he said on the Senate floor Tuesday that he hopes "that some of my colleagues would examine the very profound lessons that he is teaching people all over this world," and cited the pope's comments on the crisis of global inequality.
"We are living in a nation in which the top one-tenth of 1 percent owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. We are living in a world in which the top 1 percent owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 99 percent. The very rich are becoming much richer, while the rest of us become much poorer," Sanders said.
"The pope is right in saying all of us must address the grotesque income and wealth inequality we are seeing throughout the world," he continued.
The issue was among those the pope highlighted in his speech to lawmakers Thursday, saying, "I would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially in its causes."
Watch the full Nightly Show segment below:
Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows
Author and activist Naomi Klein joined a panel discussion on Comedy Central's The Nightly Show Wednesday and shared her thoughts on why Pope Francis' messages seem to be resonating so well with huge numbers of people.
The segment aired the day ahead of the pope's historic address to U.S. Congress.
Responding to host Larry Wilmore's question on why the pope has become such a celebrity, the This Changes Everything author said, "I don't think it's about religion. I don't think it's that suddenly people are converting to Catholicism. I think basically he's kind of like [Senator] Bernie Sanders in a white dress, and people are psyched about it."
Wilmore comments on how the pope is saying revolutionary things--including that God does not have magical powers.
"He's talking about climate change, right?" Klein said. "And it's important to say God is not a magician because a lot of what you hear from right-wing Catholics is, 'We don't have to worry about climate change because God will just magic up our mess, and he loves us, and everything's fine.' And he is saying, actually, if you make a huge mess, you have to live with it. Mommy's not coming and neither is God."
As for the Independent senator from Vermont's own view on Pope Francis' visit, he said on the Senate floor Tuesday that he hopes "that some of my colleagues would examine the very profound lessons that he is teaching people all over this world," and cited the pope's comments on the crisis of global inequality.
"We are living in a nation in which the top one-tenth of 1 percent owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. We are living in a world in which the top 1 percent owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 99 percent. The very rich are becoming much richer, while the rest of us become much poorer," Sanders said.
"The pope is right in saying all of us must address the grotesque income and wealth inequality we are seeing throughout the world," he continued.
The issue was among those the pope highlighted in his speech to lawmakers Thursday, saying, "I would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially in its causes."
Watch the full Nightly Show segment below:
Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.