CBS finally aired an interview with Pope Francis, which had been eagerly anticipated. As rightly foresaw, the network took the chance to amplify leftwing talking points, especially on issues of migration and climate change.
During the interview, anchor Norah O’Donnell nudged Pope Francis towards advocating an open border policy. She honed in on a monument in St. Peter’s Square memorializing different historical waves of migrants. She then posed questions relating to the present migrant crisis in the United States.
Pope Francis, responding via an interpreter, advocated for a liberal immigration policy inclusive of acceptance, aid, promotion, and integration of migrants. Emphasizing on the need for integration, he went against the current American sentiments of closing the borders.
O’Donnell also asked the Pope his views about an ongoing case in Texas, where the state was trying to shut down a Catholic charity offering aid to undocumented migrants.
Pope Francis was staunch against such actions, calling it “madness.” He praised the efforts of Bishop Seitz, who is based on the border, for his relentless efforts to help the migrants.
An important aspect to note is the media’s selective highlighting of faith-based views. Media coverage of Pope Francis’ liberal perspective on migration is a case in point. This perspective aligns the Pope with certain mainstream political groups, thus garnering the Pope inordinate media attention.
However, topics such as abortion, apparently less favorable to these mainstream views, did not make it to the interview. The interview did not press the Pope on topics that could have provided a more balanced view of his perspective on faith and contemporary issues.
It appeared that O’Donnell approached the issue of migration from a perspective that was more likely to appeal to Pope Francis’ humanitarian instincts rather than present a complete picture of the situation at the border.
The interview then took a turn from migration to our globally critical issue of climate change. O’Donnell linked climate crisis to migration and the Pope expressed grave concern over the state of our environment, placing responsibility largely on wealthier, industrialized nations. He stressed the importance of establishing global awareness, conservation of resources and called out climate change deniers.
While it is significant that Francis’ stance on climate change aligns with mainstream groups and, therefore, gets significant media attention, it would have been equally significant to present him with alternate perspectives and counterpoints.
In conclusion, CBS’s interview with Pope Francis centered primarily on politically-charged topics such as migration and climate change, while sidestepping other contentious issues like abortion. It’s clear that media, while reporting on faith, often selectively focuses on viewpoints that align with mainstream stances, thereby giving them more exposure. This practice sometimes falls short of providing a balanced representation of faith leaders’ viewpoints on contemporary issues. On the other hand, it allows for the amplification of some crucial humanitarian and environmental messages that resonate with a wide audience.
