>>> COMING UP -- ANALYZING THE POPE'S VISIT, ITS MESSAGES AND IMPACT.
♪♪ >>> AND THE JERUSALEM YMCA YOUTH CHORUS -- 30 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, CHRISTIAN, MUSLIM AND JEWISH, WHO HOPE MUSIC AND FRIENDSHIP CAN LEAD TO PEACE.
CUSTOMIZED INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP RETIREMENT PRODUCTS.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE YOUR RETIREMENT COMPANY.
>> WELCOME.
I'M BOB ABERNETHY.
IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
DURING HIS GENERAL AUDIENCE AT THE VATICAN WEDNESDAY, POPE FRANCIS REFLECTED ON LAST WEEK'S BUSY VISIT TO CUBA AND THE U.S., CALLING IT "A SIGN OF HOPE AND BUILDING NEW BRIDGES."
BUT BY MID-WEEK, A NEW CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE TRIP DEVELOPED.
THE VATICAN CONFIRMED THAT WHILE HE WAS IN WASHINGTON, FRANCIS HAD A PRIVATE MEETING WITH KIM DAVIS, THE KENTUCKY CLERK WHO WAS JAILED FOR SEVERAL DAYS AFTER REFUSING TO ISSUE MARRIAGE LICENSES TO GAY COUPLES BECAUSE OF HER RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
MANY ADVOCATES OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE WERE UPSET BY NEWS OF THE MEETING.
ON FRIDAY, THE VATICAN ACKNOWLEDGED THE CONTROVERSY AND EMPHASIZED THAT THE MEETING "SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A FORM OF SUPPORT FOR HER POSITION IN ALL OF ITS PARTICULAR AND COMPLEX ASPECTS."
ON THE FLIGHT BACK TO ROME SUNDAY NIGHT, FRANCIS HAD BEEN ASKED ABOUT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WHO OBJECT TO GAY MARRIAGE.
HE DID NOT SPECIFICALLY MENTION DAVIS IN HIS RESPONSE, BUT SAID HE BELIEVES CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION IS A HUMAN RIGHT.
THROUGHOUT HIS VISIT, FRANCIS HAD PRAISED WHAT HE CALLED "THE BEAUTY OF GOD'S PLAN FOR THE FAMILY," WHICH HE DEFINED AS "THE FRUITFUL COVENANT BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN."
AN IMPORTANT MEETING ABOUT FAMILY ISSUES GETS UNDERWAY AT THE VATICAN THIS COMING WEEK.
WE'LL HAVE MORE COMING UP ABOUT THE MESSAGES AND IMPACT OF THE POPE'S U.S. VISIT.
>>> THERE WERE PRAYER VIGILS AND MOURNING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AFTER YET ANOTHER MASS SHOOTING, THIS ONE AT THE CAMPUS OF UMPQUA COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN OREGON.
SEVERAL WITNESSES SAID THE SHOOTER ASKED PEOPLE TO STATE THEIR RELIGION AND THEN TARGETED CHRISTIANS.
IN THE WAKE OF THE INCIDENT, MANY FAITH-BASED GROUPS RENEWED THEIR CALLS FOR MORE GUN RESTRICTIONS.
PRESIDENT OBAMA CONDEMNED THE SHOOTING, SAYING THE NATION HAS BECOME NUMB TO SUCH TRAGEDIES.
>>> A HIGH-PROFILE DEATH ROW PRISONER IN OKLAHOMA RECEIVED A LAST-MINUTE REPRIEVE ON WEDNESDAY.
GOVERNOR MARY FALLIN ISSUED A STAY OF EXECUTION FOR RICHARD GLOSSIP AFTER THERE WAS CONFUSION ABOUT THE LETHAL DRUGS THAT WOULD BE USED.
A NEW EXECUTION DATE HAS BEEN SET FOR NOVEMBER 6TH.
GLOSSIP WAS CONVICTED OF HIRING SOMEONE TO MURDER HIS BOSS, BUT HE MAINTAINS HIS INNOCENCE.
MANY PEOPLE OF FAITH HAVE TAKEN UP HIS CAUSE, INCLUDING POPE FRANCIS, WHO, THROUGH A REPRESENTATIVE, ASKED GOVERNOR FALLIN TO COMMUTE GLOSSIP'S DEATH SENTENCE.
POPE FRANCIS ALSO JOINED THOUSANDS IN THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY WHO HAD APPEALED ON BEHALF OF KELLY GISSENDANER.
SHE WAS EXECUTED IN GEORGIA WEDNESDAY.
MANY SUPPORTERS HELD A PRAYER VIGIL OUTSIDE THE PRISON AS THE EXECUTION TOOK PLACE.
GISSENDANER WAS CONVICTED OF CONSPIRING TO MURDER HER HUSBAND IN 1997.
WHILE BEHIND BARS, SHE EMBRACED CHRISTIANITY AND EARNED A CERTIFICATE IN THEOLOGICAL STUDIES FROM EMORY UNIVERSITY.
SHE LED AN ACTIVE SPIRITUAL MINISTRY AMONG HER FELLOW PRISONERS.
>>> REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ARE CONTINUING EFFORTS TO RECRUIT CONSERVATIVE EVANGELICAL VOTERS.
MANY OF THE GOP HOPEFULS SPOKE AT LAST WEEKEND'S ANNUAL VALUES VOTER SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON.
FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, TEXAS SENATOR TED CRUZ WON A STRAW POLL AS THE ATTENDEES' TOP PICK FOR PRESIDENT.
BEN CARSON CAME IN SECOND, FOLLOWED BY MIKE HUCKABEE, SENATOR MARCO RUBIO AND IN FIFTH PLACE, DONALD TRUMP.
ON MONDAY, TRUMP HAD A PRIVATE MEETING IN NEW YORK CITY WITH CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS LEADERS WHO PRAYED FOR HIM.
VIDEO OF THE PRAYER WAS POSTED ON YOUTUBE.
MEANWHILE, THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE RELEASED A STATEMENT EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT SOME OF THE POLITICAL RHETORIC THAT HAS BEEN USED IN THE CAMPAIGN.
THE GROUP DID NOT NAME SPECIFIC CANDIDATES, BUT HIGHLIGHTED RECENT STATEMENTS WHICH IT SAID DEMONIZED UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE AND DISPARAGED AMERICAN MUSLIMS.
THE AJC CALLED ON ALL POLITICIANS TO AVOID LANGUAGE THAT POLARIZES AND INCITES.
>>> AT THE U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN NEW YORK, WORLD LEADERS CONVENED A SPECIAL MEETING TO DISCUSS THE MIGRANT CRISIS IN EUROPE.
THEY CALLED ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO DO MORE TO CARE FOR REFUGEES WHO ARE FLEEING SYRIA, IRAQ AND PARTS OF AFRICA.
THE U.N. SAYS AN AVERAGE OF 8,000 MIGRANTS ARRIVE IN EUROPE EVERY DAY.
HUMANITARIAN GROUPS URGED MORE PREPARATIONS TO HELP THE MIGRANTS DEAL WITH THE ONSET OF WINTER.
>>> THIS WEEK, THE U.N. ALSO APPROVED AN AMBITIOUS NEW 15-YEAR PLAN TO END POVERTY, FIGHT INJUSTICE AND ADDRESS THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
SEVERAL FAITH-BASED GROUPS PLEDGED TO HELP ACHIEVE THESE 17 GLOBAL GOALS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
>> THE SDGs AS THEY'RE KNOWN REPLACE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS THAT WERE ADOPTED IN THE YEAR 2000.
ONLY ONE OF THOSE EIGHT GOALS WAS MET, IN THE LAST 15 YEARS, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING IN EXTREME POVERTY HAS FALLEN BY MORE THAN HALF.
>>> SAUDI ARABIA HAS COME UNDER INCREASING INTERNATIONAL CRITICISM FOR ITS HANDLING OF THE DEADLY STAMPEDE DURING THE ANNUAL HAJJ, OR PILGRIMAGE, TO MECCA.
THE OFFICIAL DEATH TOLL REMAINS AT LESS THAN 800 PEOPLE, BUT THAT NUMBER IS BEING DISPUTED AFTER NEARLY 1,100 PHOTOS WERE DISTRIBUTED TO FOREIGN DIPLOMATS TO HELP IDENTIFY THE DEAD.
SAUDI OFFICIALS SAY THE PICTURES SHOW ALL THE DEATHS DURING THE HAJJ, INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO DIED OF NATURAL CAUSES.
THE U.S.-BASED MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL IS AMONG THOSE CALLING FOR AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF THE TRAGEDY.
>>> THE DALAI LAMA HAS CANCELLED SCHEDULED APPEARANCES IN THE U.S. FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.
AFTER A ROUTINE CHECKUP AT THE MAYO CLINIC IN MINNESOTA, DOCTORS ADVISED THE 80-YEAR-OLD LEADER OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM TO REST FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
>>> WE WANT TO TAKE THE MEASURE NOW OF POPE FRANCIS'S TRIP TO THE U.S. LAST WEEK.
OUR MANAGING EDITOR KIM LAWTON IS HERE, AND SO ARE PAT ZAPOR, A REPORTER FOR CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, AND JOHN CARR, DIRECTOR OF GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY'S INITIATIVE ON CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT AND PUBLIC LIFE.
WELCOME TO YOU ALL.
>> THANK YOU.
>> JOHN, THE POPE'S VISIT WAS JUST GOING ALONG SO BEAUTIFULLY.
THEN CAME THIS NEWS THAT HE HAD HAD A MEETING WITH KIM DAVIS.
WHY DID HE DO THAT?
>> I THINK THE POPE MAY BE ASKING THAT QUESTION.
THE POPE IS INFALLIBLE, BUT HE DOESN'T KNOW EVERYONE HE MEETS WITH.
AND IT'S CLEAR SOMEONE INVITED KIM DAVIS TO THE NUNCIATURE, AND THERE WAS A BRIEF ENCOUNTER WHICH SHE AND HER HANDLERS TRIED TO BLOW UP INTO SOMETHING IT WASN'T, AND NOW THE VATICAN'S MADE QUITE CLEAR THAT THAT ENCOUNTER WAS NOT AN AFFIRMATION OF HER VIEWS OR HER ACTIONS.
ONE LESSON TO ALL THIS WOULD BE THAT, BE CAREFUL ABOUT TRYING TO USE THE POPE FOR YOUR OWN IDEOLOGICAL OR POLITICAL AGENDA, BECAUSE YOU COULD COME TO REGRET IT.
>> WELL, BUT EVERYBODY'S DOING THAT STILL, THOUGH, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I SEE MOVING AWAY FROM THIS TRIP, I'M STILL GETTING NEWS RELEASES FROM PEOPLE SAYING, "OH, LET'S FOLLOW THE POPE'S AGENDA ON CLIMATE CHANGE BY DOING THIS, AND LET'S FOLLOW THE POPE'S AGENDA AND PASS MY BILL ON THAT."
AND SO THERE IS A LOT OF THAT STILL GOING ON BEYOND THIS PARTICULAR INCIDENT.
>> PART OF THE POWER OF THE VISIT WAS THAT THE POPE DOESN'T FIT OUR CATEGORIES.
RIGHT, LEFT, DEMOCRAT, OR REPUBLICAN.
HE OFFERED A MORAL FRAMEWORK, NOT A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.
AND SO PEOPLE CAN TRY TO USE IT, BUT THE MORE POLITICAL THEY TRY AND MAKE THE POPE, THE LESS IMPACT HE MIGHT HAVE.
SO I THINK WE ALL OUGHT TO TAKE A STEP BACK, LISTEN TO WHAT HE ACTUALLY SAID, AND, FRANKLY, FOLLOW HIS ADVICE AND EXAMPLE.
>> GO AHEAD.
>> PAT, WHAT DID YOU HEAR PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT THIS MEETING?
>> THE KIM DAVIS MEETING?
WELL, IT WAS INTERESTING THAT OUR FACEBOOK FEED WAS VERY LIVELY YESTERDAY AS PEOPLE WERE VERY OUTRAGED, AND IT WAS INTERESTING THAT THE PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT PARTICULARLY CATHOLIC OFTEN WERE THE ONES WHO WERE THE MOST LIKE, "WELL, IT'S DONE, I'M DONE WITH THAT GUY NOW.
HE HASN'T RESPONDED TO THIS.
HE HASN'T EXPLAINED HIMSELF.
HOW COULD HE LET HIMSELF GET PUT INTO THAT SITUATION?"
AND EVEN WHEN VARIOUS WRITERS WHO KNOW THE VATICAN BETTER, WHO KNOW THE POPE'S SITUATION BETTER, WOULD POINT THINGS OUT LIKE THE POPE MEETS HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE.
HE DOESN'T KNOW THE WHOLE STORIES OF ANY OF THEM, PEOPLE WERE READY TO BE OUTRAGED.
I THINK IN SOME WAYS IT SAYS A LITTLE ABOUT THE FICKLENESS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY.
THE POPE WAS FOR SOME PEOPLE THE LATEST BIG THING, WHICH IS SAD, BECAUSE THEY SEEMED TO BE ENGAGING WITH WHAT HE WAS SAYING ON VARIOUS TOPICS.
THAT WAS WHY PEOPLE WERE PAYING ATTENTION TO HIM.
AND SO I FIND IT KIND OF DISAPPOINTING, THAT THE LEAP TO JUDGMENT, THAT "WELL, HE MET WITH KIM DAVIS, AND THEREFORE THIS IS WHAT HE BELIEVES" WAS SO SHALLOW.
>> IT SORT OF BROUGHT OUT THE WORST OF US, WHICH IS REALLY A SHAME, BECAUSE HE ADDRESSED RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN POWERFUL WAYS BUT VERY CAREFUL WAYS AND ACTUALLY ASKED US TO STEP BACK FROM SORT OF THE CULTURE WARS AND TO THINK ABOUT HOW DOES A COUNTRY WITH OUR HERITAGE, WITH OUR VALUES, LEARN TO LIVE TOGETHER WITH RESPECT FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF VIEWS.
AND MY HOPE, WE WILL GET BACK TO THE POPE'S MESSAGE INSTEAD OF HOW THE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO USE HIS MESSAGE.
>> SO MUCH OF WHAT HE SAID TO CONGRESS, FOR INSTANCE, WAS ABOUT LET'S STOP JUDGING, AND LET'S STOP BEING PARTISAN AND DIVIDING BUT REACH OUT WITH LOVE AND COMPASSION TO PEOPLE.
AND THAT WAS PARAGRAPH AFTER PARAGRAPH OF HIS TEXT TO CONGRESS.
AND YET IN THE PRESS ROOM, THE REPORTERS WERE LOOKING FOR THE ONE SENTENCE THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABOUT LGBT ISSUES OR ABOUT ABORTION AND, "DOES THIS SENTENCE MEAN THIS OR THIS OR THIS?"
PEOPLE WERE LOOKING FOR THE DIVISIVENESS INSTEAD OF PAYING ATTENTION TO THE MEAT, LIKE YOU WERE SAYING.
HE WANTED PEOPLE TO REACH OUT TO EACH OTHER IN LOVE AND COMPASSION, AND THAT WAS WHAT HE SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN SO MANY WAYS, BUT WE'RE INSTINCTIVELY FOCUSED ON THE DIVISIVENESS.
>> WELL, AND ALSO, I THINK THAT SO MANY PEOPLE WANT THE POPE TO BASICALLY PUT HIS BLESSING ON THEIR PARTICULAR POSITION, AND WE SAW THAT A LOT WHEN HE WAS HERE, AND I'M SEEING IT STILL AFTERWARD.
THEY WANT THE POPE TO BLESS THEIR POSITION RATHER THAN THINKING OR LISTENING ABOUT WHAT DID THE POPE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THINGS THAT I DON'T AGREE WITH, OR HOW MIGHT I APPLY WHAT HE SAID TO ISSUES THAT I FIND DIFFICULT?
>> WHEN I GREW UP, THE QUESTION WAS "DO YOU AGREE WITH THE POPE?"
INSTEAD OF "DOES THE POPE AGREE WITH YOU?"
I THINK IT WAS JUST STUNNING.
I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING IN THE CHAMBER.
AND IT WAS ALMOST SURREAL -- >> AT THE CAPITOL?
>> AMAZING.
HERE WAS THIS WHITE SOLITARY FIGURE IN FRONT OF TWO CATHOLIC KIDS FROM OHIO AND PENNSYLVANIA WHO WERE OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHEN JOHN KENNEDY WAS TOLD HE SHOULDN'T BE PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE WOULD TAKE ADVICE FROM THE POPE.
AND NOW THE ONLY THING THE CONGRESS SEEMS TO AGREE ON IS THEY NEED THE ADVICE FROM THE POPE.
AND THEN HE WENT FROM THE CAPITOL, THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN TOWN, TO HAVE LUNCH, TO BE WITH THE LEAST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN TOWN.
SO FRANKLY, I THINK PART OF HIS MESSAGE, IN SOME WAYS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF HIS MESSAGE, WAS NOT WHAT HE SAID BUT WHAT HE DID.
>> LET ME PICK UP ON THAT, BECAUSE I THINK THIS NONVERBAL PART OF THE THING, ABOUT HOW SOME PEOPLE SAY, "HE TOUCHED MY SOUL!"
PAT, WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THAT?
>> THAT WAS, I THINK, WHY YOU SAW SO MANY NON-CATHOLICS OR LAPSED CATHOLICS OR MARGINAL CATHOLICS WHO MADE A POINT OF GOING TO THE MALL AND TO THE MASS IN PHILADELPHIA, OF GOING TO CENTRAL PARK JUST TO GET A GLIMPSE OF THE POPE, BECAUSE PEOPLE FEEL HE IS IMPORTANT TO THEM IN WAYS THAT NO RELIGIOUS LEADER, CERTAINLY NOT A POPE PROBABLY, HAS BEEN MAYBE EVER.
MY NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS WHO ARE SECULAR AND SOME ANTI-RELIGIOUS WERE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION AND IN POSITIVE WAYS.
THEY WEREN'T LOOKING FOR MISSTEPS OR THE PROBLEMS, BUT THEY REALLY WANTED TO HEAR WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.
THEN THEY CAME BACK WITH IT.
THEY DISCUSSED IT.
THEY SAID, "I LOVED WHAT HE SAID ABOUT REACHING OUT TO THE HOMELESS.
I THOUGHT IT WAS SO FASCINATING THAT HE WOULD GO AND SERVE LUNCH, THAT HE SPENT THAT TIME IN THE PRISON."
>> I WAS REALLY STRUCK HOW HIS IMPACT WAS PERSONAL.
I'VE BEEN DOING THIS A LONG TIME.
THIS RELIGIOUS LEADER HAS TOUCHED ME IN WAYS I HAVEN'T BEEN BEFORE, MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY GOING BACK TO CHURCH.
PEOPLE ON TELEVISION SAYING THEY'RE RECOVERING THEIR FAITH.
I WAS ON CAPITOL HILL TWO DAYS AFTER THE VISIT.
WE MET WITH FIVE SENATORS, WITH THE MINORITY LEADER, WITH SPEAKER BOEHNER'S OFFICE.
THERE WAS A DIFFERENT TONE, AN EFFORT TO TRY AND HEAR THE MESSAGE AND MAYBE EVEN TRY TO WORK TOGETHER ON SOME THINGS.
AND IF WE COULD FIND LEADERS WHO WOULD STEP AWAY FROM THE PARTISAN AND IDEOLOGICAL BATTLES AND WORK TOGETHER TO LIFT UP THE POOR, MAYBE THAT WOULD BE POPE FRANCIS'S FIRST MIRACLE.
I MEAN, WE WOULD NOT HAVE SEEN THOSE SENATORS WITHOUT POPE FRANCIS.
ONE OF THEM TALKED ABOUT WEEPING ON THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE.
I THINK HE TOUCHED LOTS OF PEOPLE.
WASHINGTON HAD THIS PLEDGE WHERE YOU WERE ASKED TO PRAY, TO ACT, AND TO SERVE THOSE IN NEED.
100,000 PEOPLE TOOK THAT PLEDGE.
THE POPE IS GONE BUT THE PLEDGE REMAINS, AND I THINK WE'RE DIFFERENT BECAUSE HE WAS HERE.
>> DO YOU THINK IT WILL LAST?
>> WELL, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME HE WAS HERE.
AND HE SAW US FOR THE FIRST TIME UP CLOSE, AND WE SAW HIM, AND I THINK WE SORT OF BOTH FELL IN LOVE, AND I THINK RELATIONSHIPS LIKE THAT ENDURE.
I THINK HE'S TOUCHED HEARTS, HE'S TOUCHED CONSCIENCES, AND I THINK OUR COUNTRY WILL BE DIFFERENT.
WE WONDERED WHETHER HE UNDERSTOOD US, WHETHER HE WAS HOSTILE TO AMERICA.
HE CAME AS A FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR AND GAVE US A VERY CHALLENGING, VERY AFFIRMATIVE MESSAGE.
AND IT'S CHANGED ME, AND I THINK IT'S CHANGED A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE.
>> I CAN GIVE YOU ONE ANECDOTE.
A FRIEND WHO HAS A VERY CATHOLIC FAMILY, RAISING THEIR KIDS IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, GOOD CHURCH-GOING PEOPLE, VERY INVOLVED IN THEIR PARISH, THEY WENT TO THE MASS IN PHILADELPHIA.
AND THEY CAME AWAY DISCUSSING ON THE WAY BACK, THE HUSBAND AND WIFE, DISCUSSING, "YOU KNOW, WE REALLY DON'T DO ENOUGH FOR POOR PEOPLE.
WE'RE NOT PERSONALLY INVOLVED ENOUGH.
WE WRITE CHECKS BUT WE NEED TO BE GIVING OUR KIDS A BETTER EXAMPLE OF EXACTLY WHAT THE POPE WAS SAYING AND DOING."
THAT WAS ONE VERY CONSCIOUS THING THAT THEY CAME AWAY FROM, AND THAT WAS FROM A FAMILY THAT ALREADY WAS PRETTY MAINSTREAM, PRETTY INVOLVED FAMILY.
AND I COULD SEE THAT THAT WILL DEVELOP IN OTHER WAYS.
YOU SAW IT IN CONGRESS.
THAT'S FASCINATING AND AMAZING.
BUT I THINK THE LONG-TERM EVERYBODIES, EVERYBODY'S NOT GOING TO COME AWAY A FAN OF THE POPE FOREVER AND DOING EVERYTHING HE HAS SUGGESTED.
BUT LIKE ME FRIENDS' EXPERIENCE, AND LIKE YOU SAW IN CONGRESS, IT WILL HAVE LONG-TERM EFFECTS, I THINK.
>> THE POPE LOOKS AT THE WORLD IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
HE LOOKS AT THE WORLD, HE LOOKS AT ECONOMICS, HE LOOKS AT THE ENVIRONMENT, POLITICS FROM THE BOTTOM UP, FROM THE OUTSIDE IN, AND THOSE AREN'T WASHINGTON'S PRIORITIES OR WASHINGTON'S WAYS.
SO WE'VE HAD AN ALTERNATIVE VISION AND A GREAT EXAMPLE, AND MY HOPE IS WE LISTENED, WE LEARNED, AND WE MAYBE EVEN MIGHT FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE.
>> AND IT WILL BE INTERESTING ALSO TO SEE THE IMPACT ON THE CHURCH, NOT JUST IN THE U.S.
BUT AROUND THE WORLD, AND ANY CONNECTIONS BETWEEN WHAT HE SAID AND DID ON THIS VISIT AND HOW THE CHURCH MOVES FORWARD.
AND CERTAINLY WE HAVE STARTING IN ROME A MEETING ON FAMILY ISSUES WHICH ARE SOME VERY CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES, VERY DIFFICULT ISSUES THAT ARE BEFORE EVERYBODY, BUT CERTAINLY THE CHURCH IS LOOKING AT.
SO IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHETHER, WHEN THE POPE TOLD BISHOPS AND POLITICIANS ALIKE TO NOT BE POLARIZED AND USE DIVISIVE LANGUAGE, WE'LL SEE HOW THAT PLAYS AT THE MEETING IN ROME THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
>> HE'S CERTAINLY TELEGRAPHED THAT THAT IS THE APPROACH HE WANTS TO TAKE IN THE SYNOD.
HE'S TRIED TO GET SOME OF THE ISSUES OF THE SYNOD OUT IN FRONT, THE DISCUSSION ABOUT ANNULMENTS, TELLING DIOCESES TO MAKE ANNULMENTS SIMPLER.
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT STOOD TO BE A THORN IN THE SYNOD, SOMETHING TO BE A CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE, AND HE GOT IT OUT OF THE WAY AHEAD OF TIME, SO HE'S CERTAINLY PAVED THE WAY FOR PEOPLE TO BE LESS DIVISIVE AND LESS BICKERING.
>> I HOPE.
>> MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU.
OUR TIME IS UP.
KIM LAWTON, PAT ZAPOR, AND JOHN CARR.
MANY THANKS.
>> THANK YOU.
>>> ON OUR CALENDAR THIS WEEK -- OCTOBER 4th IS THE FEAST DAY OF ST. FRANCIS.
HE IS CONSIDERED THE PATRON SAINT OF CREATION.
SOME CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS OFFER A SPECIAL BLESSING FOR ANIMALS ON THAT DAY.
AND BEGINNING AT SUNDOWN ON OCTOBER 5th, JUS CELEBRATE SIMCHAT TORAH, WHICH MARKS THE END OF THE ANNUAL CYCLE OF TORAH READINGS, AND THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT.
TRADITIONALLY, JEWS OBSERVE THE OCCASION BY DANCING IN THE STREETS WITH TORAH SCROLLS.
>>> FINALLY, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTS IN RECENT WEEKS ABOUT RISING TENSIONS AROUND HOLY SITES IN JERUSALEM, ESPECIALLY AT THE AREA KNOWN TO JEWS AS THE TEMPLE MOUNT AND TO MUSLIMS AS THE NOBLE SANCTUARY.
WE HAVE A STORY TODAY ON JERUSALEM'S YMCA YOUTH CHORUS, 30 CHRISTIAN, MUSLIM AND JEWISH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO LIVE IN BOTH EAST AND WEST JERUSALEM.
THEY HOPE THEIR MUSIC AND DIALOGUE CAN HELP CREATE A PATH TO FRIENDSHIP AND EVEN PEACE.
THE CHORUS'S FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR IS MICAH HENDLER, WHO TOLD US HIS CHORUS HAS BECOME AN OASIS WITHIN THE "INSANITY" AROUND IT.
WE MET UP WITH THE CHORUS RECENTLY ON ITS FIRST NORTH AMERICAN TOUR.
>> JERUSALEM IS A PLACE WHERE HISTORICALLY IF THERE IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT US, LET'S FIGHT ABOUT IT.
THAT'S BASICALLY THE VIBE.
AND SO WE IN THE CHORUS ARE TRYING TO CREATE AN ALTERNATE REALITY.
I SAW THAT IF I CREATED A SINGING GROUP, I COULD ACTUALLY CREATE A COMMUNITY.
I COULD EMPOWER THEM, NOT ONLY AS SINGERS, BUT TO SEE WHAT THAT KIND OF VOICE LED TO OUTSIDE OF THE SINGING GROUP AND THE KIND OF CIRCLE OF FRIENDS THAT COULD HAPPEN WHERE NONE HAD EXISTED BEFORE.
BEFORE JUST GOING INTO THE CONFLICT, WE START BY BUILDING AN UNDERSTANDING OF VALUES.
I THINK THE MOST CENTRAL VALUE TO OUR DIALOGUE PROCESS IS THAT OF EQUALITY.
AND WE SPEND ACTUALLY A GOOD MONTH TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS EQUALITY?
THE CHORUS IS A PLACE OF ACCEPTANCE, IS A PLACE WHERE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY CAN BE WHO THEY ARE, AND PEOPLE WON'T JUDGE THEM, WHERE THEY FEEL LIKE IT'S A PLACE FOR THEM TO CHALLENGE ALSO WHO THEY ARE, AND WHERE OTHERS WILL CHALLENGE POTENTIALLY WHO THEY ARE, BUT STILL WITHIN THAT CUSHION OF ACCEPTANCE AND GROWTH.
>> I LIVE IN ISRAEL, I'M AN ARAB, THERE'S JEWISH PEOPLE, LIKE THAT'S WHAT I KNOW.
BUT I NEVER TALKED TO THEM, I NEVER KNEW THEM, I NEVER KNEW THEIR OPINION.
AFTER JOINING THIS CHOIR IT CHANGED MY LIFE.
IT MADE ME KNOW WHAT THEY THINK.
IT MADE THEM KNOW WHAT I THINK.
>> THE CHOIR MADE ME LEARN THAT I CAN LISTEN TO THEM.
I CAN ALWAYS LIKE HEAR WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY.
I USED TO ALWAYS STAND FOR MY OPINION AND EVERYONE STOOD FOR THEIR OPINION, EVERYONE THOUGHT THEY WERE ALWAYS RIGHT.
AND THEN LIKE, THE PROCESS, PEOPLE STARTED TO LISTEN.
PEOPLE STARTED TO RESPECT THE OTHER, WHICH IS SO IMPORTANT.
>> EVERYTHING THAT WE SING HAS TO BE ON THE ONE HAND SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE IS COMFORTABLE SINGING.
SO IT HAS TO BE UNIVERSAL TO SOME DEGREE, BUT IT ALSO NEEDS TO MEAN SOMETHING.
♪♪ THE ONE SONG THAT WE SING THAT HAS THE WORD PEACE IN IT, IT'S THE PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI.
"MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF THY PEACE."
BUT WHAT MAKES THAT SONG SO POWERFUL, IT'S NOT JUST THAT IT'S A GORGEOUS MUSICAL SETTING, BUT THAT THE REST OF THE TEXT ESSENTIALLY SAYS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN INSTRUMENT OF PEACE.
PEACE MEANS SPREADING LOVE WHERE THERE IS HATRED, IT MEANS SPREADING HOPE WHERE THERE IS DESPAIR, IT MEANS HAVING FAITH IN TIMES OF GREAT CRISIS.
THE MOST EXTREME SITUATION THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS IS OBVIOUSLY THE WAR LAST SUMMER.
NOT JUST WHAT WAS GOING ON IN GAZA, BUT SPECIFICALLY, WHAT WAS GOING ON IN JERUSALEM WITH VIOLENCE AGAINST TEENAGERS.
AND THAT WAS VERY, VERY PERSONAL.
BOTH THE ISRAELIS WHO WERE KIDNAPPED IN THE WEST BANK AND THE PALESTINIAN TEEN WHO WAS MURDERED IN EAST JERUSALEM.
SOME OF THE KIDS IN THE CHOIR KNEW THEM.
I HAD A STRONG ENOUGH STRUCTURE AND A SUPERORDINATE GOAL THAT I COULD HOLD THE GROUP TOGETHER STRUCTURALLY.
BUT EMOTIONALLY THEY CAME BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO BE THERE.
THEY CAME BECAME IT WAS AN OASIS FROM ALL OF THE INSANITY AND ALL OF THE AWFUL PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL VIOLENCE THAT WAS HAPPENING AROUND THEM THAT THIS WAS A PLACE WHERE THEY REALLY FELT AT HOME.
THE MOST AMAZING MUSICAL THING THAT WE'VE DONE AS A GROUP IN THE THREE YEARS THAT WE'VE EXISTED AS A GROUP IS THE ORIGINAL COMPOSITION.
30 ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO DO NOT SHARE A MUSICAL LANGUAGE, DO NOT SHARE A VERBAL LANGUAGE, DO NOT SHARE POLITICAL BELIEFS, RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, COME FROM THE SAME SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS, LITERALLY SHOULD HAVE VIRTUALLY NOTHING IN COMMON, SOMEHOW FOUND A WAY TO WRITE A PIECE OF MUSIC TOGETHER THAT IS VERY MEANINGFUL, THAT IS BOTH PERSONAL AND GROUP.
AND MUSICALLY IT'S VERY, VERY ORIGINAL AND ECLECTIC, AND TAKES EVERYTHING LIKE HIP HOP STYLE SAMPLING, TO ARABIC MAWAL, LIKE VOCAL IMPROVISATION, TO JAZZ SAXOPHONE TO CHANT, AND REALLY EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
AND IT WAS WRITTEN BY THE CHORUS MEMBERS THEMSELVES COLLABORATIVELY THROUGH A DIALOGUE PROCESS.
>> I JUST REALLY LEARNED THAT ARGUING IS REALLY POINTLESS AND IT CAN GO ON FOR AGES.
I THINK YOU JUST REALLY HAVE TO FOCUS AND PUT THINGS BEHIND YOU AS PEOPLE.
LET CERTAIN THINGS GO AND JUST TRY TO WORK TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE.
♪♪ >>> THAT'S OUR PROGRAM FOR NOW.
I'M BOB ABERNETHY.
YOU CAN FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK AND WATCH US ANYTIME ON THE PBS APP FOR iPHONES AND iPADS.
THERE IS ALSO MUCH MORE ON OUR WEBSITE, WHERE YOU CAN LISTEN TO OR WATCH EVERY PROGRAM.
JOIN US AT PBS.ORG.
AS WE LEAVE YOU, MUSIC FROM A SPECIAL CONCERT AT WASHINGTON'S JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS TO CELEBRATE THE VISIT OF POPE FRANCIS.
♪♪IZED INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP RETIREMENT PRODUCTS.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE YOUR RETIREMENT COMPANY.