Pope Francis to Congress and millionaires: Spread the wealth

 

New Yorkers embraced Pope Francis on his first ever visit to the Big Apple. Across the city thousands of supporters gathered along barricaded streets to get a glimpse of “The People’s Pope”.

“It’s a daunting schedule and he seems to be handling it quite well. The crowds here are quite adoring,” says Father Michael Russo of St. Mary’s College, who is travelling with the pope during his visit to America.

Friday morning began with a speech at the United Nations where Francis became the fifth pope to address the UN General Assembly. He once again championed the environment and the downtrodden, saying the poor suffer most from the misuse of natural resources.

He also did not shy away from criticizing capitalism, saying that it contributes to society’s ills and that the consequences of “irresponsible mismanagement of the global economy must be cause for reflection.”

Father Russo tells Yahoo Finance that the pope’s message on the economy has been received well. “

He says the takeaway for lawmakers and the business world is to “get more engaged with the larger community.”

For those who say he’s out of touch with the economy, Father Russo says that the Pope isn’t telling individuals who wish to succeed not to. “Obviously he’s a pope who wants to make sure that those people who have the opportunities are also giving back.”

On his first full day in New York, the pope also led a prayer service at the September 11^th memorial, met with schoolchildren in Harlem, greeted 80,000 people in Central Park and will celebrate Mass at Madison Square Garden in front of thousands.