“No one can kneel before the Lord and despise his brother.”
Pope Leo XIV’s phrase has something fascinating about it: it contains no novelty. It is not revolutionary. It is not radical. It is, quite simply, basic Christianity.
However, a single phrase has been enough to cause discomfort in certain political sectors that have spent years presenting themselves as the sole legitimate defenders of Christian values.
Because when the Pope reminds us that faith cannot be separated from human dignity, some react as if the rules of the game had been changed halfway through.
Jesus did not dedicate his life to protecting privileges. Jesus did not hold up the rich as moral examples. Jesus did not point to foreigners as enemies. Quite the opposite.
He approached those whom no one wanted near. He defended those whom no one defended. And he questioned those who used religion to feel superior to others.
That is why it is so striking to observe how part of the current right constantly invokes Christian roots while seeming deeply uncomfortable with the content of the Gospels.
Because the problem is not Christianity. The problem is Christ.
Christ talks too much about the poor, about compassion, about solidarity, and about sharing. And here appears one of the most devastating phrases in all of Christian tradition:
“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
It was not said by a union leader. It was not said by a left-wing activist. It was said by Jesus Christ.
I increasingly have the feeling that some political leaders have replaced the Gospels with tele-evangelists. Lots of noise. Lots of flags. Lots of indignation. And very little mercy.
In the Canary Islands, we have had plenty of examples of how fear is used as a political tool. We saw it during the controversy over the cruise ship affected by hantavirus, where some officials seemed more interested in fueling alarm than in conveying serenity and responsibility.
That is why Leo XIV’s words are so uncomfortable. Because they force us to ask a very simple question:
If Jesus appeared today walking through our streets, defending the poor, sharing meals with immigrants, denouncing abuses of power, and reminding us that wealth does not measure human worth, who would truly be by his side?
Faith is not demonstrated by beating one’s chest or wrapping oneself in a flag. It is demonstrated in the way we treat the poor, the worker, the sick, the foreigner, and the brother.
And when the Pope says that no one can kneel before the Lord while despising his brother, he is not issuing a progressive slogan.
He is reminding us of the Gospel.
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