Introduction

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

As presidential candidates press for mass deportation and tax breaks for the wealthy, and question the need for criminal justice reform, Pope Francis will arrive in the United States and meet undocumented immigrants, homeless people and prisoners.

The Republican leaders of the House and Senate may squirm a bit, though, when he addresses a joint session of Congress. After decades of a conservative papal vision, the pope’s call to fight inequality and climate change has inspired many progressives, but infuriated conservatives. Is he focusing on issues at the center of Catholic teaching, or has he abandoned core Catholic beliefs to promote a liberal agenda?