Washington, D.C. — This week, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro joined the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s podcast, “The Tent,” to discuss President Joe Biden’s meeting with Pope Francis and the important role that faith plays in politics and social justice.
“This is a relatively rare occasion, only the second time that a Catholic president has met with the pope,” Castro told host Daniella Gibbs Léger. “It also comes at this unique moment in the history of our country and, also, the world, where we have just gone through an unprecedented pandemic during these last 18 months. There has been so much pain and suffering in the United States and around the world, and the time is right for a vision and agenda that I think the president and the pope share.”
Castro noted that the visit comes as Congress debates the president’s Build Back Better agenda. “That has a lot to do with our commitment as a nation to the social safety net, to investing in people, to the social justice component of not only the Catholic faith but many faiths out there,” Castro said. “I absolutely see Joe Biden’s deep faith and belief in social justice, and a care for everyone in society, reflected in this Build Back Better agenda that he’s put forward.”
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