On Sunday, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput evoked memories of Marie Antoinette’s possibly fabled phrase “let them eat cake.” He wrote an op-ed about the pope’s impending September visit to the City of Brotherly Love in which he completely blew off all of the logistical concerns of taxpaying residents. Chaput seems to suggest that the greater Philadelphia region’s community members are acting silly for worrying about being barricaded into their homes for a week or so. After all, he says, “Mary and Joseph managed to make their way to Bethlehem and have a baby in a stable.”
His blithe attitude shines in spades throughout the piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer. If residents are not happy about the upcoming week of vast inconveniences, he claims, we have only ourselves to blame. It is all our fault, according to Chaput, and not the fault of the extensive road and bridge closures, or the 1.5 million people pouring into our region (who expect, by the way, to have all their needs catered to), or the law enforcement departments that have decided to create massive gridlock everywhere by shutting down major suburban arteries in addition to interstate exits, highways and the entire Center City area.
It is not the fault of Mayor Nutter, who apparently lobbied for this visit to happen, or the hundreds of officials who have been complicit in this nightmare. It is our fault, because Jesus.
But what will Jesus do to help the women who will go into labor and need to get to a city hospital? Or the elderly, who must access lifesaving medical treatments? What will Jesus do for the business owners who will potentially lose thousands or even millions of dollars in revenue due to road closures, or to assist the common person who cannot get to work to earn money for his or her family? Is Jesus going to step in and save someone having a heart attack who cannot make it to the hospital on time because of the prohibitive traffic that is going to occur?
For months, city and suburban officials have been warning that the pope’s visit to Philadelphia is going to cause complete paralysis of the region. This week, it was announced that residents within a 25 mile radius of the city should prepare as if a major weather disaster was on its way. We have been told to lay in supplies such as bottled water, food, milk and medicines for at least five days, and “hunker down” inside our homes due to the entire metropolis being utterly crippled.
Is Archbishop Chaput, with his blasé stance, living in some kind of La-La Land? Turns out, the answer is yes. The archbishop is as concerned as Marie Antoinette was when she turned up her nose at the suffering of her subjects. And why would he care? He does not have to worry about lost wages; all of his needs are taken care of by the Catholic Church 24/7, and will be for the rest of his life. He has no fear over not being able to go anywhere; everything he needs is within arm’s reach. A few years ago, he sold his $10 million mansion to “downsize” into the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, a 19-building compound located on 75 acres in the wealthiest area of suburban Philadelphia.
His residence includes full dining facilities, a swimming pool, basketball court, tennis courts, a huge library, medical staff, entertainment facilities and much more, so it is hardly shocking that Chaput does not share the anxieties of the common person with regard to the pope’s visit. And let us not forget all the additional amenities he enjoys, such as:
-Full medical benefits
-Fully furnished office and private secretaries
-Travel expenses
-Private chauffeur
-The aforementioned housing in lavish surroundings is completely rent-free
-Hefty retirement pension
Chaput recently said “I hope when Pope Francis flies home he’ll understand that American bishops share every ounce of passion for the poor.” That is, he forgot to add, unless those poor folks have to go anywhere important at any time during the week of the papal visit festivities. The week of terror begins on Sept. 21 with the World Meeting of Families, and will not conclude until Sept. 28, when the roads finally re-open. Not that Archbishop Chaput can even remotely relate to how horrible it is going to be, since in addition to lounging around the plush seminary, he never has to drive anywhere himself.
Philadelphia residents who are harmed during the week of September 21 will just have to realize it is their own fault for not being enthusiastic enough, Chaput implies. The entire Philadelphia region, he suggests, should emulate Mary and Joseph. “Nowhere in Scripture do we find Mary, Joseph, or Jesus worrying about security, transportation, or logistics,” he writes. But he is certainly not riding around on any donkeys, is he?