Much to the Chagrin of Republicans

Especially for social conservatives and the talk radio bloviators from whom they get theier cues..

Popular Voice In the Capitol?  It's the Pope's.  (The New York Times, 1/5/2014)

Bishop Morlino has been awfully quiet lately.   Maybe he's still working on his homework.   As lawmakers return to the capital this week and mark the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s declaration of a “war on poverty,” Democrats — including those Catholics whose politics have put them at odds with a conservative church hierarchy — are seizing on Francis’ words as a rare opportunity to use the pope’s moral force to advance issues like extending unemployment benefits and raising the minimum wage.