Rhetorical Criticism
Rhetorical Criticism of Pope Francis's address to the UN General Assembly (2015)
Luke Heywood
Baruch College
Introduction
Pope Francis's address to the 70th UN General Assembly on Friday, September 25th 2015, was his first speech to the gathering of world leaders in New York City. Because of his prominence, this marks one of the most influential speeches of 2015, and his words would certainly be regarded as a major contribution to the global conversation on peace, environmental stewardship and social justice.
His Holiness Pope Francis of the Observer State of the Holy See, is “the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and Sovereign of the Vatican City” (“Pope Francis,” 2016). The Pope was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Following a long history of service to the Catholic Church in Argentina from 1969 to 2013, he was elected as the successor to Pope Benedict XVI in March of 2013. There are many “firsts” for Pope Francis. His Holiness is the “first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European pope since the Syrian Gregory III in 741” (“Pope Francis,” 2016). He is also the first pope to have addressed a joint meeting of the United States Congress (Goodstein, Yardley, Cave & Davenport, 2015). He is known for his humility, has a less formal approach, and shares a deep concern for the poor. “He is [also] opposed to global warming, consumerism, and irresponsible development” (“Pope Francis,” 2016). He is credited for helping to restore diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
In this rhetorical criticism, I will examine the topical arrangement of the Pope’s speech, the issues and problems the speech brought to the forefront of the world leaders’ attention, and the use of ideographs and constitutive rhetoric in connecting with, and defining the identities of, the entire audience.
Arrangement, Defining Identity and Finding Common Ground
From the very beginning of his address it was clear that the Pope sought to define the identity of the audience by their service of mankind. He even acknowledged the work of the support staff who may have been otherwise overlooked. He diminished any air of sublimity associated with his presence by expressing gratitude for the invitation to speak, and by acknowledging the fact that he was following in a tradition of four other Popes that had preceded him. This was essential for the speech to have an effect on the heads of nations, beyond just observing a mere ceremonial gesture.
The Pope reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s admiration for, and hope in, the functions of the United Nations as the appropriate juridical and political response to the world’s needs, at a time of great technological advancement and globalization. He highlights a few of the UN’s accomplishments such as “the codification and development of international law, the establishment of international norms regarding human rights, advances in humanitarian law, the resolution of numerous conflicts, [and] operations of peace-keeping and reconciliation” (Beckwith, 2015). He adds greater value to the work of the organization and it’s agencies with the introduction of the archetypal metaphor of light and dark. This is accomplished by linking the outcome of their work to the notion of “dispelling the darkness of the disorder caused by unrestrained ambitions and collective forms of selfishness” (Beckwith, 2015). This defines and unifies the group as having a shared history – 70 years – and a track record of performance in appropriately utilizing its power and influence, while attempting to “overcome evil with good.” The pope was creating an image of the UN as an institution that provides a system of checks and balances for nations that may otherwise abuse their power.
Shared Text and Ideographs
The Pope connects the audience to a point of agreement by referring to the founding documents of the charter and the principles embedded in them. He stated that “the work of the United Nations, according to the principles set forth in the Preamble and the first Articles of its founding Charter, can be seen as the development and promotion of the rule of law, based on the realization that justice is an essential condition for achieving the ideal of universal fraternity” (Beckwith, 2015). Although the dignitaries sitting in the Assembly came from 193 countries and could be easily distinguished by an analysis of their differences, the Pope made found a way of bringing them into agreement around the principles of that shared text. This forms the foundation of their partnership.
The Pope also establishes the purpose of all of their political, juridical and technical advancements, which is to attain the ideal of human fraternity> (Beckwith, 2015). This ideal is one that they all share as well, and he is able to draw the community’s attention to yet another common value. The Pope repeatedly stressed the need for <equity and the inclusion of all nations in decision-making. He spoke out against more powerful nations who exercised oppressive lending strategies that kept poor nations in the cycle of dependency. His repeated use of the words <justice>, <rule of law>, <fraternity>, <human rights> and <equity> serves a purpose beyond just being political language. Those ideographs do not only appeal to the members’ core values but are rooted in the principles set forth in their shared text - the Preamble and the first Articles of the UN founding Charter.
Shared Destiny
Like Dr. King did in his I Have A Dream speech, the Pope expertly tied the betterment of the disadvantaged to the destiny of the oppressor. In this case however, through the use of personification, the Pope ascribes <rights> to the environment. This has an especially powerful effect on the listener because her or she could draw on the universal desire for justice and fairness and now associate those concepts to the mistreatment of the environment itself. The Pope draws a link between the treatment of the environment and human survival. The fact that human beings are part of nature itself means that excessive human activity is in fact harming those who live in and rely on that environment. Now, this is quite rudimentary information if viewed only for the facts, but the way in which the Pope presents the issues, makes challenges such as global warming and depleted biodiversity seem a lot less abstract. The Pope sees nature as a sacred creation for the good of all.
The Pope makes a similar argument for the elimination all “weapons of mass distraction.” Yes, the word he used was distraction, not destruction. It was a though he was alluding to the fact that nations that possess these weapon often draw attention to the threat of some other nation with the very weapons they have, as if they wouldn’t both result in the destruction of all mankind. It is indeed a distraction – a self-contradiction and an affront to the entire framework of the United Nations. He called instead for reflection and prayer “so that we may think back over our common origin, our history, our common destiny” (Beckwith, 2015).
Justice and Human Fraternity
In covering the topic of <justice>, Pope Francis emphasizes the need to end many sorts of exclusion. He makes a clear connection between the phenomenon of social and economic exclusion and the illegal activity and exploitation that results. He paints a picture of the more powerful nations exerting their economic and political influence around the world, at the expense of the more vulnerable nations. He expresses that when there is economic and social exclusion, there is a denial of <human fraternity> and the perpetuation of a “culture of waste” (Beckwith, 2015). By using the ideograph <human fraternity>, the Pope appeals to audience members’ desire for brotherhood and community, and alludes to the fact that anything less than this ideal is a violation of <human rights>. The human element is very evident in his speech because he steers the conversation away from the bureaucratic processes, goals, statistics, theories, and programs of such a gathering, to the real picture of what occurs when rights are violated: extreme poverty, suffering, and ultimately death. His vision of <human fraternity> is not the product of Western imposition, but rather the empowerment of community members as “dignified agents of their own destinies” (Beckwith, 2015).
Call to Action and Enforcement of Values
At the time of the speech the UN had not yet adopted new Global Goals, charting sustainable development for people and planet by 2030. Though the Pope was interested in the outcome of those talks, he was more interested in “concrete steps and immediate measures for preserving and improving the natural environment” (Beckwith, 2015). He was more concerned with the enforcement of current international norms than the creation of new ones. He stated that “when the Charter of the United Nations is respected and applied with transparency and sincerity, and without ulterior motives, as an obligatory reference point of justice and not as a means of masking spurious intentions, peaceful results will be obtained” (Beckwith, 2015). It was only a little of year before the Pope gave this speech that he had written a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations to speak out against the killing of innocent Christians in the Middle East. The Pope crafted this speech in such as way as to appeal to the listeners’ core values and propel then to act. As he stated “the most basic understanding of human dignity compels the international community, particularly through the norms and mechanisms of international law, to do all that it can to stop and to prevent further systematic violence against ethnic and religious minorities” (Beckwith, 2015). This quote was taken directly from the original Charter of the United Nations.
Conclusion
Pope Francis's address to the UN General Assembly (2015) was masterful. His character provided a platform for his messaged to be received. His use of rhetorical devices and reasoned arguments based on shared texts and values, provided a point of agreement for listeners. His appeal to emotions made abstract concepts become concrete and hopefully propelled the leaders to decisive action.
References
Beckwith, R. T. (2015, September 25). Transcript: Read the Speech Pope Francis Gave to the United Nations. Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/4049905/pope-francis-us-visit-united-nations-speech-transcript/
Goodstein, L., Yardley, J., Cave, D., & Davenport, C. (2015, September 24). Inside Pope Francis’ Address to Congress. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/09/24/us/pope-francis-address-congress.html
Pope Francis. (2016, January 26). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 26, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pope_Francis&oldid=701688773
Sengupta, S. & Yardley, J. (2015, September 25). Pope Francis Addresses U.N., Calling for Peace and Environmental Justice. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/26/world/europe/pope-francis-united-nations.html