Pope Francis Basically Just Retweeted Black Lives Matter

WASHINGTON -- Pope Francis didn’t explicitly mention the Black Lives Matter movement during his speech before Congress on Thursday, but his feelings on the fight for racial equality were loud and clear.

During the address -- which came just days ahead of his scheduled visit to meet with inmates and their families at a prison in Philadelphia -- the pope invoked the legacies of Thomas Merton, who strongly supported the civil rights movement, and Martin Luther King Jr., who arguably embodied it.

"All political activity must serve and promote the good of the human person and be based on respect for his or her dignity," Pope Francis said. "Here too I think of the march which Martin Luther King led from Selma to Montgomery 50 years ago as part of the campaign to fulfill his dream of full civil and political rights for African Americans. That dream continues to inspire us all. I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of dreams -- dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people."

Francis further spoke of the need to "defend and preserve the dignity” of all citizens, and to pay particular attention to the needs of those “in situations of greater vulnerability or risk." He called on Americans to follow King's example in fostering "a culture which enables people to dream of full rights for all their brothers and sisters." He also said that “just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation."

By channeling two noted civil rights champions, Pope Francis suggested a way to connect Black Lives Matter, which has been criticized for being too narrow, with broader ideas of social justice....