via REUTERS
Pope Francis continued to voice his support for racial justice and distaste for anti-lockdown protestors this week. In a new book published Tuesday, Francis criticized unnamed politicians and media organizations for spreading misinformation about the virus. In the book, entitled Let Us Dream, the pope even called out some Catholic and Christian voters. He called them, “superficially religious people [who] vote for populists to protect their religious identity, unconcerned that fear and hatred of the other cannot be reconciled with the Gospel.” In addressing the police killing of George Floyd, the pope called the 46-year-old father’s death a “gross violation of human dignity.” But he clarified that he does not support the removal of Confederate statues, saying that it’s dangerous to remove traces of history. Pope Francis has a track record of speaking out in support of racial justice, including during the Black Lives Matter protests this summer, when he called a Texas bishop to thank him for taking a knee in recognition of the toll police brutality has taken on Black lives.