The Left and Right Try to Lobby Pope Francis Months Ahead of U.S. Visit

Against the backdrop of a presidential election—and one in which several of the candidates are Catholic—Washington is trying to find out if the leader of the Catholic church is susceptible to influence.

Pope Francis prays during a special consistory with cardinals and bishops, in the Synod hall at the Vatican, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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By Melinda Henneberger

June 19, 2015 at 10:00 AM UTC

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In Rome last week, a Vatican official who had already seen Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment had this advice for a visiting American who was concerned that the pontiff was about to blame man for changing the Earth’s climate: You might not want to read it, then.

That’s one way Catholics have been able to avoid the disagreeable experience of ever disagreeing with their pope: Just play dumb and keep walkin’. Another strategy, though—and one that’s become far more blatant under Francis—is to try and influence him by passing messages through those around him. Lobbying, in other words.