Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul says he hopes Pope Francis' message to Congress during his visit to the United States isn't "overly critical" of the capitalist system and our country.
Still, Paul said he's interested in learning what his opinions are.
"You know, I hope it's a message that's not overly critical of our country or the system that's made us the richest country in the world and also the most humanitarian," Paul told Catholic Radio on Tuesday. "I don't know enough to understand what he's been saying about capitalism and I hope it's not directly an insult to our country or to our system, but I am interested in learning more about what his opinions are and seeing exactly what he has to say."
While the pope's critiques of capitalism have riled some free market advocates, Paul said it's important to note the wealth engineered by capitalism. The pope is set to address Congress on Thursday.
"Yeah, I think it's also very important though that we understand how we are the most humanitarian country in the world," said the Kentucky senator. "You know, Cuba doesn't create great wealth. They don't have the ability to help people around the world. In 2014, Americans privately gave away $214 billion and that's because of the great wealth of the great engine of capitalism."
"And while capitalism does make people rich, it also makes the poorest people in our country richer than any poor people in any other country in the world," Paul continued. "And that doesn't mean that everybody's got an easy life in our country, but compared to other countries our economic system does work better than any economic system has ever worked in the history of man."
Take a listen to the audio:
