Pope Francis on Political Campaign $
on Saturday, March 14, 2015Pope Francis Money Quotation saying… and the bill comes due when special interests expect to be repaid for campaign support. Pope Francis said:
“In the financing of electoral campaigns, many interests get into the mix, and then they send you the bill” — Pope Francis
Pope Francis seems to be cautioning about the influence of moneyed interests in the political process. Specifically, he suggests that many different groups and organizations (“many interests”) provide financial backing (“financing”) for electoral campaigns.
However, the Pope implies that their support often comes with strings attached, as these donors will later “send you the bill” and expect favors or policies in return for their contributions.
Overall, the quote indicates that Pope Francis views campaign financing as compromising for politicians, making them beholden to special interests that funded their elections and now have implicit leverage over their decisions as elected officials.