Great American Prophets: Pope Francis's Models of Christian Life by Daniel Cosacchi (review)

Reviewed by: Great American Prophets: Pope Francis's Models of Christian Life by Daniel Cosacchi Daniel P. Horan OFM Great American Prophets: Pope Francis's Models of Christian Life. By Daniel Cosacchi. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2022. 192pp. $29.95. It is rare that a single public address by any person can rise to the level of such significance that it becomes the source of study, reflection, and analysis beyond its immediate context. Such exceptional moments of historical oratory in American history might include Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech and Abraham Lincoln's 1863 "Gettysburg Address." But as Daniel Cosacchi's book bears witness, Pope Francis's 2015 address to the joint session of the United States Congress is worthy of joining such a Pantheon of oration. Cosacchi structures the book around the four figures that Pope Francis named in his address: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. Lifting them up as models of [End Page 72] American faith-in-action and sources of inspiration, the pope introduced these four figures: "They shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people. A people with this spirit can live through many crises, tensions, and conflicts, while always finding the resources to move forward, and to do so with dignity. These men and women offer us a way of seeing and interpreting reality. In honoring their memory, we are inspired, even amid conflicts, and in the here and now of each day, to draw upon our deepest cultural reserves." In addition to individual chapters on each of the four figures, Cosacchi also bookends the text with reflections on the meaning—theological and practical—of prophecy. The introduction, subtitled "A Prophetic Papacy," takes as its starting point the prophetic character of Pope Francis's ministry and leadership. Cosacchi offers a brief introduction to the Hebrew prophets and shifts to suggest how contemporary people can learn from these biblical figures. Despite reference to the papacy in this chapter's title, there is little engagement with Pope Francis's writings or actions in the introduction. The next four chapters take up each of the four protagonists, beginning with Abraham Lincoln. Cosacchi weaves together contemporary social and political questions and figures with the historical context of Lincoln. He situates Lincoln, who was not Catholic, as someone who demonstrates a sort of anticipation of Catholic Social Teaching (generally recognized to have begun in the modern sense with Pope Leo XIII at the end of the nineteenth century) and also serves as an example of ongoing, lifelong Christian conversion. The chapter on Martin Luther King, Jr. likewise provides a brief biographical and contextual introduction to the late civil rights leader. Cosacchi highlights some of the ways he sees resonances between the preaching and teaching of both King and Pope Francis, and argues for a more engaged antiracism within the Catholic Church in the United States. In the next chapter, Dorothy Day, the co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, is also positioned alongside Pope Francis and others who advocate on behalf of the dignity and value of workers. Cosacchi also lifts up Day as a "patron saint of workers," highlights her pacifist views and activism, and suggests that philosophical leanings and manner of life align well with Pope Francis's teachings in Laudato Si' and the broader response to the current climate catastrophe. As with the previous three chapters, Cosacchi's chapter on Thomas Merton weaves together reflections on the American Trappist monk and other Catholic figures from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Cosacchi argues that Merton serves as a bridge-builder ("Pontifex" in Latin), which Pope Francis explicitly acknowledged in his 2015 address in naming Merton's manifold commitment to dialogue. [End Page 73] The last two chapters of the book take a broader perspective and move away from the four figures Pope Francis named and who are at the heart of this text. Chapter five, titled "Prophecy for Our Country and Time," returns to the general theme of prophecy and focuses on women religious in the United States. Chapter six, titled "Becoming Great Americans," is Cosacchi's conclusion. It...