At the end of an interview with New York Democratic Congressmen Charlie Rangel and Gregory Meeks on tonight's edition of Hardball, MSNBC's Chris Matthews implored fellow Catholic Rangel to get in touch with Pope Francis to get him to speak out about the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and the choke-hold death of Eric Garner on Staten Island, New York.
Matthews made the comment after Rangel said "Holy Mother Church" was not speaking up on those issues as it should. Rangel quickly clarified he was not singling out the Roman church but talking about but "all of the churches" as well as "all of the synagogues" who could also speak on a moral plane about how "human beings should be treated with dignity."
"You ought to get a hold of our church, the one you and I share. Get a hold of the pope, because I think he'll listen to you, Mr. Rangel," Matthews replied. "I'm dead serious," Matthews added.
"If I could get [through] to the pope, I've got it made," Rangel quipped. "I'm 84 and I'm not taking any gambles with the priests and the bishops. Not right now."
"I know. They're all Republicans, the bishops," Matthews added before thanking his guests.
This is hardly the first time Matthews has complained that American bishops of the Catholic Church skew heavily Republican -- in an attempt to deny their moral and ecclesiastical authority.
