Mixing religion and politics is always a delicate undertaking. Persons of faith always have to be careful when they enter public debate. As far as we know, God is not in the habit of endorsing political platforms or parties.Not everyone seems to realize this. In the United States the Republic party, by hi-lighting certain hot button-issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, has tried to become the Party of Roman Catholics. Although Canadian politicians are less likely to wear their religion on their sleeves, certain members of Parliament have also gone to great lengths to portray themselves as the voice of Catholics and other faith groups by focusing on the same issues.Then came Francis.With his emphasis on issues like poverty, refugees and the environment, and a de-emphasis on hot-button issues, he seemed like every progressive's dream come true. Here was someone who would fight back against these right-wingers and show the world which end of the political spectrum God is on.It seemed like everything fell into place. As if orders had come from central casting, we saw the emergence of Republican Congressman Paul Gosar, a devout Roman Catholic who announced that he was boycotting the Pope's speech because of its expected references to climate change. This was a subject, according to Gosar, where the Pope had adopted “all of the socialist talking points,” choosing to “act and talk like a leftist politician.”Gosar was correct. The Pope's speech to Congress and other statements during his visit did speak of climate change and a host of other so-called leftist issues like the plight of the poor. Progressives were elated — “Our side won!”But we just don't seem to get it. That is not what this is about. Francis is not taking sides, he is calling out each and every one of us — conservatives and progressives. He is asking us to reflect seriously on the type of society we have built and its inherent injustices and selfishness. He is asking us to think about our responsibility to each other and to the planet. Can we continue to live so comfortably as so many suffer and our planet becomes more polluted?What does Francis's message mean for Canadians in the midst of a federal election campaign? Canadian progressives may think that Francis is on their side but I'm not sure that the platforms of any of the major parties would support such a claim. The focus has been primarily on the economy and the plight of the ill-defined “middle class.” Occasional reference is made to the environment but not in a way that would cause anyone to fear radical change. And although it is true that the refugee situation has become a major issue, world events — not our political leaders — forced it on the agenda.And as for poverty, from what we can tell, all the mainline parties are opposed to it — although based on their silence on the subject, it's sometimes hard to tell. Our party leaders seem to be lacking the passion of Francis who, in addressing homelessness during his visit to the United States, observed: “We can find no social or moral justification, no justification whatsoever, for lack of housing.”Faith can have a powerful impact on our political discussions because it brings an outsider's perspective to the conversation and is not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom. As Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote in his 1989 book, Who Needs God, even if religion “can't change the facts about the world we live in…it can change the way we see those facts, and that in itself can often make a real difference.”Or as Francis said in his address to Congress: “It is important that today, as in the past, the voice of faith continue to be heard, for it is a voice of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person and in each society.”This is not an instance of realpolitik verses utopianism. Anyone who knows anything about Francis knows that he understands the messiness of the world, which is why he mixes visits to homeless shelters and prisons alongside meetings at places like the White House or the United Nations.No one is expecting our federal election to be about the dismantling of capitalism or the overthrow of our society. But maybe as a starting point, our leaders could show a little more solidarity with all members of our society, including the most vulnerable. They could also recognize that the first step in demonstrating any sense of collective responsibility to each other, and to the planet, is to acknowledge that there are aspects of our comfortable lifestyle that are not sustainable. Not popular planks for many of us, it seems. But that would be getting ourselves — the left and the right alike — on the same side as Francis.John Milloy is a former Ontario cabinet minister who served as MPP for Kitchener Centre from 2003 to 2014.  Prior to that, he worked on Parliament Hill, including five years in the office of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. He is currently the Co-director of the Centre for Public Ethics and Assistant Professor of Public Ethics at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, and the inaugural Practitioner in Residence in Wilfrid Laurier University's Political Science department. He is also a lecturer in the University of Waterloo's Master of Public Service Program. John can be reached at: [email protected] or follow him on twitter at: @John_Milloy.