Pope envoy's criticism of poverty in the U.S.

An envoy of Pope Benedict XVI criticized the U.S. for letting some endure poverty, saying during a tour of Louisana and Mississippi areas afflicted by Hurricane Katrina:

Many were struck by ... poverty, at times shameful, in rich America. I do not want to hide my personal fear -- that the superpower isolates itself and remains isolated even in dealing with the disaster. In this dramatic emergency, the United States must not be abandoned.

I am not a Catholic, so obviously the Pope doesn't have a significant symbolic or religious part in my life, but one thing I can admire about the Catholic Church is at least speaking to issues that are related to their tenets, such as poverty and the death penalty. While I vehemently disagree with its stance on abortion, I can at least respect that the Church is against the death penalty and the Iraq War as well, unlike those religious people who favor the death penalty and the war but still claim to be pro-life. It would be nice if religious people would use their sprituality and knowledge of their religious texts to question some of the destructive things in which they believe.