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On May 17, I published an article in the Italian newspaper La Verità about pope Benedict’s abdication. A few days before, in a renowned Italian geopolitical magazine called Limes, Professor Germano Dottori had argued that Joseph Ratzinger’s 2013 abdication, and the former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s resignation in 2011, after a financial storm sold to public opinion as a “public debt” crisis, were the result of pressures on the part of Obama administration in the United States. According to Dottori, Obama was eager to dethrone Benedict XVI for two reasons. On the one hand, his presidency was close to...

Normally, the issue of the pope's infallibility wouldn't much concern me, but it does get my attention when opportunists attempt to leverage his heft to advance their political agenda. As an evangelical Christian, I don't subscribe to the view that the pope is infallible, but I respect Catholics who do and have no desire to offend them in the slightest. So let's put aside the question of whether the pope is infallible and assume, for argument's sake, that he is.The next question is on what range of issues is he deemed infallible? Without researching the matter too deeply, I think...

A few days ago, I wrote about some of the guests who had been invited to the White House reception in honor of Pope Francis. President Obama and Pope Francis may be sympatico on climate change, capitalism, and other far-left issues, but when it comes to the teachings of the Catholic Church, they don't agree on much. The president will put this to the test, because he has invited a pro-abortion nun, a gay bishop, and a transgender female to the White House to meet the pontiff. Pope Francis has shown himself to be tolerant, but isn't this a...

Franklin Graham Calls Obama's Guest List for Papal Visit 'Disgraceful' By Sandy Fitzgerald 19 Sep 2015 10:42 AM President Barack Obama's guest list for Pope Francis' visit next week "should raise a lot of eyebrows" the Rev. Franklin Graham said on Facebook Saturday, calling the resident's plans "disgraceful and obviously inappropriate." "Is there no end to the lengths the president will go to in order to push his sinful agenda?" said Graham, who shared a link from The Wall Street Journal about the president's plans. "It’s wise of the Vatican to question President Obama’s guest list for the Pope’s visit...

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks May 12 at the Catholic-Evangelical Leadership Summit on Overcoming Poverty at Georgetown University in Washington. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn) CRUX posted a report yesterday about the "Catholic-Evangelical Leadership Summit on Overcoming Poverty" held at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and attended by President Barack Obama. Here are the opening paragraphs of the story: When it comes to fighting poverty, President Barack Obama wants American Christians to act a lot more like Pope Francis. Obama called Francis “transformative,” saying the pope’s “insistence” that fighting poverty be at the heart of the Christian life has made him...

President Barack Obama is slated to meet with Pope Francis in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 23, and Obama already has a list of topics he hopes to discuss. In a press release Thursday, the White House laid out some of the president's ideal subjects for the talk, and said that Obama "looks forward to continuing" conversations he and Pope Francis began during their initial meeting at the Vatican in March 2014. The topics on Obama's agenda are ones that both leaders have made top priorities in their careers thus far. Here's what he hopes to chat about with the pope:

USA Today has the announcement that President Obama will meet with Pope Francis next month, and hopes the Pontiff will prove useful to his political agenda: President Obama will meet with Pope Francis on March 27, capping a European trip that will take him to the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy. "The president looks forward to discussing with Pope Francis their shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality," said a statement from White House press secretary Jay Carney. Sounds like a swell afternoon! Maybe President Obama can show the Pope some photos from his luxury vacations, or his wife's protracted...