Pope Francis apparently not amused by 'communist crucifix'

Catholic News Agency ^ | 7/9/2015 | Alvaro de Juana and Elise Harris

[EBH]

When leftist Bolivian president Evo Morales on Thursday presented Pope Francis with a “communist crucifix” – a carving of Christ crucified on the hammer of a hammer and sickle – the Pope's only reaction was to say, “This is not ok,” while shaking his head.

Shortly after his July 8 arrival at the Bolivian administrative capital of La Paz, Pope Francis made a courtesy visit to Morales at the Palace of Government. At such meetings, the leaders customarily exchange gifts; Pope Francis gave the Bolivian president a mosaic of the Marian icon of the “Salus Populus Romani,” her role as patroness of Rome.

Morales explained what his gift to the Pope was as he gave it to him. In the video, filmed by the Vatican Television Center and transmitted throughout the world, the Pope's disapproval of the gift can be seen, and he says “No está bien eso” – “This is not ok” – while shaking his head.

While the audio is a bit marred by the clicking of journalists' cameras, the embarrassment of the Pope seems clear.

[Red Badger]

http://www.hjta.org/california-commentary/how-many-divisions-does-pope-have/

[Alex Murphy]

It’s too early to pull off the mask.

What's underneath the mask - a reptilian "albino lizard pope"?

[Wilderness Conservative]

OMG! What a picture.

[Texas Fossil]

He has openly appeased the Liberation Theology crowd.

They indeed now take their masks off.

[golux]

I’m not Catholic - though I would be if I were a Christian - but it seems to me like pulling sleight-of hand PR tricks with the Pope is a bad idea.

[livius]

Notice that he’s wearing the same symbol on a “pectoral cross” around his neck, also presented by Morales. This bizarre thing was carved out of wood in the 1970s by his hero, the Communist Jesuit whose grave he stopped at on his way in.

I’ll cut him some slack and say that he perhaps didn’t notice what was on the “pectoral cross,” but I don’t know - he obviously would have recognized it, since it was done by and associated with the other Jesuit.

[mj1234]

you can actually see a video of the exchange-

TO ME——

It looks like they are BOTH SMILING!

there is no shock... that I can see
there is no frown-

There is no shaking of the head-

AND THERE HAS BEEN KNOW OFFICIAL REJECTION!!

BTW— this bolivian dictator has removed the Cross and the
Bible from the official residence-

[Charles Martel]

I'm reminded of the Spanish Inquisition / slot machine scene in "History of the World, Part I":

Torquemada (sotto voce): "Put in in the car..."

[Paladin2]

Communion’s spelling IS quite close to communism. Probably even have the same root word.

[EBH]

I agree, no observable shock, more though of an uncomfortable nervous nod and polite smile.

Like when someone gives you a totally inappropriate gift...you smile and nod.

[Jeff Chandler]

the Pope's only reaction was to say, “This is not ok,” while shaking his head.

Kudos to el Papa.

[Paladin2]

"This crucifix was either the property of or a copy of the one made by Fr. Luís Espinal Camps (at right), a Spanish-born Jesuit tortured and killed by the Bolivian authorites in 1980.

Fr. Espinal is today often considered to be a patron of justice among Bolivia’s poor. "

[Smittie]

Well the cross symbolizes death, and the hammer & sickle is a symbolization of death, so maybe this could be seen as Jesus’s victory over death & communism...

[Oberon]

Cue RAGE BOY!!!!

Oh, wait... that's a different group entirely...

[MasterGunner01]

The Pope looks shocked when he's confronted by a Communist spouting Liberation Theology and Social Justice heresies — all manufactured for naive Catholics by the KGB to destroy the Church. Well, like duh Pope Francis, haven't you met a real Communist before? These guys are not nice people. They need to be destroyed because their aim is to wipe out the Catholic Church and replace it with Marxist ideology. The new socialist man or woman is the same desperate human under the Communist boot for over a century around the world.

[miss marmelstein]

Next, Obama will be saying it! (If he hasn’t already.)

[BlatherNaut]

you can actually see a video of the exchange- TO ME—— It looks like they are BOTH SMILING!

+1

He looks absolutely delighted with his gift.

In permitting Morales to drape junk (and in this case, horrible, blasphemous junk) around his neck, he once again undermines his office.

[piusv]

But that’s not what he said per Fr Lombardi.

[piusv]

Communist Bling!

[FR_addict]

“Fr. Espinal – whose “communist crucifix” was the model for Morales’ gift to the Pope – was a journalist who advocated for human rights and democracy, continues to be a source of controversy in Bolivia.

While en route from the La Paz airport to the presidential palace, Pope Francis stopped to pray at the location where Fr. Espinal’s corpse was found after his March 21, 1980 kidnapping and murder.”

So he stopped at the location of the death of the priest who originally started the “Communist Crucifix”. I couldn't hear what he said on this video, but he did take the cross into his hands. So if he had any qualms about the Communist Crucifix, he doesn't have any qualms about Communism.