Posted on 01/03/2015 6:49:15 AM PST by NKP_Vet
When the Washington Times brandishes the banner headline “Obama finds an ally on political controversies at the Vatican,” it may be time to step back and assess what exactly is transpiring.
From income inequality to Cuba and soon to global warming, it seems that Pope Francis is doing some heavy lifting for President Obama, his political agenda, and his legacy. That’s not to say that’s what the Pope intends; it is to say that this may very well be the outcome of what the Pope actually doing.
Suffice it to say, the Pope’s interests are primarily evangelical. Economic structures that enrich the few but keep the many impoverished are certainly immoral. Only plutocrats would disagree. Political structures that accrue power to the few but exclude the many from the process are certainly immoral. Only oligarchs would disagree. Destroying the Earth’s biosphere is certainly immoral. Only the most virulent “anti-greenies” would disagree.
Yet, Pope Francis appears to be completely tone deaf to the message that his actions communicate. He’s providing President Obama cover to advance an economic, political, and environmental agenda that is more ideological than rooted in economic, political, and environmental fact. Imagine what would have been said if President John F. Kennedy had said the following about St. John XXIII in December 1962, as President Obama did about Pope Francis in December 2014:
He played a very important role. The pope doesn’t wield armies. He can’t impose sanctions. But he can speak with great moral authority, and it makes a difference. And it certainly made a difference in this case.
What’s especially troubling is how the Pope’s actions embolden liberal Catholic American politicians, most of whom are Democrat, to promote the Pope’s actions while advocating their ideologically-driven economic, political, and environmental policies. Again, that isn’t the Pope’s intention; but, his actions do allow others to politicize them for their own personal and partisan ends, as if Pope Francis is goading them on.
The problem, it seems, is not with the Pope’s agenda as much as it is the way the Pope’s agenda appears to be one-sided. While he will assert very strong moral opinions about economic, political, and apparently, environmental injustices, Pope Francis seems not to be very interested in or much inclined to be equally assertive in expressing Church teaching when it comes to grave moral errors like abortion, divorce/remarriage, and homosexuality.
That the Pope is touted in the press as one of President Obama’s “greatest allies” is disconcerting at best. Income inequality, unjust political structures, and the environment are important issues that politicians must deal with and, yes, they should consult with religious figures across the globe to find moral ways to resolve those issues. Yet, this Pope appears to believe it more important to articulate his solutions to these issues forcibly which, in turn, provides diplomatic cover for politicians, than he is to express with equal vigor and clarity their abject failure to address the grave moral errors of this era.
As the Washington Times, noted:
“It’s not quite a gift from God but, politically, it may be the next best thing.”
AMEN!!!!
I had been a stalwart of Francis until he made outrageous claims about environmental degradation. That the Lord provides the earth for man’s use is the single fundamental Biblical principle. For a Pope to appear to rescind this covenant is blasphemous.
Impeach them both.
gift that keeps on giving...I thought they were talking about Plugs Biden.
The only Gift Obama has given us is a see through Trojan Horse. The contents were apparent from the beginning, for anyone ready to admit it.
I am not Catholic, so please do not take offense. But it just seems to me that the cardinals have elected a South American Chavista’ for Pope. Now we are all stuck with him for a long time to come.
I am catholic, and I agree.
This pope is a socialist looking to play politics, and I’m losing respect real fast.
Francis is a talking mule!
He’s also the reason, among many, that those of us who believe in the Roman Catholic Church: it’s rubrics, and its divine approach to worship and all the precious teachings that have served all well for the past 500 years are sedevacantists.
The popes, during and after Vatican II have much to answer to our Maker for!
Many hangers on believe that a new religion was created, and indeed it was.
Pope St. John Paul indeed!
The old catholic church, right after Vatican II, was leftist and silent on leftist social issues and often supportive.
It was a huge shock to the left when Mother Theresa came loudly out against abortion. Pope John Paul worked with Reagan to bring down the utopia of “equality.” Leftists like the Jesuits, went into a tizzy and were slapped down.
If these are the end times, the church has to go over to the communist dark side with the bamster and the NWO. He has to persecute and hate conservatives, naming himself as the Christian leader and authority and naming Christians who disagree with him, demon possessed. He already said division is of the devil. He named that division devil as “fundamentalists” and compared them to jihadi terrorists.
Interesting times we live in.
You know what I noticed for the first time a few days ago? That Benedict resigned just after Obama’s second inauguration. Then came Francis. Makes me wonder whether the timing here is no coincidence.
We DON'T know if he spoke about this or not, as the media always lets us know exactly what they want us to know.
Besides, it's not the Pope's place to condemn individuals, ESPECIALLY when said president was RE-ELECTED by American voters. Folks OBVIOUSLY think that we Americans think Obama in just "wunnerful." Why would any non-American think otherwise?
At Mass, I DO hear the Pope's words about protecting the lives of God's most precious new souls.
Do you REALLY expect any lamestream media to repeat THAT?
No doubt, Obama's "legacy" will tell the truth and crucify him.
IF I were Pope Francis, I would be very careful of the Big Zero we have as our president, he has bowed down to nearly all dictators in the world and he is anti-American, and he doesn’t like any religion other than Muslim, so I will be watching when he knifes Pope Francis in the back, as he will....
AMEN to that also!!
Pope Francis: Toward a New Religion for the forward thinking
La Salette Journey ^ | January 3, 2015 | Paul Melanson
During the Jubilee Year (on March 6, 2000), Cardinal Giacomo Biffi asserted what I had been saying since the mid 1990s, that the Antichrist is walking among us.
Cardinal Biffi said the Antichrist was not the beast with seven heads described in the Book of Revelation but a “fascinating personality” whose outward charm and plausibility had deceived his enemies. The cardinal said the Antichrist espoused vegetarianism, pacifism, environmentalism and animal rights.
He also identified the Antichrist as an expert on the Bible who nonetheless promotes “vague and fashionable spiritual values” rather than the Scriptures. He advocates ecumenical dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, including Anglicanism and the Orthodox Church. This appeared to be a worthy aim, but was in fact being used by the Antichrist in an attempt to water down and undermine Catholicism to the point where it collapsed.
The cardinal did not say whether he had any particular world figure in mind, and his real target seemed to be the substitution of “feel-good” causes, such as ecology and humanitarian aid, for “true religion”.
Feel-good causes such as ecology and humanitarian aid as a substitute for true religion. Is there any doubt that this is the agenda which is driving the papacy now. Even now, Pope Francis prepares an Encyclical embracing the Green Religion (see here). And the Pope who says, “Who am I to judge,” when it comes to the homosexual orientation, thunders when it comes to humanitarian aid.
The rest of the history
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3243140/posts
‘The old catholic church, right after Vatican II, was leftist and silent on leftist social issues and often supportive’.
Not true. The Catholic Church has never been liberal on abortion, marriage and homosexuality. After Roe v. Wade Catholics basically stood alone in protesting the slaughter of the unborn. Catholics started the pro-life movement.
Not true. I was in Catholic school when nuns promoted abortion in classes. They were not outspoken against it like they are now because too many were for it.
You are seeing the same thing repeat with homosexuality now. They have refused to admit that the molesters were homos and act logically upon that fact by purging homos.
I said the Catholic Church has never promoted marriage as anything but a man and woman for life. No abortion of any kind, and have always taught homosexuality is sin if acted upon.
There have always been bad apples, but it absolutely is not Church doctrine.
And you are wrong about the homosexuality. Catholic investigation into the sex abuse cases in the church said that about 80% of the sex abuse cases involve homosexual priest abusing your teenage boys. It’s the liberal media that tries to whitewash the truth about the offenders. That’s because liberals agree with the homosexual lifestyle, but they also despise the Catholic Church so they attempt to paint all priests as sexual deviates. A very small percentage of priests have ever been charged with sexual misconduct. Pope Benedict took a firm stance on priestly sexual abuse and it now harder for a homosexual to lie his way into the seminary by denying his homosexual tendencies. Some still lie and become priests, the exact same way there are homosexuals in any faith.
The gay mafia is alive and well in the Catholic church. Sorry.
And on abortion after Vatican II, it’s like Obama enforcing immigration laws. You can say “we have laws protecting the borders” but it’s not real.
We will agree to disagree on our very different experiences of “the church.”
Guess that’s why the majority of catholics vote dimocrat!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.