Pope Francis
72 pieces tagged “Pope Francis”, newest first.
The Speaker Steps Down
Speaker John Boehner stunned the D.C. political establishment [Friday] morning when he announced that he would resign from Congress at the end of October. Conservatives have grown increasingly frustrated with his leadership. So much so that Rep. Mark Meadows filed a resolution at the end of July to "vacate the chair" — the speaker's chair.
Redistribution: The Unconquerable Delusion
"A pope that mentions Dorothy Day is a pope that rocks," tweeted Neera Tanden of the left-leaning Center for American Progress. Tanden might have wished to reel back that praise if she had known that Day, though a prominent pacifist and socialist, was also a fervent opponent of abortion, birth control, Social Security and the sexual revolution. It's fitting that Pope Francis should have invoked Dorothy Day among his pantheon of great Americans — she's a symbol of where leftists always go wrong. This pope is going wrong in the same way. The left's delusions of "social justice" seem indomitable — impervious to evidence.
The Pope-Exploiter in Chief
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 we can safely assume that it is only on doctrinal matters. But where do we draw that line? The question is interesting because theology often overlaps with politics and because everything in our society seems to be about politics these days.
CR Fails, but Fight for Life Continues
[Thursday] morning, in a historic moment, Pope Francis of the Holy See addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress. "The Golden Rule," Pope Francis said, "... reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development." We could not agree more. The fight for the lives of the unborn in America has been raging stronger than ever, as the curtain has been pulled back and America has seen the realities of what happens at Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the nation.
The Fashionable Pope
Pope Francis has enjoyed a high-spirited welcome in the United States. The infectiously likable pope kissed babies along his parade route in Washington, D.C., and performed a soaringly beautiful mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine there. He is an endearingly charismatic figure, but judging by his highly anticipated speech before a joint session of Congress, not exactly an orator. His wording was stilted. The pope talked about entering "into dialogue" — with workers, with the elderly, with young people — and said he wanted "to do so through the historical memory of your people." The most memorable line of the entire address was the concluding "God bless America!" — an obligatory sentiment that gains much more heft coming from the bishop of Rome.
In Address to Congress, Pope Defends Dignity of Politics, Work, Life, Family, and Freedom
Before a joint session of Congress this morning, Pope Francis delivered a rousing address calling upon Americans to live up to the highest of our nation's ideals. Pointing to Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton, Francis praised Americans for their commitments to "liberty," "liberty in plurality and non-exclusion," "social justice and the rights of persons," and "the capacity for dialogue and openness to God."
The Clock, the Pope and Totalitarian Apologists
In Irving, Texas, a few days after the anniversary of September 11, a 14-year-old boy named Ahmed Mohamed took a clock to school that he had assembled inside a pencil case. He claimed he wanted to show it to his science teacher. Afterward, the clock started beeping in another class, and Ahmed got in trouble. We know he was arrested for disrupting school. We know he was not very cooperative. But beyond that, we do not know much more than the public relations spin his family and the Council on American Islamic Relations have put out.
Pope Doesn't Say Much About Climate After All
But there are two problems with what Francis did say.
It's the Pope, Mr. Obama, Where Are Your Manners?
President Obama threw a big shin-dig for Pope Francis and the guest list caused all sorts of controversy. A gaggle of gay activists were invited to scarf down cocktail weenies at the White House — along with an openly gay Episcopal bishop and some pro-abortion Catholics. Catholic Online accused the president of setting up an LGBT ambush.
The Pope's Problem
I've been a Roman Catholic since 1954. I have great respect for Pope Francis. When it comes to matters of faith and morals, what he says, goes. But when it comes to politics and economics, the pope is about as far from infallible as anyone can get. For example, he was in Cuba earlier this week, meeting informally with Fidel Castro and touring the island to say Masses and meet with priests.
Francis Confuses Corporatism and Capitalism
The pope arrives in the U.S. to lecture us about poverty and climate.
Senate Stalls Late-Term Abortion Bill
The Senate had an opportunity [yesterday] to show the world what a humane and compassionate country we are. Unfortunately, it failed miserably when Senate liberals voted to filibuster legislation saving unborn babies from late-term abortions. This should not be a controversial issue. The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is so named because studies indicate that children at an advanced stage of pregnancy are capable of feeling the pain inflicted by the abortionist's instruments. Only seven nations permit abortions under most circumstances past 20 weeks. Polls show that the American people — especially women — overwhelmingly oppose late-term abortions.
The Left Has Its Pope
Pope Francis has created political controversy, both inside and outside the Catholic Church, by blaming capitalism for many of the problems of the poor. We can no doubt expect more of the same during his visit to the United States. Pope Francis is part of a larger trend of the rise of the political left among Catholic intellectuals. He is, in a sense, the culmination of that trend. There has long been a political left among Catholics, as among other Americans. Often they were part of the pragmatic left, as in the many old Irish-run, big city political machines that dispensed benefits to the poor in exchange for their votes, as somewhat romantically depicted in the movie classic, "The Last Hurrah."
What Pope Francis Should Tell America
I, as with almost all of my fellow Catholics, am awaiting Pope Francis' arrival this week with Christmas-morning type anticipation. This relatively new pope is maybe the most popular man on the planet as he spreads the core Christian message of loving thy neighbor and caring for the least among us. He is an apostle of hope and virtue, and he comes at a perfect time when so many millions of Americans are mesmerized by such false idols as egomaniac Donald Trump. A national publication recently labeled me one of Francis' four most severe Catholic critics, along with Ken Langone, a founder of Home Depot. My critique has been over the Vatican's alliance of late with anti-Christian environmental groups on global warming and his recent encyclical letter attacking free-market capitalism — which he says leads to "poverty and income inequality."
Francis' Fact-Free Flamboyance
Pope Francis embodies sanctity but comes trailing clouds of sanctimony. With a convert's indiscriminate zeal, he embraces ideas impeccably fashionable, demonstrably false and deeply reactionary. They would devastate the poor on whose behalf he purports to speak — if his policy prescriptions were not as implausible as his social diagnoses are shrill. Supporters of Francis have bought newspaper and broadcast advertisements to disseminate some of his woolly sentiments that have the intellectual tone of fortune cookies. One example: "People occasionally forgive, but nature never does." The Vatican's majesty does not disguise the vacuity of this. Is Francis intimating that environmental damage is irreversible? He neglects what technology has accomplished regarding London's air (see Page 1 of Dickens' "Bleak House") and other matters.
Obama's Guest List
President Obama met with Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler at the White House [Thursday]. It's about time. Skarlatos, Stone and Sadler are the American heroes who tackled a radical Islamist on a French train four weeks ago, saving scores of lives. While Obama praised their courage, his statement completely ignored the attacker's motives. Never once did the words "radical Islam" or "jihad" cross his lips. Nevertheless, it was a good a photo-op, which the White House needs given the brewing controversy with the Vatican.
