Thread: Vatican Disputes Obama's Guest List for Papal Visit

-On the eve of Pope Francis’s arrival in the U.S., the Vatican has taken offense at the Obama administration’s decision to invite to the pope’s welcome ceremony transgender activists, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop and an activist nun who leads a group criticized by the Vatican for its silence on abortion and euthanasia.

According to a senior Vatican official, the Holy See worries that any photos of the pope with these guests at the White House welcoming ceremony next Wednesday could be interpreted as an endorsement of their activities.

The tension exemplifies concerns among conservative Catholics, including many bishops, that the White House will use the pope’s visit to play down its differences with church leaders on such contentious issues as same-sex marriage and the contraception mandate in the health care law.

The White House didn’t respond to requests for comment on the Vatican’s reaction to the ceremony’s guest list. White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Thursday he was unaware of the names of individuals on the guest list...

http://www.wsj.com/articles/vatican-...sit-1442533549

This will be interesting to watch.

Let's see if Obama shows up in a wig, wearing lipstick.

this could b a popeless situation....

I'd love if he refused to come!

Originally Posted by Femme*

I'd love if he refused to come!

Wouldn't that be wonderful! It just might be the wake up call that a lot of catholics need to shake them out of the mindless tradition of always voting democrat.

Huckabee criticizes Obama’s ‘classless’ treatment of pope

-Former Arkansas governor and 2016 Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is going after the Obama administration for inviting gay and transgender rights activists to Pope Francis’ welcome ceremony in Washington D.C. this week, calling the decision “classless.”

Huckabee issued a statement on Monday morning arguing that Obama was turning the pope’s visit to the White House into a “politicized cattle call for gay and pro-abortion activists.” The former Baptist pastor asked, “Why is it that Obama goes to extremes to accommodate Muslim terrorists but shows nothing but disdain for Christians? This is a new low for an administration that will go down as the most anti-Christian in American history...

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/huckabee-...treatment-pope

Originally Posted by wheeze

this could b a popeless situation....

Excellent pun!

Interesting article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/us...ncis.html?_r=0

I liked the final paragraphs:

At the same time, Mr. Obama must also proceed carefully. Already, some reports have accused him of trying to politicize the visit by inviting critics of the church to the White House arrival ceremony. The White House responded by noting that it expected 15,000 people, including those with a diversity of views.

“The pope has to assume that he’s going in and people are going to use him,” Mr. Wehner said. “I think President Obama will try it. It’s up to the pope not to let that happen.”

But it looks like this is another "manufactured controversy".

The handful of guests in question are among 15,000 who will be taking part in the reception; it's not like the Pope will be asked to take a photo with these guests or to shake their hands.

And the claim that the "Vatican has taken great offense" is based on a Wall Street Journal article that mentions an "unnamed Vatican official" as the source.

Numerous non-Catholic individuals (including evangelicals) were invited to attend the ceremony, and these guests were told they could bring friends of their choosing.

http://www.religionnews.com/2015/09/...ican-not-much/