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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

More on the Pope Francis/Kim Davis thing

From The Atlantic - Why Did Pope Francis Meet With Kim Davis? ...

[...] That this meeting happened is somewhat of a surprise: Davis has been one of the most polarizing figures in American politics in recent months, seen by some on the right as the foremost fighter against violations of religious liberty. When Pope Francis came to the U.S., his message was exactly the opposite—one of unity and reconciliation, not combativeness.

But it’s not surprising that the Vatican went about it this way. During his visit, the pope made a non-public stop to speak with victims of sexual abuse that the Vatican didn't announce until the last day of his trip, hoping not to distract from the pope’s larger message. This is how the Vatican often arranges controversial meetings: privately, and not to be shared until later


Yes, we're all too painfully aware of the Vatican's secrecy policy .... think sex abuse cover-up. You would think that the Vatican would have learned by now that deception is the enemy of trust.

The pope's comments about religious liberty and conscience sound good but I think he's being disingenuous. If the Pope is so supportive of conscience, why did he not reinstate Fr. Roy Bourgeois, the Maryknoll priest who was laicized, excommunicated, and dumped from his order because his conscience prompted him to support women's rights in the church .... he had the chance when Fr. Bourgeois sent him an open letter asking for his consideration. Nope, this isn't about conscience, it's about the Pope's very negative feelings on marriage equality.

More from NCR - Pope Francis met Kentucky clerk Kim Davis

3 Comments:

Anonymous Richard said...

I have a feeling these impromptu audiences are kind of managed by local Bishops with access and an agenda. Who knows, maybe it will engender a change of heart.

4:23 PM  
Blogger crystal said...

Sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case with Davis. The NCR article says it was the Vatican, not any US Bishops, that initiated the idea of the Pope meting her, and that he had been following her story in the news for some time ...

*** Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel, which has been representing Davis, told CBS News that the Vatican contacted him a few days before the pope was to arrive on his historic visit, his first to the U.S., because Francis had been following Davis' saga "and obviously is very concerned about religious freedom not just in the United States but worldwide." ... Staver said he worked with church officials to sneak Davis and her husband, Joe, into the Vatican embassy in Washington where Francis was staying. They arrived in an SUV, he said, and Davis hid her distinctive long hair "in a different way because her hair is very recognizable from the mug shot." .... Staver told The New York Times that Vatican officials set up the meeting and U.S. bishops were not involved. He did not identify the Vatican officials. ****

4:44 PM  
Anonymous Richard said...

always with the sneakiness...sigh:(

9:54 AM  

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