Maybe it's just me but it seems last week the message in response to the Kim Davis debacle was in essence: "My God before my Country!" Now this week we have the Pope visiting asking us to think about taking in refugees and the reaction from the religious right is: "This is a country of laws! We can't simply take in whoever wants to come!" The right leaning radio shows also raise a fuss about Obama being chauffeured around in the lap of luxury on Air Force One and a cavalry of cars. But the Pope shows up in a Fiat Panda and they call it a "Clown car" Why do the religious right of this country (The US) have such a beef with the current Pope when he epitomizes the Christian faith by literally feeding the poor, washing the soles of their feet, etc etc?
I'm not a Catholic, but of course I have a lot of respect for the religion and the Pope. That being said, when it wades into areas like economics and climate change he really sounds uninformed and quite ridiculous to be honest. The way he also seems to disregard borders is a bit clueless as well. I'm all for people practicing faith, but we have a secular government, so we can't go passing laws to appease every religion.
There is that thing called separation of the church and state. To me, that clearly means the tendency to have different directions for the church and the state. As was said, "this is a country of laws" which may not be agreeable to the church. It's funny when religion interferes with the government affairs. Last month there was a case filed against the ministers of a Christian sect. The government's justice department handled it. And what do you know, that church protested the investigation and held a rally for 4 days in bandying that idea - separation of church and state.
It's all about the politics of the situation. The Pope is not just a religious leader he's like the President of a whole nation in essence and the members of this nation are Catholics. The Vatican is not just the religious center of the Catholic faith but it's also a political and financial institution that has it's own voting body. Any attack is just propaganda against one or the other. There are many people out there who wants to undermine the Obama administration and the Pope himself.
While I'm not religious at all, I do respect the pope but think he needs to stick to talking about religion and maybe getting his own house in order before he starts talking about politics and a countries human rights record. Is he qualified to talk about this? I didn't think so either...
Politics affect religion and the pope must talk about it. If humans self-destruct due to climate change, will the pope just keep quiet and say 'hey, I am not spposed to talk about anything excpet the church.'
Protecting and preserving the planet we all live on may have a political aspect and may have political consequences, but it transcends politics. What good is getting what you desire politically if you can't live to enjoy it? All humans who eat and breathe have a right, even a duty, to speak up about the earth's environment and sustainability.
I do not think it is political to say we must help those in need and not turn them away. And I think what he is saying about climate change is up to the minute accurate. He is not saying what laws to pass or what people to elect. He is reinforcing the message of Catholicism which is compassion, conscientiousness, humility, serving others, and following the Bible. That last one involves various things I do not agree with like opposing marriage equality but I still appreciate the overall approach of this Pope. And unlike most politicians and most religious leaders) he practices what he preaches -- opposing rioting against migrants right outside his door, feeding the homeless, and ignoring those who find this inconvenient because it makes more homeless go tho that area. He is not a hypocrite and that is rare enough in the halls of power that it needs to be respected.
I don't know right from left in political speak, but it sounds like the people who are complaining about him are confused hypocrites. I'm not religious, but I like what he has to say and I agree with most of it. He comes across as sincere, and that in itself is a rarity in leaders these days.
