We Get A Clue In Winter

On Friday, Sam Seder stated (video below) of the meeting of Pope Francis and Kim Davis on his Majority Report

The reason why it was surprising for some people is that Pope Francis has made a point of saying "Look, I'm not exactly changing Catholic dogma but I am changing our priorities as to what we should see as being urgent" and he basically said "You know these social issues like the existence of, and the marriage of, gay people, even the question of abortion, they're important they're not that important. They shouldn't define Catholicism's face to the world."

Presumably, we'll learn in 3-4 months whether Pope Francis, as suggested by Seder, wants his religion to be seen less as intruding into the flock's private decisions about sexuality than about "saving the planet and some kind of economic justice."







Via Crooks and Liars via Alan Colmes on Liberaland we learned on Friday

Pope Francis and the Vatican have to rely on local authorities of the church when there is a visit to foreign countries, and if there is a sense that the Pope has been misled, there is hell to pay. Visits with the Pope in D.C. were arranged through the office of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the papal nuncio, or envoy, in Washington.

The Rev. James Martin, editor at large of the Jesuit magazine America, had cautioned in an article this week that the pope meets many well-wishers on his trips, and that news of the meeting with Ms. Davis had been manipulated.

"I was very disappointed to see the pope having been used that way, and that his willingness to be friendly to someone was turned against him," Father Martin said in an interview on Friday…

Archbishop Viganò is turning 75 in January, the age at which bishops must submit a formal request to the Vatican asking for permission to resign. These requests are not automatically accepted, and bishops often stay in their appointments well past age 75. But if Archbishop Viganò is held responsible for what is seen as a grave misstep on an important papal trip, he is likely to be removed at the first respectable opportunity, according to several church analysts.

Charles Pierce, who is inclined to give the pontiff the benefit of a doubt, wrote the initial post suggesting Vigano's responsibility for Francis' meeting and his subsequent interview with ABC News' Terry Moran. He blames the "high level clerical ratfcking" on "civic layabout" Davis, "her most recent husband, and her dingy legal team."

Still, Pope Francis must not only talk the talk, but walk the walk because actions speak louder than words and the proof is in the pudding (cliche day here at the blog!). Arguably, taking any action now against Archbishop Vigano would provoke additional controversy undesired by the pontiff. But within a few months, Pope Francis will have a chance to demonstrate that he is the real deal.






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