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    The Pope's Parting Gift to Bigotry

    By Ramona on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 7:29pm | Politics, Religion

    While much of the country was still coming off of the Papal Visit high last week (it was a trip, wasn't it?), that parade was not only rained on yesterday, it was deluged.

    Less than a week after Pope Francis the Terrific thrilled the country with a visit that filled our very souls with joy (Right?), the Papal love-fest is threatening to become a veritable wash-out. How did this happen? How could it happen?

    (Posting at Crooks and Liars.  Read more here.)

    Topics: 
    Politics
    Religion

    Comments

    Mona, you're writing for C&L now? Awesome!

    I'm waiting for a good Catholic marriage clerk to claim that her religious beliefs prevent her from signing a marriage certificate for divorcees.


    by Michael Wolraich on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 7:39pm

    Yes, it looks like I have a spot there!  Thanks to Susie Madrak.

    We could make parallels like that all day to show how silly it is, but the Right will go on using "religious beliefs" as an excuse to discriminate--apparently without any sense of irony.  

     


    by Ramona on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 7:52pm

    I think it's important to note that Davis is not just fighting to "practice" her religion as she see it. She's also forcing the other clerks in her office to practice her religion. She's say she will not sign a marriage certificate for same sex marriage and she will not allow any other clerk in the office to sign one no matter what their beliefs.


    by ocean-kat on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 8:00pm

    I think she backtracked on that and agreed to let them sign, but then she announced that their signatures weren't valid.  Only her signature is valid.  I think she lost.


    by Ramona on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 8:05pm

    Story update. The Vatican released a statement which should mollify those of us who thought the Pope was wrong to meet with Kim Davis.

    Per Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi:

    "Pope Francis met with several dozen persons who had been invited by the Nunciature to greet him as he prepared to leave Washington for New York City," Lombardi said, referring to the Vatican's diplomatic mission. "The pope did not enter into the details of the situation of Mrs. Davis and his meeting with her should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects."

    The statement also added explained that the meeting could not be described as a formal audience.

    "Such brief greetings occur on all papal visits and are due to the Pope's characteristic kindness and availability," it said. "The only real audience granted by the Pope at the Nunciature was with one of his former students and his family."

    Davis was earlier this week quoted as saying that Francis was "on track with what we're doing and agreeing, you know, it kind of validates everything."

    However, the Vatican statement indicates the pope did not express any view.


    by HSG on Fri, 10/02/2015 - 8:41am

    Hal, 

    If Hilary Clinton released a statement half that weaselly, you'd get three blog posts out of it.

     

     

     

     

     

     


    by Michael Maiello on Fri, 10/02/2015 - 10:04am

    Michael - you and Ramona both write that Francis had a "private meeting" with Kim Davis.  In fact, that appears not to have been the case.  Also, according to Lombardi, the Pope did not make the decision to include the hater among those he honored.  I'm not seeing any "weasel".


    by HSG on Fri, 10/02/2015 - 10:31am

    "Secret meeting," confirmed by the Vatican.

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kim-davis-pope-secret-meeting

     


    by Michael Maiello on Fri, 10/02/2015 - 11:02am

    Your link is to a September 30 story.  TPM uses the term "secret" but the Vatican does not.  The spokesman Federico Lombardi merely acknowledges they met.  Today Lombardi elaborated that the Pope met with Davis along with other supplicants and that there was nothing secret about it.  http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/us/kim-davis-pope/


    by HSG on Fri, 10/02/2015 - 1:21pm

    The Pope's private visit (and hugs) with his former student, a gay man, and his partner, is enough to take the wind out of Kim Davis's sails.  Her lawyer can sputter all he wants but now they'll have to stop  insisting the Pope is blessing her efforts to discriminate.  She's done. I'm happy.


    by Ramona on Sat, 10/03/2015 - 5:03pm

     

    Here is a thoughtful and rather long essay on the Church and the Pope and his visit to the U.S and his meeting with what's-her-name and on religion and American politics, and women's rights as Catholics and Sanders and Warren and Trump and news coverage and ... ... .

    http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/10/02/the-saints-march-in-the-donald-and-the-pope/


    by A Guy Called LULU on Fri, 10/02/2015 - 11:32am