Joe Biden’s entourage requested permission for the president to attend Mass with Pope Francis during his European visit, which the Vatican “nixed,” according to a Wednesday report from Catholic News Agency (CNA).
The Vatican’s refusal stemmed from “the impact that Biden receiving Holy Communion from the pope would have on the discussions the USCCB [U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops] is planning to have during their meeting starting Wednesday, June 16,” the report stated, citing an unnamed Vatican source.
Tuesday’s report corrects a prior CNA story alleging that the president would meet with the pope on June 15, which will apparently not occur.
I’ve noted more than once that Francis while having some good points is a bit of a lemon as a Pope compared to the Saints but can you imagine his thinking that it’s not convenient to meet Joe Biden, the 2nd Catholic US president?
Ed Morrissey is a tad skeptical because of the single source and notes this:
This sounds a bit too good/bad to be true, but it’s certainly possible. Biden and his team would loooooove to get some political cover with a papal audience, as would most US presidents, and might even expect it with his own status as a practicing Catholic.
It’s not clear why the Vatican would refuse to even meet with Biden, however. Popes meet with world leaders all the time, even those whose agendas cut significantly against Catholic teachings. Except on abortion, there isn’t that much space between Biden and Francis, just as there wasn’t between Francis and Barack Obama, who had no trouble getting a papal audience when in office. And let’s not forget that Obama had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI in Obama’s first year in office, too. That gives some reason for skepticism about the veracity of this report.
It’s pretty clear why the Holy See wouldn’t want to provide Biden with the optic of Pope Francis offering him communion, however. They wouldn’t want to bigfoot the USCCB on this specific issue, assuming the White House requested this at all:
Francis being Francis and the Vatican being the Vatican Biden will eventually get a meeting but the irony here is palitable.
Why you might think the Vatican knows he’s not really in charge or something.
Personally I think he should meet him, after all admonishing sinners is a spiritual work of mercy.
Update: I think it would be much better if Biden asked if he could meet the Pope for Confession, in fact if I was in charge at the Vatican I’d arrange for the Pope to offer confession to any leader pol etc who met with him privately.
Now that we’ve seen reports of heavily “Hispanic” towns and cities in Texas voting GOP I’m wondering if the left is re-evaluating their border policies? It’s been joked for years that if they thought illegal immigrants would vote against them the left would have built the wall decades ago.
None of this should be a surprise, after all these folks didn’t leave one shithole to come to another
I really was taken by the report of the North Korean defector being amazed at the amount of censorship of thought going on around here lately. It was an important reminder that being American doesn’t confer immunity from tyranny stupidity, ignorance and most importantly cowardice without which none of these woke warriors would be able to function.
The degree of cowardice is simply astounding.
Our media has been very North Korean like lately or should I say it’s been that way for a while but only recently have they been publicly exposed in terms of lie after lie. So many that Donald Trump even took a victory lap in terms of how many false stories they pushed where he was right and they were wrong.
Spreading disinformation is dishonorable on their part. Knowing that it’s going on and doing nothing about it is dishonorable on our part.
The media and even the Biden Administration doesn’t care what we actually know as long as we play along and let them do it.
Of course the most North Korean thing going on has been the treatment of the Jan 6th protestors by this government in terms of charges, holding of people incommunicado etc. That this is going on while the people who literally burned cities were and still are given a pass is a national disgrace. That so many in law enforcement in the Capital and in the FBI are going along with this are a bigger disgrace.
I find myself turning to this speech from the 1935 Movie Captain Blood when he is asked at trial to plead Guilty or not Guilty to joining the Momouth’s rebellion:
Prosecutor: Peter Blood… guilty or not guilty?
Dr. Peter Blood: It’s entirely innocent, I am!
Clerk of the court: Take the stand and face his Lordship. [Peter Blood does so] Are you guilty or not guilty? You must use the right words.
Dr. Peter Blood: Words is it? Oh. Not guilty. And speaking of words, I’d like to say a few about the injustice of keeping an innocent man locked up for three months in such filth and heat and ill-feeding… that my chief regret is I didn’t try to pull down the filthy fellow that sits on the throne!
Who knew so many had ambitions to tyranny?
Finally I’ve noticed that on Rule Five Sundays at the other McCain Wombat (who is in charge of said post) has shifted from highlighting established stars to international cosplay girls in the lead of said post (many of them Russian).
Now while I acknowledge the cultural changes of the readership, concede that beauty is not confined by boarders and even smile at the idea of these young ladies making a living as models bypassing official agencies that might exploit them I really question the wisdom of those who might go to their sites and subscribe.
After all, in an age of ransomware attacks do you really want your credit card, bank or even paypal information in the hands of a Russian site just to look at some girl playing dress up?
Remember your information’s security is only as good as the least trustworthy or careful person holding it.
If these are the results with the full pressure of media and government and Hollywood and academic can you imagine what people would be saying without all of that.
I wonder how much of their efforts are to convince themselves?
Daniel Hughes [PM senior policy advisor]:Jim Hacker will win though with a thoroughly public spirited self sacrificing policy. The PM will probably kick him upstairs: Lord Hacker of kamikaze.
Sir Humphrey:I hardly think that’s funny Daniel or likely
Daniel Hughes: Why not? I mean he [Jim Hacker] ran the leadership campaign against the PM didn’t he? This could be the PM’s master stroke. In one fell swoop, approbation, elevation and castration. In one fell swoop You know the PM’s motto: “In defeat malice, in victory revenge”
Yes Minister: The Writing on the wall 1980
In yesterday’s piece I wrote this quite startling proposition:
This is heading to a place where the people left in the military will be the ones who will when a woke officer decides that a crowd of conservatives are a threat and says “Fire”
This is heading to a place where the people in the police will be afraid to stop a looter or a violent criminal of the left but will not hesitate to fire at or arrest a person of the right defending themselves or their property.
Ashley Babbitt is the future the left wants for us. Her death is not a bug it’s a feature to them.
One enough people realize this is the case all hell is going to break loose.
To a lot of people I’m sure this sounded alarmist just like in the 90”s those of us who saw the logical conclusion that “civil unions” would lead to were told. It took but a generation for the calls for “tolerance” to become an inquisition any who would declare these now dubbed evil words:
The question is how did we get to this point and why are we heading to where we are going.
Easy. We have a society and culture that is divided between it’s Christian component (Traditionally American) and non Christian (Communist Marxist) society.
That is why as I wrote years ago the enemy for the left is always Christianity because the rules of Christianity are anthemia to all that the left wants to achieve:
Love your enemies, Thou shalt not steal, all men are equal before the Lord, Honor your father and mother, male and female they created them, Thou shalt not kill.
All of these principles are deadly to the left but the worst of all is the Unity of belief in Christ in Christ and the brotherhood of man. Many passages of scripture are hated by the left but none more than this one:
One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that (he) answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Mark 12:28-34
Love of God, the idea that there are principles and rules beyond ever changing memes and the love of neighbor not limited by the division of rich and poor, of race, of national origin, or of sex all of these are poison to he left. As Paul Wrote:
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:27-29
You can’t divide and conquer if all men are brothers , nor can you wreak vengeance if you embrace empathy and tradition:
Shame not a repentant sinner; remember, we all are guilty.
Insult no man when he is old, for some of us, too, will grow old.
Rejoice not when a man dies; remember, we are all to die.
Spurn not the discourse of the wise, but acquaint yourself with their proverbs; From them you will acquire the training to serve in the presence of princes.
Reject not the tradition of old men which they have learned from their fathers; From it you will obtain the knowledge how to answer in time of need.
Kindle not the coals of a sinner, lest you be consumed in his flaming fire.
Let not the impious man intimidate you; it will set him in ambush against you.
Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
Matthew 18:21-22
For forgiveness is what checks hate and division and once you have forgiveness, once you seek 1st the kingdom of God then ends and means goes out the window. And you can find no better description of the tactics of the left than the parable that followed that passage:
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. 22 He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt.
Matthew 18:23-30
This is the left all over. Begging for tolerance when they are weak and wreaking vengeance when they are strong but it That is what the left is, that is what the left always will be and that is why they must be fought while we still can. Our willingness to stand up and having courage to fight against this will be our second greatest test.
It, like the parable started above will end bad for them.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
Matthew 18:31-35
And it it does end bad for them, either by our courage to fight it now or by the courage of our our children and grandchildren who will throw off their yoke, our greatest test will be to forgive them after we prevail.
