Pope Francis in Shantytown

[longknife]

No matter what you think of him, when was the last time you saw a major world leader walk through a place like this?


Story @ Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to shantytown on outskirts of Rome

 

[waltky]

Mebbe he'll forgive the White House...

Catholic Leaders Denounce White House for Inviting Pro-Abortion, Gay Rights Activists to Pope’s Reception
September 18, 2015 -- Prominent Catholic leaders are denouncing the White House for inviting pro-abortion and gay rights activists to a reception honoring Pope Francis during the pontiff's visit to Washington next week.

The Wall Street Journal reported that “the Vatican has taken offense at the Obama administration’s decision to invite to the pope’s welcome ceremony transgender activists, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop and an activist nun who leads a group criticized by the Vatican for its silence on abortion and euthanasia.” “It is a disgrace,” Princeton Professor Robert George told CNSNews.com. “Barack Obama is a president who would not even raise the case of imprisoned Saudi dissident Raif Badawi when visiting Saudi Arabian King Salman, lest the king's religious sensibilities be offended. He is a president who makes a deal with the Iranian regime without demanding release of Christian pastor Saeed Abidini, who languishes in a prison cell because of his faith. “Yet this same Barack Obama insults the Pope and faithful Catholics everywhere with stunts like this.”

Fr. Frank Pavone, founder of Priests for Life, who told CNSNews.com that he was not invited to the reception, said that this was part of the administration’s larger pattern of disrespect towards religion. “This president, this administration has a pattern that I've noticed over the years, and some of it has intersected with me quite directly,” Pavone said. “It is a pattern of really disrespectfully stepping into divisions within the Catholic community and stepping in on the wrong side of those divisions, using the Catholic Church and using the trappings of Catholicism to advance his own morally incompetent agenda.”

National Right to Life president Carol Tobias, who is not a Catholic, characterized the invitations as “an insult,” adding that “it’s not a surprise that President Obama, who is a pro-abortion ideologue, would thumb his nose at the pope and the teachings of the church.” “I think it’s an intentional attempt to hijack Pope Francis’s visit for LGBT causes and perhaps get some photos of activists with the Holy Father,” said Catholic University Professor Jay Richards.

Fr. Marcel Guarnizo, who was placed on leave from the Archdiocese of Washington in 2012 for refusing to give Communion to a self-identified sexually active lesbian, told CNSNews.com the invitations are “awful, of course. Every step of the way, they are trying to orchestrate the [pope’s] visit, with the unfortunate help of some bishops.” “It is so fitting that the least friendly administration to religion in history would invite a collection of pro-abortion nuns, Catholic gay activists, assorted dissidents and religious rebels to attend Pope Francis' visit to the White House on September 23,” Catholic League president Bill Donohue said in a statement. Noting that “Catholic-baiting is nothing new in Washington,” Donohue accused President Obama of taking it “to a new level” in an “attempt to exploit a papal visit to promote an agenda that is offensive to faithful Catholics.”

Catholic Leaders Denounce White House for Inviting Pro-Abortion, Gay Rights Activists to Pope’s Reception

See also:

Billy Graham: ‘God Hasn’t Changed … I Warn You That His Wrath’ Will ‘Explode' on the Sexually ‘Immoral’
September 18, 2015 | Pastor Billy Graham, one of the most respected and influential Christian evangelists of the last 60 years, said that God gave us “moral laws” about sex “that are absolute and unchangeable,” and for those who engage in sexual immorality, God’s “wrath” will fall on them and “upon those who encourage others to indulge in immoral practices.”

“From the very beginning, God has given us moral laws governing the subject of sex that are absolute and unchangeable,” said Pastor Billy Graham in a radio broadcast that was re-published in the September issue of Decision magazine. “Nowhere does the Bible teach that sex in itself is a sin. But from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible condemns the wrong use of sex.” “According to the Bible, morals are not relative. They are absolute,” said Pastor Graham. “There is noting in the Bible that would lead us to believe that God has ever lowered His standards. The seventh commandment says, ‘You shall not commit adultery’ (Exodus 20:14.” “This commandment has never been revoked or changed in the slightest degree,” said the reverend. “Jesus went further and said, ‘You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28).”

Pastor Graham continued, “God has not changed. What was wrong from the beginning is still wrong today in God’s sight. … He is absolute.” “And I warn you that His wrath is going to explode upon those who are immoral and upon those who encourage others to indulge in immoral practices,” said Pastor Graham. Commenting on some of the commercial aspects of American culture in terms of sexuality, Billy Graham said, “We allow our magazine shelves to be filled with obscene literature. Our young people have very little restraint placed on them. In many universities religion is frowned on and sexual freedom is idolized.”

Speaking further about adultery, the reverend said, “Jesus hated this sin so much that He said it is the only thing that can break a sacred marriage contract.” “The Bible teaches that this sin leads to hell,” said Pastor Graham. “In 1 Corinthians 6, the Bible says that no immoral person can inherit the kingdom of God. There are hundreds of passages that indicate the wrath of God is being stored up against those who commit such sins.”

In conclusion, Billy Graham stressed that legislation cannot cure or fix “moral degradation.” “The truth that is often overlooked is that while we become deeply concerned and rightly take steps to curb the evil, legislation cannot work a cure in these things,” said Graham. “Many people are confident that legislation will solve our problem.” “Our problem is deeper than that,” he said. “It is the constant problem of the individual sinner before God.”

Pastor Graham made those remarks in a 1953 radio broadcast that was published this month by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) because its topic, theme, and warning are clearly relevant to the current culture of America. In addition, as the BGEA says, “The unchanging truth of God’s Word speaks to hearts in every generation. Let it change yours.” Billy Graham, 96, has been preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ for the last 60 years in the United States and around the world. Over the decades, his message reached an estimated 2.2 billion people through 400 preaching crusades in 185 countries on six continents. He is retired and spends most of his time at his home in Montreat, N.C.

Source

 

[longknife]

I did not copy the link but saw a report where Francis indicated he would not mind having a dialogue with gays and other opposition types.

Looks like Obozo's seeing if he meant what he said.

 

[blastoff]

Ah, the pontiff walking among the needy poor. Well, since he's such a redistributionist I'm sure when he gets back to VC he'll order up the sale of the vast wealth of (stolen) treasures, expensive real estate holdings worldwide, and other church valuables so he can donate the proceeds to all the poor folk of the world.

Or, he might be afraid if he gave such an order he'd be the next pope to wake up dead in the morning.