Pope Francis’s Hypocritical Politicking

by Victor Davis Hanson // National Review Online

 

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20 thoughts on “Pope Francis’s Hypocritical Politicking

  1. First, when Jesus and the Bible warn that Saint Peter is a knucklehead, why would we be surprised with knuckleheaded Christian leadership?

    Second, in the larger context of our post-logical human mental ecosystem where we remain enslaved by the “truth” that is defined as what contradicts fact and logic, there are no known real time Solutions, aka effective responses to this Reality. @hnmsci

  2. I have been very disappointed with Pope Francis. His rhetoric is so…bland. He seems a garden-variety liberal/progressive done up in finery.

    I don’t mind *what* his stances are nearly as much as lack of depth to them. I expect some thoughtfulness from a Pope.

  3. Re: “But do we really want a priest in the role of Bernie Sanders or Ted Cruz, dressed in ancient Roman miter and vestments, addressing hot-button issues with divine sanction?”

    i think that is a compelling question in our tumultuous days where we see a definite slinking to the ‘immoral’ as we see despots and vicious autocrats trash democracy, human rights and experiencing extremists as ISIS proclaim their coming with outright murder with beheadings and mass killings.

    Francis is not speaking in a way such as a ‘Sanders’ or a ‘Cruz’ and the like but as a personage of an institution that is in direct opposition to what passes as an example of the actions human beings in the global community. He in his opposition highlights the secular failure in coming to grips with the problems of our time. That is a man not looking for votes but for a consensus in focusing on grave problems in our society. To not listen to what he has to say is foolishness.

    Truly with his criticisms he carries the mantle of democracy, human rights and human potential. He I believe realizes we are world in great transition both in the secular and spiritual phase. And finally as a great moral authority it arguably would be better if he would have his ‘chat’s from the lectern rather than ISIS and their immoral ilk.

    1. “But do we really want a priest in the role of Bernie Sanders or Ted Cruz, dressed in ancient Roman miter and vestments, addressing hot-button issues with divine sanction?”

      Basically YES. When churches were strongest they chirped with all kinds of politicking on the hot button issue of the week. Repeating generic niceties such as “love thy neighbor” for decades does not actually increase the love shown to neighbors.

      FYI Popes do condemn terrorism and Latin American dictators all the time; it’s just not news worthy.

  4. It’s amusing and disturbing to see people like Boehner weeping and acting like they are in the presence of a god. The pope is nothing but a cardinal elected by his peers to run the church, a job that somebody has to do. If only these weepy people knew about all the unsavory characters who have in various periods of history held the title of Bishop of Rome perhaps they would exercise a little more common sense and skepticism.

    At least we can be grateful that Catholics are a minority in America.

  5. The Pope bashes capitalism and wealth accumulation, but is silent concerning the enormous wealth of his church. Anyone who has toured the Vatican Museum looks upon gold, gems and art works so valuable no one can really put a Euro dollar price tag on the mountain of riches housed there. Throw in the church’s global land holdings and now we are talking a global conglomerate. Your article sheds much light on the hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic Pontif. It was interesting to see both Liberals and Conservatives hyping the Pope’s comments that aligned with their ideology. It appears Francis had something for everyone. I tired of the constant press coverage and finally tuned it out to pursue my capitalist way of life.

  6. If he were truly worried about climate change he would support contraception and abortions. Instead, sticking to dogma…in the act of procreation, there must always be the potential for life…and each life has a soul and we have the potential of sending that soul to the Lord…Allah be praised!

    One can therefore casually forget the details of living in the here and now.

  7. Maybe the pope will return all the gold stolen from peasants in the middle ages and open the gates of Vatican City for these poor refugees? When he does that then I’l know he is serious.

  8. The problem with any leadership convention is that someone no one wants — in this case, an old liberation-theology Marxist hack — comes up the middle.

  9. Likewise I turned off the non stop coverage after I got the jist.
    As usual you put into words many of the thoughts I’ve had about this man.
    Of course you’re too much of a gentleman to say what I think:
    The guys a jerk!
    Why are we the bad guys for complaining about illegal immigrants?
    Why give us a lecture?
    Why not lecture Mexico?
    Shouldn’t Mexico improve the conditions that make their people want to leave?
    Why doesn’t Vatican city take in refugees and finance their relocation?
    No we’re not the bad guys and Capitalism isn’t a bad system but this guy, His majesty King Emperor Pope
    in his magic robes and Catholic yarmulke reflects and iterates nothing but bad thinking any way you slice it.
    (I apologize for the negative internet Troll tone here but this man disgusts me. Don’t post this comment if you like, I had to vent)
    Thanks for the great writing.

  10. I DVR’ed all of the ceremoniouses and fast forwarded through most of the Fox and CNN political and otherwise broadcasts. I haven’t watched a news broadcast live in the past year. for that matter I DVR all of the shows I wish to see

  11. The ever more rapid desemination of the scientific method of establishing truth in all spheres is making increasingly irrelevant these relicts of humanity’s past. It may take another generation or two but the Catholic Church is finished.

  12. FYI, I agree with everything you have said in your columns over the year. This one should be required reading for every American. I have always wondered why our politicians (and others–like the pope) don’t take on the leaders of countries who make life so unbearable that their people are driven to leave. Most all these countries have wonderful natural resources that people could take advantage of to make a living and stay put. Thank you for your common-sense spproach to the major issues of the day.

  13. So millions of American children are stuck in shamefully mediocre public schools while the children of the more affluent and elite get to attend decent schools. Think of these schools as “countries”, both “rich” and “poor”. What I would like to see are the poor kids stuck in Washington DC’s worst schools to simply show up at more desirable schools, like the Sidwell Friends School or any of the Archdiocese of Washington schools and simply “immigrate” there. When I say “immigrate”, I mean, just show up, unprocessed and uninvited. I think that any of these “dreamer” children who wants to go to any of these better schools should be permitted to do so, regardless of their legal or economic status.

    Naturally and contrary to how they feel about our current border policy, the Progressive administrators of these schools would immediately call law enforcement and will have these “invaders” arrested for “trespassing”, and would insist that the law be enforced, the children evicted and arrested. They might also insist upon action being taken against their parents as well for encouraging and enabling the trespassing. The parents of the children attending these elite schools will insist the same. They’ll lament about the questionable health and hygiene of the “dreamer” kids, as well as the negative social influence they may have upon their precious children. They’ll be horrified, and wonder how this was allowed to happen, and will demand action against it.

    Interesting and hypocritical, don’t you think? I’d love to see this happen. If we’re going to eliminate the borders, let’s eliminate all of them, or at least make the people not doing so look like hypocritical jerks.

    What I’m talking about is taking it to the next, logical level to mirror what is happening in immigration. At least there’s a legal process for re-defining school boundaries. I’m talking about anarchy, which is basically what our current immigration situation is. The kids from P.S. 307 should literally invade P.S. 8. They should walk into any classroom and take any seat. If there are no seats available, they should either shove someone who has one out of it, or those with seats should be made to share. Any P.S. 8 student (or parent) who resists should be berated as xenophobic and a racist. As the Dumbo article mentions, many of the P.S. 307 kids have behavioral issues. The P.S. 8 students should be made to live with it, be it distractions from learning or physical violence.

    Let’s make the President and Pope’s dream a reality for our kids and their sheltering parents.

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