By now most of you know that Bernie Sanders is headed to Vatican City to speak at an event hosted by Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. I am not going to get into the he said/she said/they said conversation around who invited whom or how the whole thing came about. That’s all over the internet and you can read about it here or here.
But I do take objection about using the pope as a political football. And that’s exactly what’s been going on:
Senator Bernie Sanders was excited on Friday to announce that he would travel to Rome this month to give a high-profile speech at the Vatican, but the trip quickly spurred an international dust-up amid confusion about how he got invited and whether he would meet Pope Francis.
Mr. Sanders did not initially correct interviewers who suggested that he would meet with the pope, but he later clarified that he had not confirmed whether the two men would actually meet.
I hope the pope has enough sense to not meet with Senator Sanders and once again insert himself into the American presidential race It is inappropriate and I would question it’s ethics. And considering that within my lifetime President John F Kennedy had to deny that his presidency would be influenced by the Vatican…it just wouldn’t sit right.
And before you get up all in my face on this, keep in mind we were all up in arms just a week ago about aldermanic candidate and carpetbagger Chris Wiken’s use of Archbishop Listecki in his campaign. See Zach’s post here.
And I hope the Sanders campaign disavows nonsense like this:
Let’s keep ALL religion out of our campaign! nuff said.
All’s fair in love, war, and especially politics. Fortunately or unfortunately!
Although Pope Francis is a religious “progressive”, he is wise enough not to be “used” by Bernie or even if Hillary converts to Catholicism to counter Bernies new found religious zealotry.
Either way, it’s something new; the “private server ” topic is sooooo old, boring, and “nothing there.”
Benghazi…Benghazi…Benghazi!!!
Sanders and Pope Frances meeting is a natural, considering what the Pope has said (see http://billmoyers.com/2013/11/26/pope-francis-calls-unfettered-capitalism-tyranny/) and (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL9j4D7-Uxs). I am not anti-Democrat or anti-Pope. I was raised as a Lutheran, although I have since had a hard time agreeing with their politics of evangelicalism. I do not match the criteria to be a WELS Ron Kind citizen.
What Sanders and Pope Frances are responding to is the amorality prescribed by “free trade” Adam Smith (read http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam031/2001037390.pdf)… This is what FDR represented, and why he was elected President four times, as would noone else.