The Vatican is offended by the Obama administration’s decision to invite an array of religious dissidents, including transgender activists and an openly gay Episcopal bishop, to greet Pope Francis on his visit to the United States.
A senior Vatican official told the Wall Street Journal that they are concerned photos taken of Pope Francis near the controversial guests “could be interpreted as an endorsement of their activities.”
When the Pope arrives at the White House Wednesday, some of his greeters will include “Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Anglican bishop who’s now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a think-tank with ties to the Democratic Party, and Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the Catholic social justice lobby Network, and a leader of the ‘Nuns on the Bus’ advocacy tours,” reports the Associated Press.
Sister Campbell wrote a letter signed by over 60 heads of religious orders that urged Congress to pass Obamacare, even as U.S. bishops expressed concern that the bill would provide funds for abortion and contraception, in violation of Catholic teaching. Her support for the Affordable Care Act was recognized by Obama when he signed it into law.
Other guests of concern to the Vatican include Mateo Williamson, the former co-head of the Catholic LGBT organization Dignity USA, who is transgender, and Aaron Ledesma, an openly gay Catholic blogger.
“‘The presence of these figures is especially irritating,’ the Vatican official said, ‘because it isn’t yet clear if the White House has invited any representatives of the U.S. anti-abortion movement, traditionally a high-priority cause for the U.S. bishops,'” reports the Wall Street Journal.
American politicians have used photos with Pope Francis to advance their own agendas before. In July, Bolivian President Evo Morales draped the Pope with a hammer and sickle medallion and handed him a “Communist crucifix.”
And in August, Argentine president Cristina Kirchner tweeted a photo of the Pope holding a sign handed to him at a general audience that read in Spanish: “It’s time for dialogue between Argentina and the United Kingdom on the Falklands.” In both instances, the Vatican stressed that the Pope did not endorse these agendas, but their occurrence underlines the Vatican’s agita over the White House guest list.
The White House could not be reached for response on the Vatican’s reaction to the guest list.
However, on Thursday White House press secretary Josh Earnest said while he did not know all the names on the guest list, reporters shouldn’t jump to conclusions because “there will be 15,000 other people there too.”
The White House hopes to downplay its disagreement with the Catholic Church on life issues during the Pope’s visit, but the Vatican official’s comments come the day the U.S. House voted to suspend funding of taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider.
The Vatican has not responded to a Washington Examiner request for comment.
