Pope declined to meet with Pompeo
Category: News & Politics
Via: sister-mary-agnes-ample-bottom • 4 years ago • 15 commentsBy: Kaelan Deese 41 mins ago (MSN)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Pope declined to meet with Pompeo
The pope declined to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on his visit to the Vatican this week, claiming that a meeting before Election Day would be inappropriate.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's second-ranking official, told reporters, "Pompeo asked to meet" the pope, but was turned down because Pope Francis "clearly said that he does not receive political figures ahead of the elections," The New York Times reported.
The rejection for Pompeo to meet the pontiff comes after the secretary of state wrote in conservative magazine First Things earlier this month that the Vatican compromised its moral authority by signing a 2018 accord with China.
The accord - which expired this year but is in talks for renewal - allowed Beijing to have input concerning the nomination of bishops.
Parolin said Pompeo's article was a "surprise" because the already planned visit to meet high officials at the Holy See would have been a "more opportune" forum for discussing disagreements over international accords.
He also took issue with Pompeo's choice to publish in First Things since the conservative Christian magazine previously called Francis a failure as a pope.
"We know that the interpretation doesn't only come from the text, but also from the context," he added. "The venue already says something about the intention of those who wrote this article."
Parolin said there is no evidence Pompeo's article and visit were meant to aid President Trump's re-election, but said "it is a thought that can be made."
Pompeo dismissed any assertion that his visit was for electoral pursuits, saying, "That's just crazy."
"We've been working on human rights in China the entire time I've been part of this administration," he added.
Massimo Faggioli, a professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, told the Times he believes Pompeo's visit was prompted by electoral motivations.
"It's an appeal to an electorate that is bigger than the Catholic vote, it's also the evangelical vote," Faggioli said.
The Hill reached out to the U.S. Department of State but did not immediately receive a reply.
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Pompeo dismissed any assertion that his visit was for electoral pursuits, saying, "That's just crazy."
Pompeo disses the Pope, and thinks he's going to be welcomed with open arms for a political photo op? And who is Mike kidding with his 'That's just crazy' comment? He was just surprised that the Pope figured it out before hand.
Totally fake news.../s
Waiting on them all now to start hating on the Pope, even while praising their crappy SC nominee by praising her as Catholic.
when confessing to a regular priest just doesn't cut it ...
The Pope is more respectful of our political process than our own government officials. More savvy, too.
I like this Pope.
Bullshit asshole. You just got called out for your obvious activity.
After all why would a progressive pope want to meet with a Secretary of State for a President of the worlds only superpower who has three nominations for the peace prize? Blessed are the peacemakers!
I know. Our country right now is so peaceful....
What, no Instagram?
LOL. Well, if Arafat could get the Peace Prize, even Trump could.
GOOD!!! I've started to LIKE this Pope.
Perhaps Pope Francis concluded that it was in nobody's interest to meet with a christian dominionist?
My take is that Pompeo tried to tell the Pope how to run the Church and the Pope has in effect told Pompeo to kiss his uhh errr ring and check back after the elections.
That I would not doubt. After all, Pompeo is all knowing about all things to know everything about.