Hold on to your hats. Pope Francis has given another presser aboard the airplane after he left the Lesbians on Lesbos.
Meanwhile, it seems that, contrary to earlier reports, presidential Socialist candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders did in fact meet the Pope very briefly.
At Crux 2.o there is a piece about the aforementioned presser. Apparently the Pope was asked about the political ramifications of meeting Sanders.
Bristling at impressions that his brief greeting of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Saturday ahead of a trip to Greece was a political statement, Pope Francis called it merely “common courtesy”, and said anyone who sees it differently needs “a psychiatrist.”
[…]
“When I came down, he introduced himself, I greeted him with a handshake, and nothing more,” the pope added. “It’s common courtesy, this is called common courtesy.
“If someone thinks that greeting someone is getting involved in politics,” he said, “I recommend that they find a psychiatrist.”
I agree entirely with His Holiness.
The Fishwrap and the entire DNC need a psychiatrist.
(Come to think of it, whenever these airplane pressers occur, I need a psychiatrist!)
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I don’t usually read Crux . . . unless it has been “Z-linked” in a post here at Fr. Z’s blog first, then, I’ll go have a look.
I read on a little further in the article and found a small chunk that might be worth posting – if it is what Crux says it is – the words of Pope Francis (another high altitude presser , mind you) when asked about the famous Footnote 351. Since we’ve all had a read and a say about what others are saying the Pope said on that one, let’s have a look at what the Pope said the Pope said on that one.
From the OP’s Crux 2.o linked article:
Oh for pity sakes–the pope also met Kim Davis…
What did the media do with that…?
Remember, if anyone else says, “Good morning,” to a politician, it’s common courtesy. When the Pope, or even a garden variety Catholic does the same thing, he’s “getting involved in politics,” and he should “mind his business and stick to religion.” Catholics are consistently evaluated with double standards.
It may not be the pope playing politics, but it appears Bernie certainly is. Trying to win NY with a very large Catholic voting populace preceded by visit to the Vatican? . . . nah, no politics on Bernie’s part, none at all.
The Catholic Thing reported the meeting’s agenda as follows: “Morning update: Though spokesmen said it would not happen, Pope Francis met briefly with Sanders – a strange thing to do given that we are in a bitterly contested election season – before flying to the Greek island of Lesbos this morning. They discussed refugees and a ‘moral economy.'”
Was it common courtesy that he intimated that a certain other politician was “not Christian”?
Yet another shameless attempt to win over “the Catholic vote”… :(
Snarky and unbecoming of the office holder, regardless of its validity.
..feigning ignorance of political head-games is dishonest. And sadly, those in positions of authority who gas-light their wives, children, friends do indeed send them headlong to a psychiatrist. It is the shrink who confirms the reality of mental abuse.
The recommended cure is most often to LEAVE the relationship…. or, at the very least, lay the blame on the abuser.
A “psychiatrist”, Father? Really? As in, loco…pazzo…crazy? Hmmm…
And, by the way, your blog is always a good place for one to visit when asking, What Did The Pope Really Say.
While it is amusing to see the recommendation to get one’s head examined, it diminishes the dignity of the papal office to come back with that kind of remark.
So the Pope met with Kim Davis and the Little Sisters of the Poor, and we’re not to draw any political context out of it. Then he made the Trump comment, now this meeting with Sanders. I recognize that the Holy Father may be somewhat ignorant on how public perception and politics works in America, but he should know. If not after his visit to the US, if not after his untimely and very ironic comments about Trump (on his way home to the Vatican, which has a very large, presumably Muslim-invader -proof wall), surely by now he gets it? No? I worry about who the Pope keeps in his circle of advisers. Maybe we should send Cdl Dolan there to help him.
“And Herod and Pilate were made friends, that same day; for before they were enemies one to another.”
Our Holy Father just seems to put people down a lot.
Ann Malley has an excellent point though worth some serious reflection in these times. The last two presidential elections have been run essentially on a ticket promoting civil disorder, which really takes a terrible toll on citizenry. The same party continues to entertain and encourage civil disorder which goes beyond violent protesters but includes surveilling and viciously stalking and torturing private non political citizens. It seems acknowledged over and over in various forms from the highest levels that this is happening, and is even winkingly embraced, yet government officials including candidates do nothing to bring justice, social justice to bear — this is malfeasance at best. In such a situation, there is an element of evil craziness, to be sure, so the comment rings true. But criminal racket is much closer to the reality than just plain crazy.
Agreed with Ann Malley. I went through this crap as a teen-ager in the 1970s and left the Church shortly after (now back, with ferocious misgivings). How soon after Vatican II did gaslighting become a spiritual work of mercy?
Contrary to the Pope’s account above, the Pope did NOT silently shake Sanders’ hand and move on on little cat feet. He did meet with Sanders. Meet and speak and thank.
“Pope Francis briefly met Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders this morning at the Pope’s Santa Martha residence, the Vatican has confirmed.
The courtesy meeting took place at breakfast, around 6am, shortly before the Pope left for his one-day visit to the Greek island of Lesbos. Sanders was also staying at the residence after delivering a ten minute talk at a conference at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences yesterday…“Last night the meeting was scheduled for 6am this morning,” Sachs said in comments to CNA. “They had the chance to talk for several minutes.” No photographs were taken of the encounter…Pope Francis “thanked the senator formally for coming to the Vatican and for participating in the meeting at the Academy,” Sachs recounted, adding that the Pope explained that an earlier start than expected this morning meant he couldn’t greet the conference participants last night as has had been originally planned. “He thanked the senator for understanding and appreciated that he had come and participated,” Sachs said. “The senator wished him well on today’s journey and the Pope wished Senator Sanders and his wife very well and then the meeting concluded and the Pope left for Greece.”
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/pope-francis-meets-bernie-sanders-vatican-confirms/#ixzz46BjLUcBj
NB: Sanders was staying at the Pope’s residence and speaking at the Pontifical Academy.