Fox News Runs Outrageous Hit Piece On Pope Francis For Making Republicans Look Bad

First the “mainstream media” had a liberal bias, then “schools,” then “reality,” but all of that has been less difficult for conservatives to handle than Pope Francis, who has used his station to consistently shame the very kinds of ideas they hold dear.

First, there was an article on the political site The Hill which criticized the pope for “driving a wedge” between himself and Republicans by never taking their side on political issues (gee, I wonder why?). After it was reported that Pope Francis was integral to Obama’s historic shift in diplomatic relations with Cuba, conservatives reacted with a characteristic whine:

“But Francis’s agenda, which also includes calls to address income inequality and limit climate change, is putting him at odds with Republicans, including GOP Catholics in the United States. 

Hours after President Obama announced moves to ease trade and travel restrictions to Cuba, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a practicing Catholic and potential 2016 presidential candidate, criticized the deal and Francis’s role in it. 

“I would also ask His Holiness to take up the cause of freedom and democracy, which is critical for a free people, for a people to truly be free,” Rubio told reporters.”

However, buried in the article is a brief mention of the fact that while Americans are absolutely fed up with politicians (and Republicans, in particular), the pope enjoys an incredible 78 percent approval rating among all Americans, and an even more astonishing 93 percent approval from Catholics. The pope’s popularity is so high that presumably the one or two Catholics polled who said they didn’t approve of his work had names like “Paul Ryan” and “Marco Rubio.”

But while some conservative politicians are angry, nothing quite compares to how livid Fox News is. The conservative network is having an absolute freakout because, at least from their perspective, the pope is making conservatives look like bigoted, anti-science, heartless monsters – and worse, if those poll numbers are to be believed, people seem to agree with him.

Things recently came to a head when Pope Francis wrote a papal letter to be sent to all the bishops in the church that insisted they do more to help combat climate change. Fox News, which trades exclusively in climate change denialism and oil company-approved talking points, didn’t take it well.

Immediately after learning of the pope’s stance on climate change, Fox ran an unabashed hit piece on Francis, calling him an “activist” (conservative dog whistle for “liberal”) and pulling quotes from Catholic leaders who have been critical of his leadership. It was a hatchet job and an incredibly tasteless one – a television network modeled around conservative propaganda devoted an entire segment to lecturing the pope on why he was so bad. “Surreal” doesn’t begin to describe it.

Media Matters preserved the clip:

Some of the “controversial” things Fox News criticizes the pope for: being more tolerant towards gays, helping Obama ease tensions with Cuba, believing in the existence of climate change, believing in the existence of evolution, arguing that greed and unchecked capitalism are bad.

It’s official: Conservatives are now more anti-science than the pope.

The conservative right has gotten left so far behind that now everything - from the Pope to reality – looks like it has a “liberal bias.” Rather than view that as a massive problem, Republicans have become more entrenched, more paranoid in their belief that they, and they alone, see things clearly. Science has abandoned them. And now so has religion. What do they have left? Just Fox News. And Fox seems fine with playing the role of spiritual leader to its aging, white conservative flock. It would be funny, if it weren’t so sad.

It's Finally Official - Pope Francis Demotes Highest-Ranking US Cardinal Over LGBT Issues

It's been in the news. Now it has been confirmed. As of this past weekend, Raymond Leo Burke, America's highest-ranking cardinal at the Vatican, was officially removed from the Vatican's Supreme Court, and demoted to chaplain of the Knights of Malta, where he will reign with much less responsibility. The ultra-Conservative and anti-gay cardinal, continuously challenges the jurisdiction of Pope Francis, and the Catholic Church's new receptive stance on homosexuality.

How ironic it is to find the demoted cardinal is from the United States. What does that say about America - that even the Catholic Church and a pope are ahead of so many anti-LGBT lawmakers and extremists in this country.

Weeks after taking office in 2013, Pope Francis asked, 'Who am I to judge?' speaking of the LGBT community. Since then, he has had great support for his progressive views, and of course, great opposition. Raymond Burke is one of the pope's strongest opponents. The 66 year-old Burke believes homosexuality is, 'always and everywhere wrong [and] evil,' and continuously questioned the authority of Pope Francis, now 77. Burke told Buzzfeed in October:

“The pope is not free to change the church’s teachings with regard to the immorality of homosexual acts or the insolubility of marriage or any other doctrine of the faith.”

Apparently the Pope is free, at minimum, to encourage change. This is one more reason why so many free-thinkers in America, and in other countries love Pope Francis.

Raymond Burke is also staunchly outspoken with his anti-choice views. He once protested well-known pro-choice advocate, Sheryl Crow, for performing at a benefit concert. Burke stated:

"A Catholic institution featuring a performer who promotes moral evil gives the impression that the church is somehow inconsistent in its teaching."

Many of us love these new Catholic Church 'inconsistencies,' Burke denounces. They represent the over-due distancing of archaic religious dogma that drove many people away from the church.

As a pro-choice Liberal woman, I cannot end this diary, in good conscience, without conveying my hope that Pope Francis will vocally extend his progressive efforts to defend the reproductive rights of women, as well as women's position in the church. One step at a time. Meanwhile, here's to a great pope and a great man, who continues to be a breath of fresh air for many, many people around the world.

Just had a visitor from the Vatican! Check out what they were looking at!

Yes Pope Francis! We saw your visit!!

"A Homo's Thoughts: The Weird Science Behind Morning Wood"

"A Homo's Thoughts: NAKED!"

U.S. Bishops Declare Open War On The Pope As Too Soft On Homos

None of us needs to be reminded of just how homophobic the U.S. Catholic bishops are. But the bishops clearly feel a refresher is in order for Pope Francis. In what is close to becoming an open revolt, the U.S. bishops are letting the pope know in no uncertain terms that they believe homophobia = Catholicism and that they are more Catholic than the pope.

And the pope is letting them know who’s the boss.

The bishops are gathering in Baltimore for their annual jamboree, and while their ostensible agenda is, in the words of one journalist, “sleep inducing,” the actual agenda is the battle brewing between the bishops and Pope Francis. Following the Vatican synod last month, many of the bishops are fuming that the pope is abandoning the hardcore homophobia that has been their bread and butter.

“Many of the U.S. bishops have been disoriented by what this new pope is saying and I don’t see them really as embracing the pope’s agenda,” said John Thavis, a former Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service, told the Associated Press.

And they’re not trying to hide their displeasure. Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, RI, said that the synod was “rather Protestant.” Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who won his position through homophobia, said that the synod created confusion about Church teaching and “I think confusion is of the devil.”

No one has been more hard core than Cardinal Raymond Burke, formerly the flame-throwing archbishop of St. Louis, whom Pope Benedict appointed the equivalent of chief justice of the Vatican court system. Burke has gone to far as to say that the Church is risking a schism by moving “contrary to the constant teaching and practice of the Church.” What he’s really talking about is softening the Church’s stance on LGBT issues, even if actual policies don’t change.

Pope Francis Demotes Anti-gay U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke

As anticipated, Pope Francis has removed anti-gay U.S. cardinal Raymond Burke from his position as head of the Vatican's "Supreme Court."

Burke has been a vocal supporter of keeping social issues a primary focus of the Catholic Church, going so far as to say that discrimination against LGBT people is "perfectly just and good."

TIME reports:

The pontiff removed Cardinal Raymond Burke as the leader of the Vatican’s highest court and appointed him to a ceremonial position as chaplain of the Knights of Malta, a charity group, according to a press bulletin issued Saturday. 

That is a significant demotion, according to the National Catholic Reporter. “The position of Patron of the the Order of Malta is usually given to a retired cardinal, or as a second task to an active cardinal,” Michael Sean Winters writes. “It has almost no responsibilities.”

The Associated Press adds:

Francis has said that church hierarchy should not focus so much on abortion and same-sex marriage but instead concentrate on making the church a more welcoming place. Meanwhile, Burke has said to a Catholic broadcaster that "we can never talk enough" against abortion and same-sex marriage. 

He has also questioned Francis' denunciation of excesses of capitalism.

Watch Burke explain why it's "perfectly good and just" to discriminate against gay people,

Catholic Bishops to Gays: Just Kidding, You're Not Welcome

A group of bishops invited to the Vatican by Pope Francis to discuss the Roman Catholic Church's teachings on marriage and family has canceled plans to make that church even a little bit more friendly to gays and lesbians.

In a stunning victory for the Catholic Church's conservative wing and a rebuke to both Pope Francis and progressives, the bishops -- tasked with creating a statement that "[charted] a more merciful approach" to divorced, remarried, and gay Catholics -- scrapped language that called on the church to "welcome" gays and lesbians. They also failed to approve a section affirming that same-sex partners are capable of offering "precious support" to one another.

The now-eliminated language, contained in a draft document released on Monday, was hailed by many Vatican watchers and media outlets across the world as a groundbreaking, revolutionary, "seismic shift" in tone. In the end, though, there was no earthquake at all -- in their final statement, the prelates couldn't even bring themselves to acknowledge that "homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer the Christian community."

BuzzFeed reports:

The final statement -- formally known as the Relatio of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family -- drops the title "Welcoming homosexual persons" from the section on the place of gays and lesbians in the church. Weaker language that spoke of "The pastoral care of people with homosexual orientation" was proposed instead, and a phrase referring to "Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community" was also dropped. But even this new language failed to receive a vote needed to be adopted, the Associated Press reported, failing on a vote of 118 to 62.

But according to The Guardian, the bishops did find time to demean and degrade same-gender relationships, writing that there cannot be "even a remote" comparison between same-sex marriages or civil unions and the marriages of opposite-sex couples.

The AP adds that the final document exposed "deep divisions" among the bishops, and speculates that the 118-62 vote "might have been a protest vote by progressive bishops who refused to back the watered-down wording."

A section that would have softened the church's approach to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, who are currently barred from receiving communion, was also voted down.

Today, the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church didn't just yank the welcome mat out from underneath the feet of gays and lesbians -- they rolled it up and bashed them over the head with it. So much for "Who am I to judge?".

Pope Francis Demotes Anti-gay Conservative Cardinal Raymond Burke

Raymond Burke, the conservative American cardinal who in the past has said discrimination against LGBT people is "perfectly just and good," has been removed from his position as head of the Vatican's 'Supreme Court' by Pope Francis, Buzzfeed reports:

“I very much have enjoyed and have been happy to give this service, so it is a disappointment to leave it,” Burke said, explaining that he hadn't yet received a formal notice of transfer. “On the other hand, in the church as priests, we always have to be ready to accept whatever assignment we’re given. And so I trust by accepting this assignment I trust that God will bless me, and that’s what’s in the end most important.”

Burke, who has now been placed in the largely ceremonial role as head of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, also spoke out against the on-going "family synod" of Catholic bishops, saying the meeting seems to have been designed to "weaken the church's teaching and practice."

“The pope, more than anyone else as the pastor of the universal church, is bound to serve the truth,” Burke said. “The pope is not free to change the church’s teachings with regard to the immorality of homosexual acts or the insolubility of marriage or any other doctrine of the faith.”

Last week, the Vatican caved to conservative backlash to reports the church was planning on becoming "welcoming to homosexual persons" - revising the English-translation of the report to now say "providing for homosexual persons."

Head over to Buzzfeed HERE for the full account of the behind-the-scenes scuffle between conservatives and reformers within the Catholic hierarchy.

Straight Catholics urge Pope to welcome gay couples

Straight Catholics are fighting for gay people to be welcomed into the church.

Ron and Mavis Pirola, a couple who have been married for 57 years, is hoping Pope Francis will agree that loving all members of the family is more important than centuries-old doctrine.

They believe that welcoming gay couples into the church would serve as a 'model of evangelization'.

'Friends of ours were planning their Christmas family gathering when their gay son said he wanted to bring his partner home too,' the Pirolas during a statement inside Vatican's Paul VI Hall.

'They fully believed in the Church’s teachings and they knew their grandchildren would see them welcome the son and his partner into the family. Their response could be summed up in three words, "He's our son".'

The couple continued: 'What a model of evangelization for parishes as they respond to similar situations in their neighborhood!

'It is a practical example of what the Instrumentum Laboris [the Synod’s working document] says concerning the Church’s teaching role and its main mission to let the world know of God’s love.'

The pope is currently holding a Synod, discussing whether the church should 'evolve' on family issues such as divorce. While there is little indication the Vatican will change its views on the 'sin' of homosexuality, there is possibility for change.

Elton John: Jesus Would Support Gay Marriage

Elton John and partner David Furnish  (Source:AP Photo)

Sir Elton John told Sky News last weekend that he believes Jesus Christ would back same-sex marriage.

Sir Elton, who plans to marry filmmaker David Furnish next year, told the news site that Jesus would have supported the union of gay members of the clergy.

"If Jesus Christ was alive today, I cannot see him, as the Christian person that he was and the great person that he was, saying this could not happen," the singer said. "He was all about love and compassion and forgiveness and trying to bring people together. And that is what the Church should be about."

Sir Elton’s comments come as London’s LGBT community celebrated gay Pride on June 28.

The iconic pop singer went on to laud the Catholic Church, saying it deserved credit for progress that has been made in the last few years. Sir Elton specifically mentioned Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Francis, calling the pontiff a "wonderful" man.

"The new Pope has been wonderful, he’s excited me so much," Sir Elton said. "He’s stripped it [the Church] down to the bare bones and said it’s all basically about love."

The singer said that gay clergy should be allowed to get married and suggested that celibacy vow for Catholic priests should be nixed, Sky News writes.

"These are old and stupid things," he said. "If Jesus Christ was alive today, I cannot see him, as the Christian person that he was and the great person that he was, saying this could not happen. He was all about love and compassion and forgiveness and trying to bring people together and that’s what the church should be about."

When Sir Elton was asked about his own wedding, he said he won’t be marrying until at least next year.

"However, when we do do, it will be very quiet and off the cuff - we had our big shebang when we had our civil union," he added.

Pope Francis Meets with French Anti-Gay Hate Group

Pope Francis last week held a private mass with Ludovine Rochere, the president of France's viciously anti-gay Manif Pour Tous, which held many massive and often violent rallies during the battle for same-sex marriage. From the right wing newspaper Le Figaro (via Google Translate):

The Pope "listened very carefully," according to the president of Manif Pour Tous, Ludovine Rochere, in a statement she made on Thursday morning in Sainte Marthe in Rome, where she was invited to participate in a private Mass with the Pope. "I was placed in the middle of the meeting," said Rochère, "but someone picked me before the start of the Mass, wondering if I was the president of the Manif Pour Tous, to put me at the forefront of the faithful along the aisle, just behind the priests."

This protocol detail is not unimportant. Especially during this Mass, where only thirty people are allowed. It clearly means that the Pope wanted to honor this non-denominational movement since he did invite its principle representative. 

After Mass, Pope Francis gave an interview to Rochère, who told him that she was there "on behalf of hundreds of thousands of French who mobilized against the law for gay marriage." She also told him that they were currently advocating on the issue of medically assisted procreation (MAP) and surrogacy. Although the language barrier did not favor the exchange that lasted about five minutes (the Pope understands but does not speak French), he promised that he "would consider" the best way to send a message to the French.

In the photo above you'll see that Rochere presented Pope Francis with a Manif Pour Tous sweatshirt. According to Le Figaro, she handed it to him with a warning: "In France, the police will arrest you for wearing this."

Republicans Are Going Crazy After Pope Frances Suggests Redistributing Wealth

Pope Francis; image@CatholicEWUK

Uh-oh, the Marxist is back! And he’s preaching what Jesus did thousand of years ago: take care of our poor. Tapping again on the “economy of exclusion,” Pope Francis, who has showed the world what a true Christian leader is, and has called on the world’s governments to redistribute their masses of wealth to those who need it the most — the poor and vulnerable. My God, how very un-Christian of him. He actually cares for the poor?

Pope Francis met with the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other heads of major U.N. agencies who were converging in Rome this week. Pope Francis made his appeal to the Secretary-General to usher in a “worldwide ethical mobilization of solidarity with the poor in a new spirit of generosity.”

More specifically, the Pope said that a more equal form of economic progress can be achieved through “the legitimate redistribution of economic benefits by the state, as well as indispensable cooperation between the private sector and civil society.” Some will call is socialism, some will call it Marxism, and others will call it what it truly is: humanity.

Well, isn’t this awkward. “Christian” Republicans are really going to hate this, as they have hated him since he took the papacy last year. Being told what the gospel is actually about does not go down well with Republicans, because when someone wants to help the underprivileged in this country, or in the rest of the world, they brand them as Marxists or socialists, words they don’t seem to fully understand.

It appears that Catholic Republicans are in quite a pickle. Do they follow the lead of the Pope, God’s representation on Earth, or do they follow Paul Ryan?

I find it very odd that Catholic Republicans pick and choose their ideological standpoints when it comes to abortion, contreception and gay marriage. There are currently sixty-eight Republican members of the Catholic Caucus in the United States Congress. They identify themselves with the church, and its beliefs. Certainly the Church differs from progressives on issues likes abortion and gay marriage, but I want to know how many Republicans backed:

• Pope John Paul II’s, and the Church’s opposition to the Iraq War and Afghanistan War
• The U.S. Conference of Bishops support for gun-control
• The U.S. Conference of Bishops opposition to Paul Ryan’s budgets (awkward for Ryan, who is a member of the Catholic Caucus)
• The Churches opposition to the death penalty
• The Conference of Bishops’s support for universal healthcare
• The Church’s support of fair pay, unions, and worker’s rights
• The U.S. Conference of Bishops’s support for raising the minimum wage
• And the Church’s opposition to trickle-down economics overall

These Republicans are a member of quite a Marxist church, if you ask me. This a classic example of how Republicans ignore and cherry pick. The Catholic Church has preached all of these things, and Republicans have ignored it on every level. But oh no, when the Pope calls on people to give more to the poor, and calls it ‘redistribution,’ Republicans freak.

Last December, Fox News even dedicated an entire negative article geared at Pope Francis, just nine months into his tenure. The title – ‘Pope Francis is the Catholic Church’s Obama – God help us.’ I can only imagine what is going through their heads now.

Oh wait, yes I can! “Catholic” Sean Hannity’s head exploded over the Pope’s call to redistribute the wealth. According to Hannity, he is “not happy about this.” Hannity called the Pope a “to each according to his own need, from each according to his ability redistributionist.” Hannity decided to lecture the Pope on how to live the teachings of Jesus Christ. What a concept. A TV talking head, lecturing the successor of Saint Peter how to interpret biblical teachings.

Republicans fear the Pope. That shows, without a doubt, he’s doing his job.

Plea to Pope Francis on Behalf of Homeless LGBT Youth Appears in Full-Page 'NYT' Ad

Faith in America has taken out a full-page ad in today's New York Times to make an impassioned plea to Pope Francis on behalf of homeless LGBT youth. The letter to the Pope is written by Carl Siciliano, the executive director of the Ali Forney Center, NYC's largest shelter for homeless LGBT youth.

Read the ad HERE.

Writes Faith in America founder Mitchell Gold in a press release:

"So much has been accomplished for LGBT legal equality….now we hope the next wave will be an all-out effort for LGBT spiritual equality…one that will especially protect vulnerable teens….and one that will enable all legislation to be passed. Just imagine for a moment if so many of the kids that have killed themselves did not grow up being taught that homosexuality was sinful….if when they came out to their parents they were totally embraced rather than being told they were “disappointed” and needed counseling….if they felt they had family and church to turn to?

"I’ve come to see that in the final analysis it is this “sin” hurdle that is the basis for too many to be against LGBT equality and it is clearly one of the most harmful parts of an LGBT teen’s life. Just a few months ago a precious 13 year old in my community told me how he agonizingly contemplated suicide for over a tortuous year. Why? Because he thought he was a sinner. On a very basic, simple level I believe we must dismantle this wall of outdated, misguided and ill-informed religious teachings. Not an easy task….but one that has to be done…..by all of us, with a concerted effort."

Glenn Beck Makes Asinine Claim about Time Magazine Choosing Pope Francis as Person of the Year

And the attacks on Pope Francis just keep on coming. 

Then again, following the news that Time magazine has chosen the Pope as their “Person of the Year,” you knew that was going to tick off quite a few Republicans.

This time it was Glenn Beck who went off on a rant about the audacity Time magazine showed with its selection of Pope Francis over someone like – Ted Cruz.

Yes, this buffoon really believes Ted Cruz deserved to be “Person of the Year.”  I mean, why not, right?  After all, his biggest accomplishment this year was staging a fake 21-hour filibuster and heading a government shutdown that accomplished absolutely nothing.  How “remarkable” of him.

Beck claimed the reason why Time didn’t choose Cruz is because they “didn’t want to give him any more power.”  I’ll be honest, I actually laughed when I read that part.  He also reminded his audience to, “Remember, progressives are fascist.  They are for fascism.”

But of course we are.  Then again, this is Glenn Beck we’re talking about.  He’s obsessed with fascism and Nazi Germany.  A good asinine rant from Mr. Beck wouldn’t be complete without some kind of reference to fascism.

What his rant basically says to me is that he’s fully embraced the belief that Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, is a full-fledged fascist.  Amazing, isn’t it?  All he has to do is point out that trickle-down economics does nothing but give more to the rich at the expense of everyone else and suddenly he’s a fascist.

It still makes me laugh that Pope Francis actually behaves more like an actual Christian — based on the teachings of Jesus Christ — than any other Pope in recent history, and it’s driving conservatives crazy.

Here’s a fun fact: Before trickle-down economics, and in decades such as the 50′s and 60′s when we had much higher taxes and stronger unions, we were still a nation based on capitalism.  Opposing massive tax breaks for the rich doesn’t equate to fascism.  Unless of course these people are insinuating that presidents like Eisenhower and Kennedy were fascists.

Then again, most of these fools who yell words like fascism, communism or socialism don’t even know what they mean.  They’ll happily drive on public roads – to a meeting to complain about how horrific all forms of socialism are.  Not understanding that those roads built by the government, paid for by tax dollars, are socialism in action.  

Glenn Beck is just another in a growing list of well-known conservatives who continue their attack of Pope Francis.  If they keep it up I can promise you this — it’s not going to turn out well for the Republican party.