Isn't it a little hypocritical to say were a secularist nation (removing 10 commandments from government buildings, removing "under god" from pledge of allegiance), but then welcome the Pope into our Congress to lecture our Congressmen?

Isn't it a little hypocritical to say were a secularist nation (removing 10 commandments from government buildings, removing "under god" from pledge of allegiance), but then welcome the Pope into our Congress to lecture our Congressmen?

 

Well he was invited by Congress to speak. Specifically, he was invited by John Boehner in his capacity as Speaker. He didn't just appear and hold court.

Lets's talk about the Vatican City and it's 109 acre size.

 

For starters, we're talking about a tiny country. For starters, let's compare it to some cities around Kentucky:

 

Covington is 80 times larger than the Vatican.

Pikeville is 90 times larger than the Vatican.

Paducah is 117 times larger than the Vatican.

Bowling Green is 209 time larger than the Vatican.

Lexington is 1673 times larger than the Vatican.

Louisville is 2342 times larger than the Vatican.

 

Next, in regard to the walls around the Vatican, they date back to the 9th century when conflicts were fairly regular between the city-states that occupied modern day Italy. Say what you want about them being there now, but those walls were built as literal protection against outside military forces.

 

The Vatican has rarely seen more than 1000 residents living within its walls. Stuffed with as many religious, cultural, and historical sites as the Vatican is, as well as the numerous museums, and the offices required to oversee the Catholic Church at large, Pope Francis has still announced that they will be housing two families of Syrian refugees at the Vatican.

 

As for the people allowed to become residents of the Vatican, people may say the immigration policies are strict in the Vatican because they essentially only allow Catholics, and of those Catholics allowed, they are primarily only men, but considering pretty much every single residence within the Vatican is attached to one of the various Catholic holy sites in the city, and the fact that the residences were built specifically to house the people seeing over the actual Catholic Church, I don't see how you can make much of an argument on the Vatican being overly restrictive on its immigration policy. It's not like they have a new subdivision of McMansions and townehouses and they're refusing people to buy into the HOA here...

 

I was getting ready to ask how someone gets to live there.

Clearly I understand he didn't just randomly appear out of no where an hold court. No need for "smart" responses like that. I am wondering why he is allowed in our Congress? If our congress is representative of our nation as a whole, and our nation as a whole has decided that we do not want to mix politics and religion, it seems like Congress is an odd place for the Pope to be invited to.

I was getting ready to ask how someone gets to live there.

 

In general, in order to live there, you need to be appointed to one of the various offices of the Roman Curia that requires residence there. There are many offices that are held by individuals who live outside the Vatican (although they are still generally required by their office to pay fairly regular visits to the Vatican), but there are still quite a few positions that require permanent Vatican residence during the individual's tenure in office.

 

For an idea of how many offices there are check out this Wikipedia article on the Roman Curia.

Clearly I understand he didn't just randomly appear out of no where an hold court. No need for "smart" responses like that. I am wondering why he is allowed in our Congress? If our congress is representative of our nation as a whole, and our nation as a whole has decided that we do not want to mix politics and religion, it seems like Congress is an odd place for the Pope to be invited to.

 

I don't think so. They open sessions of Congress with a prayer. The Congress has a chaplain (coincidentally, it's currently a Jesuit priest).

 

In the end, the pope is the head of a sovereign nation (which has great influence far beyond its size, for obvious reasons) and the heads of state and government from 47 other countries have addressed Congress before.

 

All it takes to be allowed before Congress is an invitation. To my knowledge there would be nothing constitutionally disallowing or disqualifying any invited person from speaking.

I guess Boehner felt so convicted from the speech he is retiring.

 

Maybe the rest of them should as well, especially Obama

Clearly I understand he didn't just randomly appear out of no where an hold court. No need for "smart" responses like that. I am wondering why he is allowed in our Congress? If our congress is representative of our nation as a whole, and our nation as a whole has decided that we do not want to mix politics and religion, it seems like Congress is an odd place for the Pope to be invited to.

 

He wasn't "allowed". He was invited. I'm sure had he not been invited, he wouldn't have asked. Or if he had asked, he would have moved on of told no.

That doesn't mean he is mixing politics and religion. I mean, he is the pope. He does from time to time comment on matters of religion. He says that the sanctity of life should be protected at every stage of development. It's a stretch to say that is a political statement and not a statement of religious belief coming from the pope.

 

What interests me more is your assessment that our liberal friends would disagree with that. The statement could also be used to support broad initiatives against childhood poverty, making sure children have medical care, and ending capital punishment. For some of our conservative friends, the sanctity of human life begins at conception and ends at birth.

 

Please. You and I both know he was discussing abortion.

 

Nice try at spin, however.

Please. You and I both know he was discussing abortion.

 

Nice try at spin, however.

 

Pope Francis has actually been much more vocal about the prison system and being against capital punishment than he has been on his position against abortion during his papacy.

 

For what it's worth, I'm very confident that the Pope's statement on the sanctity of human life was an extremely well thought out way of referring to both the Catholic Church's official stance against capital punishment (a stance that sides, in general, with views held by the Democrats) as well as the Catholic Church's official stance against abortion (a stance that sides, in general, with views held by the Republicans).

Please. You and I both know he was discussing abortion.

 

Nice try at spin, however.

 

No, I don't know that at all. I guess you are sure of yourself though. Hey, here is a quote:

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

 

Oh yeah, you should contact that raging liberal website, Breitbart, and tell them they are wrong now that you have finished telling me what I think. Here is the headline of their article. POPE FRANCIS LOBBIES CONGRESS FOR ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY, DOWNPLAYS ABORTION (caps are theirs) Pope Francis Lobbies Congress for Abolition of Death Penalty, Downplays Abortion - Breitbart

 

p.s. don't forget to call the pope and tell him what he was thinking as well

No argument from me on that.

 

I just found it interesting no one had mentioned his words on that.

 

For one, me being on the left, I too agree with His Holiness on sanctity of life, on all stages of life.

 

The media on the right aren't even talking about the pope's words on abortion.

Pope Francis has actually been much more vocal about the prison system and being against capital punishment than he has been on his position against abortion during his papacy.

 

For what it's worth, I'm very confident that the Pope's statement on the sanctity of human life was an extremely well thought out way of referring to both the Catholic Church's official stance against capital punishment (a stance that sides, in general, with views held by the Democrats) as well as the Catholic Church's official stance against abortion (a stance that sides, in general, with views held by the Republicans).

 

The death penalty has not and never will kill as many as abortion has.You can call it women's rights if you want to. They will have to answer to their maker when the time comes.

No, I don't know that at all. I guess you are sure of yourself though. Hey, here is a quote:

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

 

Oh yeah, you should contact that raging liberal website, Breitbart, and tell them they are wrong now that you have finished telling me what I think. Here is the headline of their article. POPE FRANCIS LOBBIES CONGRESS FOR ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY, DOWNPLAYS ABORTION (caps are theirs) Pope Francis Lobbies Congress for Abolition of Death Penalty, Downplays Abortion - Breitbart

 

p.s. don't forget to call the pope and tell him what he was thinking as well

 

If you are attempting to refer to me as a fool or a fanatic, you are showing yourself as the fool.