http://nypost.com/2015/09/18/rude-or-ignorant-the-white-house-offends-the-pope/Rude or ignorant? The White House offends the pope
By Post Editorial Board
September 18, 2015 | 8:16pm
Was Team Obama being rude or incompetent when it invited a collection of Catholic dissenters and other opponents of church teaching to the White House welcome for Pope Francis?
Perhaps the president’s staff just bought the media myth that this pope has turned his back on two millennia of Catholic doctrine.
In fact — despite his raising of issues like climate change and economic inequality — the pope still affirms traditional teaching on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage.
That’s why, as The Wall Street Journal reports, the Vatican is upset by some on the guest list, including gay and transgender activists and an activist nun whose group is silent on key social issues:
The curia fears the event will seem like a papal endorsement.
Plus, more traditional Catholic activists — particularly those in the pro-life movement — say they haven’t been invited to next week’s event.
We doubt the president meant to insult Francis; Obama’s too good a politician. And the White House is hoping to exploit the first pope in recent memory who embraces key parts of Obama’s progressive agenda.
Which brings us to ignorance: Team Obama invited the Catholics and other religious leaders it knows — like the ones who endorsed the ObamaCare law despite its assaults on religious liberty.
Francis, no doubt, will graciously greet all he meets. But Obama may pay a price if the guest list reminds folks of how often he remains in conflict with the church.
