Franklin Graham Condemns Obama's Guest List for Papal Welcome as 'Sinful'

CHRISTIAN POST: White House Invitation to Transgender Activists, Gay Bishop, Abortion Supporter Irks Vatican

Evangelist Franklin Graham has called President Obama's guest list for Pope Francis' welcome this week "disgraceful and obviously inappropriate," even as the Vatican has reportedly objected to the White House's invitation to transgender activists, an openly gay bishop and supporters of abortion and euthanasia.

The guest list for a planned event at the White House's South Lawn to welcome the pope on his first full day in the U.S. on Wednesday includes Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of Network, a "Catholic social justice lobby" which allegedly supports abortion and euthanasia; Bishop Gene Robinson, former Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire who is the first openly gay Episcopal bishop in the country; Mateo Williamson, a former co-head of the transgender caucus of Dignity USA; and also activists from the LGBT group GLAAD.

"This is disgraceful and obviously inappropriate," Graham wrote on his Facebook page Saturday. "Is there no end to the lengths the president will go to in order to push his sinful agenda?"

Graham, who leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said it is wise of the Vatican to "question President Obama's guest list" and that the list of guests "should raise a lot of eyebrows."

The Vatican has taken offense, according to The Wall Street Journal. » | Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor | Sunday, September 20, 2015

Pope Benedict XVI Thanks Queen Elizabeth II for UK Welcome
Pope Benedict XVI has thanked the Queen Elizabeth II for her 'warm welcome' during a speech at Holyrood House.

Queen Elizabeth II Welcomes Pope Benedict to the United Kingdom
The Queen has said she is "delighted" to welcome Pope Benedict to Edinburgh.

Christians in Middle East Are Ignored, Vatican Claims
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Pope has claimed that the international community is ignoring the plight of Christians in the Middle East.

Pope Benedict XVI listens to a prayer during a holy mass at the Eleftheria Sports Centre in Nicosia. Photograph: The Telegraph
A working paper released during Pope Benedict XVI's pilgrimage to Cyprus to prepare for a crisis summit of Middle East bishops in Rome in October also cites the "extremist current" unleashed by the rise of "political Islam" as a threat to Christians.

In his final Mass in Cyprus on Sunday, the pontiff said he was praying that the October meeting will focus the attention of the international community "on the plight of those Christians in the Middle East who suffer for their beliefs."

He appealed for an "urgent and concerted international effort to resolve the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, especially in the Holy Land, before such conflicts lead to greater bloodshed."

The Vatican considers mostly Greek Orthodox Cyprus as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East and invited bishops to come to the Mediterranean island to receive the working paper.

The pope said Cyprus can "play a particular role in promoting dialogue and co-operation" in the region.

Cyprus was ethnically split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared an independent republic in the north in 1983, but only Turkey recognises it, and it maintains 35,000 troops there.

The island's Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and newly-elected Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu resumed long-running reunification talks in May after a two-month pause for the poll. The talks have yielded only limited progress so far.

The pope said he saw for himself the "sad division of the island" and that he was "deeply moved" by the pleas of Cypriots who wished to return to homes in the north that were lost during the war. >>> | Sunday, June 06, 2010

Bishop's Murder Should Not Hurt Islam Dialogue: Pope
REUTERS: Cyprus - Pope Benedict said on Friday the killing of a leading Catholic bishop in Turkey should not be allowed to hurt dialogue with Islam or stain the image of Turkey and its people.

The pope, beginning a three-day visit to the divided island of Cyprus, also told reporters aboard his plane that he hoped the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla would not result in lost hope for Middle East peace.

Benedict spoke of his "profound sadness" over the stabbing Thursday of Italian Bishop Luigi Padovese, a leading Catholic official in Turkey, who was killed by his Turkish driver.

"We are still awaiting a full explanation but we don't want to mix up this tragic episode with Islam. It is a case apart which saddens us but should not be allowed to darken the dialogue (with Islam) in any way," Benedict said.

"We must not attribute this to Turkey or to Turks ... the certain thing is that it was not a political or religious assassination. It was a personal thing."

Turkish officials say Padovese, a proponent of dialogue with Islam, was killed by his driver, who they say had shown recent signs of mental instability.

Catholic dialogue with Islam has been rocky at best since the pope, in a lecture in his native Germany in 2006, equated Islam with violence. He later said his words were misinterpreted and Vatican and Islamic leaders have since stepped up dialogue.

"Despite our differences, Muslims are our brothers and we have to encourage a common vision of dialogue with them," he said. >>> Philip Pullella, Paphos | Friday, June 04, 2010

Verbunden mit diesem Artikel:

WELT ONLINE: Türkei: Bischof erstochen – Polizei vermutet psychische Störung >>> Von Boris Kalnóky | Donnerstag, 03. Juni 2010

Lien en relation avec l’article:

LE FIGARO: Un prêtre poignardé en Turquie >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Jeudi 03 Juin 2010

Pope in Cyprus Calls for Dialogue between Faiths


Pope Benedict XVI: The Apostolic Church in Cyprus


"Dialogue with Non-Christians Is Essential in the Church"


"Tear Down the Barriers between Us to Bring Peace"


Pope Benedict: Without Moral Truths, the World Would Be Dangerous


"East and West, For Full and Visible Communion"

Cyprus Leaders Criticize Turkey During Pope Visit
Pope Benedict XVI in Cyprus. Photograph: The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: PAPHOS, Cyprus — In the presence of Pope Benedict XVI, Cypriot religious and political leaders unleashed a furious broadside on Friday against Turkey, whose troops have occupied northern Cyprus since 1974.

Archbishop Chrysostomos II, the leader of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, accused Turkey of an “obscure plan” to take over the entire island and called for the pope’s “active cooperation” in resolving the longstanding dispute.

The two sides have resumed peace talks after a lull, and President Demetris Christofias seized on Benedict’s visit — the first by a pope — to say, “Cyprus is in need of your words of peace, given the difficult situation it faces in its occupied territory.”

He and the pope spoke shortly after Benedict arrived on Friday on a challenging three-day visit. Aimed at promoting interfaith dialogue and closer ties between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, the trip was overshadowed by the killing on Thursday of a leading Roman Catholic bishop in Turkey who was to have participated in the Cyprus visit.

On his plane from Rome, the pope said his trip was religious in nature, not political, and insisted that Turkey or Turks in general should not be blamed for the murder of the bishop, Luigi Padovese. “The certain thing is that it was not a political or religious assassination,” the pope said. “It was a personal thing.”

Bishop Padovese’s death followed other attacks on Christians in Turkey in recent years, raising concerns among Catholic officials about the country’s commitment to protecting the rights of religious minorities.

The fate of Christians in the Middle East is a central reason for Benedict’s visit to Cyprus, where on Sunday he is expected to present the working paper for a meeting of Catholic bishops from across the Middle East in October at the Vatican. >>> Rachel Donadio reported from Paphos, and Alan Cowell from Paris | Friday, June 04, 2010

Diplomat Disciplined Over Pope Memo Is Named
THE TELEGRAPH: The diplomat who has been disciplined over a Foreign Office memo mocking the Pope was accused last night of being “clueless” about the Catholic faith.

Anjoum Noorani, 31, was the leader of the Papal Visit Team which drew up a document suggesting the Pope should launch his own range of “Benedict” condoms, open an abortion clinic and stay in a council flat in Bradford.

Mr Noorani, whose identity has until now remained secret, was moved to “other duties” after he gave authorisation for the memo to be sent to Downing Street and three Whitehall departments.

The memo, which was leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, threatens to overshadow the Pope’s entire four-day visit in September after it prompted fury in the Vatican and among Catholics in Britain.

Senior members of the church have described Mr Noorani and his team as having “not the slightest understanding of Catholicism”. None of the four-strong group is thought to be a practising Catholic.

The memo, which also called for the Pope to bless a homosexual marriage, was emailed around Whitehall by Steven Mulvain, a 23-year-old Oxford graduate who describes his sexual orientation on a social networking website as “gay”.

Mr Mulvain has not been disciplined for his role in the fiasco.

Mr Noorani, who, like Mr Mulvain, is a graduate of Balliol College, Oxford, chaired the “brainstorm” session which led to the “Ideal Visit” memo, which also proposed that the Pope should sing a duet with the Queen and sponsor a network of Aids clinics.

He worked as press secretary at the British Embassy in Russia between 2002 and 2007, where he dealt with all Russian media inquiries about Britain’s response to the murder of the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko. He was unavailable for comment last night and his mother, who lives in Windsor, said she “can’t say anything”.

Although the Vatican is now trying to draw a line under the memo fiasco, Papal aides believe the Government’s choice of non-Catholic staff typifies the “lack of respect” being shown towards the first ever state visit by a Pontiff. >>> Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Related:

THE TELEGRAPH: Pope's Visit to Britain Will Go Ahead Despite Offensive Memo, Says Vatican >>> Monday, April 26, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Pope 'Could Cancel UK Visit' Over 'Offensive' Foreign Office Memo >>> Gordon Rayner and Nick Pisa in Rome | Sunday, April 25, 2010

My comment, Sunday, April 15, 2010:

Such disgusting behaviour from the Foreign Office. What kind of low-life do they employ there these days? This is no way to behave; and it is certainy no way to treat the Pope. Would these same people have had the courage to write these things about the visit of a Muslim cleric? I think we all know the answer to that question! Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting! And if the Pope cancels his visit, no one should be at all surprised. – © Mark

Today’s comment:

Forgive me for asking, but isn’t this man a Muslim? So why ever would the Foreign Office make a Muslim the leader of the ‘Papal Visit Team’? It’s the Foreign Office that’s “clueless”, not Anjoum Nourani! If this man is indeed a Muslim, he’ll be anything but “clueless” about Roman Catholicism; on the contrary, he’ll be all clued up! He knew exactly what he was doing. Isn't this just another attack on Judeo-Christianity by a member of the “Religion of Peace”? – © Mark

Between the Vatican and a Hard Place!
TELEGRAPH BLOGS: It is a facet of human nature that, when in a deep jam, even people who are non-believers sometimes turn to religion ("Please, God, get me out of this and I swear I'll be in the front pew next Sunday - and every Sunday!"). It appears that Gordon Brown, erstwhile son of the manse, is no exception to this trait. With his government and economy in deepest doo-doo, he is trying to use the Pope as a buffer between himself and an electorate that is fast metamorphosing into a lynch mob.

Today he visited Benedict XVI at the Vatican (one hopes the exorcists are currently doing a thorough job on the polluted premises) and invited the Pope to visit Britain. That is the politics of distraction. "He was very welcoming of the invitation," reported Gordon. That did not entirely chime with the Vatican version: "For the moment, no travel by Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom is scheduled or under consideration."

When it comes to a factual contradiction between the Pope's official spokesman and the snake-oil salesman with a track record of mega-porkies ("No return to boom and bust"), even the staunchest Ulster Orangeman would probably feel he must reluctantly give credence to Rome. But the Number 10 spin machine remains undaunted, insisting it knows the Pope's mind better than he himself does. "There isn't a date in the diary - we just made the invitation a few hours ago. But they are definitely looking at it." Oh, yeah? Gordon Brown Tries to Spin the Pope - Vatican Response: 'Spin on This!' >>> Gerald Warner | Thursday, February 19, 2009

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