The Pope’s historic visit to Cuba and the U.S. is over. By all accounts it was a smashing success.
The masses celebrated, the homilies delivered and the adoration of the crowds all attest to this. Pope Francis represents love, tolerance and understanding, yet some evaluating his visit might raise the following points.
First, the Pope failed to respond to an invitation to meet with representatives of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. The site of the meeting would have been in the Human Rights Campaign headquarters which is right across the street from where the Pontiff prayed with U.S. Bishops.
But since the Pope has been walking a fine line between upholding long established Church doctrine and preaching the Gospel of inclusivity, one can understand the Pope’s reluctance to attend such a meeting.
Second, the Pope made an unscheduled visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor, an organization suing the federal government over the contraception mandate of the Affordable Care Act.
This visit can be understood as shoring up the Pope’s credentials with traditionalists in the Church.
Surely, the Pope is aware that, like all change-agents, the steps he takes must be incremental.
Third, and most troubling, was the Pope’s visit with Kim Davis, the Kentucky County Clerk who defied court orders to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and spent five days in jail.
What made this meeting questionable was the fact that Ms. Davis and her husband “sneaked” into the Vatican embassy.
Use of the word “sneaked” is not my designation, but that of the New York Times.
The Pope gave Ms. Davis rosaries, and told her to “stay strong.” Hugs were exchanged and, according to ABC News, the Pope said “Thank you for your courage.”
We also learned that the idea for this meeting was discussed on Sept. 14, a week before the Pope’s arrival, so this was not happenstance.
The question must be asked…why did the Pope and those around him wait until the he was on the plane going home before revealing the clandestine meeting?
Ms. Davis’ attorney, Mathew Staver, explains “We didn’t want the Pope’s visit to be focused on Kim Davis.” Then why make such elaborate plans? Why not cancel the visit?
Didn’t the papal advisors realize that the press would be “all over” the story?
The answer may lie in the Pope’s sincere belief in conscientious objector status.
The Pope explained that no one should have to violate his/her religious principles. So he viewed Ms. Davis as a principled woman well within her rights.
Moments before sending this off to the editor, I came across a fascinating explanation about details of the controversial meeting of Davis and the Pope.
Here is what I learned. 1. Kim Davis did not have a private audience with the Pope was but was among several dozen persons attending a reception. 2. The man most likely responsible for Davis’ invitation was Carlo Maria Vigano, a conservative prelate appointed by Pope Benedict.
This new information in no way invalidates my conclusions which follow.
The Pope is a man of courage and sincerely held convictions. He has struck a bold stance on issues such as poverty, immigration, inequality and the environment.
The Catholic Church is a complex and global institution and not all decisions are made by the Pope. Some are calling for Vigano’s resignation, but it would be difficult for the Pope to remove persons appointed by his predecessor.
There is an aphorism which applies here. “Do not let the perfect stand in the way of the good.” Anyone who expects Pope Francis to be “perfect” is unrealistic; let us, instead, rejoice in all the “good” he has accomplished.
Finally, as the Pope repeatedly asked of the people he met on his groundbreaking journey. “Pray for me.” Not a bad idea!
Dr. Hal Sobel
Great Neck
