But I want to make it very clear:

I gladly stand with Pope Francis, warts and all, instead of standing with Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Leonard Leo, Ann Coulter, and that ilk.

Stand with those folks if you wish as you choose to take the opportunity to use serious discussion of Pope Francis to mount cheap, easy shots at the Catholic church.

But don't fool yourself about whom you're emboldening with those cheap shots.

#PopeFrancis #Trump #Vance #MAGA
/10

Yesterday, when I created a thread of commentary about the death of Pope Francis, I fully expected some of the really vile anti-Catholic comments people posted in response to that thread.

I have never held back on my criticism of the shortcomings I perceive, along with others, in the Catholic church (or other religious institutions). My thread included some critical commentary about Francis, which I shared because I agree with it.

#PopeFrancis #Trump #Vance #MAGA
/9

"At the heart of his Pontificate, Pope Francis proclaimed solidarity as a central virtue of what it means to be Catholic and Christian."

~ Coalition for Spiritual & Public Leadership

#PopeFrancis #Trump #Vance #MAGA
/8

https://www.csplaction.org/in-the-news/pope-francis-dies

"You can expect the divide between, you know, these very new Catholics like Vance who practice things that aren't Catholic at all, really, don't really align with Jesus' teachings. And so... the politics are still going to be there and you're going to hear from a lot of them as this process goes forward."

#PopeFrancis #Trump #Vance #MAGA
/7

"You know, a lot of [the papabile being identified now as on the short list to replace Francis] are very similar to Pope Francis, ideologically. And so if their personality is similar to his, which is very unafraid of very powerful people outside the church, ... you can expect [the divide between Catholics like Vance and the papacy] to continue."

~ Joe Perticone

#PopeFrancis #Trump #Vance #MAGA
/6

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/pope-francis-was-everything-maga

"About that: Francis was 88 years old. His health was failing. JD Vance did not actively kill the pope, any more than Liz Truss actively killed the queen. But it’s hard to imagine a more compelling call to 'come to the light' than looking into the well-kohled but empty eyes of that soulless Nazi ghoul."

#PopeFrancis #Trump #Vance #MAGA
/5

"Vance, I submit, sought the pope’s divine sanction for his administration’s vile Nazi tactics. He wanted the pontiff to bless the American Dachau in El Salvador. Why else come to the Vatican? And rather than grant the VP’s request, Francis played the ultimate trump card."

~ Greg Olear

#PopeFrancis #Trump #Vance #MAGA
/4

https://gregolear.substack.com/p/holy-see-saw

#JDVance issues a veiled threat to #India and the world — "dark time for all humanity"

“I believe that if India and the #UnitedStates work together successfully, we are going to see a 21st century that is prosperous and peaceful,” #Vance said, adding that if this didn’t happen, it would mean a “dark time for all humanity.”

https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-us-india-trade-modi-defense-91ab957fc31c86010bfb7aff3c5f9cd6