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Pope Francis (courtesy bloomberg.com)

“Why are deadly weapons being sold to those people who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and stop the arms trade.” – Pope Francis, speaking in front of the U.S. Congress.

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129 COMMENTS

  1. “And to show my support for civilian disarmament, I am releasing my armed guards from my protection detail now. Peace will prevail!”

    Not.

      • He is plain and simple a ‘ false prophet ‘ , maybe the ‘ False Prophet ‘.
        The audacity to come here and lecture America on helping the poor and the destruction caused by guns and global warming ? WTF . Shouldn’t he be talking about the destruction caused by pedophilia and abortion . What an elitist pompous man . Definitely fallible .

    • The hypocrisy keeps dripping from his speeches.

      He pleads for nations to accept refugee immigrants, while the Vatican has the strictest immigration policy in the world.

      • Are you being intentionally disingenuous, or are you merely stupid and easily misled? Vatican City is all of 110 acres and has 842 residents. Most of the available area is bureaucratic offices of the Holy See, a few churches, and a big library. It has no industry, no jobs except for the church itself, no agriculture, and no available housing. It never has had an immigration policy in its entire existence. Just where do you propose they put a thousand or so refugees?

        • Then if the pope isn’t going to put up some space, then he should shut up about how we should run our sovereign nations.

    • He’s really talking about things like OP Fast & Furious and trading arms to unstable rebels. This was a message to governments, not the people.

      • If this was just a message to the governments of countries he would have put it forth like that He purposely Made it back to include us as citizens as well Like we worship the dollar in the money that comes from selling Arms. He should be reminded of the trillions of dollars they make as a 501 C corporation in these United States of America That goes right in his pocket he’s got more money than God

      • If that’s what he meant, he should have said so, at least in my opinion. Or is the Pope so obtuse that he’s unaware of the prevalence of peaceful civilian arms manufacture, possession and use in the US?

        • I agree, I figured he could at least bring up fast and furious And say something to our president on the fact that He’s breaking the law And people in power can not break the law they have to lead by example And if you win on that kind of a Route it would have been more beneficial not to mention have the support Of every gun owner in the United States. But he didn’t do that he made a broad comment that could be taken either way because that’s what his peopleDecided to put in his speech that he read. He could have made it sound Much more against High-ranking political officials dealing arms to terrorist but that’s not how it came out it actually came out that he was talking about Firearms in general in the problems this country has with Firearms in general Much broader stroke less detail More BS

        • I’m not Catholic, nor a fan of this present Pope, but I’m going to give the Pope the benefit of the doubt and say he is rather clueless on gun ownership and the domestic industry at large to know how to differentiate the two.

          I like to see him take the case to Russia and China, which no doubt he won’t do.

        • I am not Catholic. I have no reason to defend Pope Francis. He was addressing congress when he spoke, not the American people as a whole. He addressed the American people as a whole today in NYC the topic of firearms never came up.

          What mess did our arms sales create? What mess did the government of the USA create in the Middle East? Did we find the people that attacked the Twin Towers in either war? Exactly what did we accomplish other than bringing ISIS & ISIL to power? Not to mention wasting the lives of our very finest citizens who enlisted thinking they were going to help free a nation.

          The pope told congress just what they needed to hear. The bastards should cry themselves to sleep every single night.

      • ou are of course correct, and anyone arguing to the contrary is just being stubborn. The only people shipping arms to conflict zones are illegal arms dealers; those doing it legally are governments, or who have the express approval of governments. Look at the hot water H&K, Sig and glock have gotten into with the German authorities for alleged exports to conflict zones. The largest exporter is of course the US, and then there is China and Russia as heavy hitters in heavy arms, Pakistan and Iran with small arms, and the list goes on. There can be no reasonable doubt that the Pope’s comments were directed at governments,not individuals or companies.

    • I must say, I’m pretty much Poped-out. I respect Catholicism, but I when I hear guys like this say things like this, I realize why we had a Protestant Reformation. This guy’s a communist.

      • I’m no Catholic, heck I’m not even a religionist, but as I read the Apostles, Jesus was hardly a capitalist. Not only was he running around feeding the poor, but I seem to recall there was a big to do at the Temple about all the moneychangers and the greedy ruling religious class.

    • First, he has ARMED Swiss guards who are KILLERS. The “nice” ones you see are ceremonial for photo-ops. Second, as a Catholic, former religious instructor from the ’70s and having a coat of arms from my Templar progenitor I take exception to 90% of what this Progressive mole spouts. He is a JESUIT. NEVER trust a Jesuit. They fabricated the false doctrine of Liberation Theology 140+ years ago in Central America based in Fabian Socialism.

  2. As written, I can agree with him. I do have issues with arms traders that supply weapons, knowing they will be used by their dictator buyers to suppress their local populations or be transferred to other in-country militias who plan to do the same.

    If in larger context he is referring to arms dealing generally, prohibiting to all buyers, I would laugh at his hypocrisy. But, I’d like to think he isn’t.

    • “I do have issues with arms traders that supply weapons, knowing they will be used by their dictator buyers . . . ”

      We are habituated to thinking in these terms. However, when we act – by way of establishing public policy – this sentiment is no different than that of “keeping guns out of the wrong hands”. A noble sentiment indeed; but how’s that working out for Y’all?

      The contrast of Fast & Furious vs. the Autodefensas (Mexican militias) just struck me (yesterday). The US licenses the export of small arms to Mexican police and military. Many of these guns are trafficked by government armory stewards to the cartels and Mexican public at large. The DoJ’s ATF supervised and facilitated trafficking arms to the Sinaloa cartel.

      Meanwhile, ATF enforcement efforts and US law frustrates access to US arms markets by ordinary Mexicans; the Autodefensas and non-organized individuals. The Mexican people – in contrast to the cartels and government – have limited economic resources to invest in arms and ammunition; and, US law raises barriers to price them out-of our markets.

      So, quite frankly, I ask: How are our efforts to keep arms out-of-the-hands of the wrong people working out? In the grander picture, in our noble efforts to satisfy our sentiments that ‘We HAVE to do SOMETHING!” our laws seem to:
      – facilitate arms exports to ‘the wrong people’;
      – frustrate arms exports to ‘the People’ who struggle to secure for themselves a ‘free state’.

      As a thought experiment:
      1. – design a system of laws intended to keep guns out-of-the-hands of the RIGHT peoples
      and IN the hands of the WRONG organizations;

      2 – design a system of laws intended to maximize access to guns for the RIGHT peoples
      notwithstanding the consequences of any increase in access by the WRONG organizations;

      3. – Imagine what #1 would look like – would it be quite similar to the 4473, NICS check, export controls?
      4. – Imagine what #2 would look like – would it be quite similar to the retail market prior to 1968?

      We are focused today on the plight of Christians, Yazidis, and peaceful Muslims in the distant lands of the Middle-East. All of us PotG wonder how much better off these peoples would be if they could access the US arms market. But, alas, they are 10,000 miles away and these thoughts are a mere fantasy.

      Shouldn’t we be focusing on the plight of our neighbors – Christians – in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, etc.? These, our IMMEDIATE neighbors, were endowed by our mutual creator with the same inalienable rights of life, liberty, pursuit of happiness and the means of effective self-defense.

      If we believed in the natural right to arms wouldn’t we redouble our efforts to roll-back gun-controls that we suffer as mere “infringements” while fostering an active democide of Latin-American’s lives! (Democide is the generic killing of a people by or at the direction of their government.)

  3. Blood money… because here I thought the various manufacturers of AR parts were making money by offering better products for me to build a better rifle to defend myself with.

    • We really don’t know if he was referring to governments, companies, individuals or all of the above. It’s vague enough that when he gets pushback, he can say “I wasn’t referring to …”

      That’s the way popes (and some presidents) speak.

  4. “Why are so many pedophile priests inflict(ing) untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for lust that is drenched in blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and stop priest pedophilia.”

    Duplicitous Vatican walled hypocrite.

    • The vicar of Christ indeed.

      Pope, you are a poser. Nothing more. A figurehead, at best. Stick to your so-called expertise in spiritual guidance. And leave the secular world, to itself.

      As a former Catholic, from a small, little, insignificant island, I despise your hypocrisy, as well, as your rejection of scripture, on self defense when you find it inconvenient. Like the philosopher Carlin stated, I rejected Catholicism when I reached the age of reason.

      And as to your speech on giving? The free people’s and citizens of these United States, are the most giving people, in the world. The superstructure of this great republic should be emulated and duplicated the world over.

      You should be thanking the people and condemning the congress critters and our shameful, feckless president, along with shaming and naming ISIS for its acts of murder and chaos, killing anything and everything. But since you are basically a king when you live in Vatican City, I guess you want to be seen as one, outside of those expensive gates and city state walls.

    • Nope all for the bi***es. Money was simply handed to them.

      Also from what I’m finding this quote deals with the arms trade to unstable and underdeveloped areas of the world like 95% of the African Continent, certain parts of South America, Canada. Rather than individual sales in a developed nation.

      Developed nations should do more to stop the flow of weapons to those that oppress and commit violence against their populaces and neighbors. I’m OK with sending some ordinance over to those types now and again as long as it’s rendered unusable on arrival.

      • “…underdeveloped areas of the world like 95% of the African Continent, certain parts of South America, Canada.”

        THAT made me laugh. Sorry Canada, it was funny.

    • The church was forbidden to draw blood when ferreting out ‘heretics’, often done in order to confiscate property. They used red-hot irons or the rack.

    • Not only Fast & Furious brought to you by the Obama Administration, the Mexican drug war which the dope a pope is not so strangle silent, but also the Libya gun running operation to enrich the Clinton Foundation.

      Hey at least the pope can endorse Bernie Sanders, dedicated socialist and all.

    • Towing the line . Following the protocol , Building the New World Order , Repeating the same old crap .
      Gun control , global warming , spreading the wealth , balancing the scales and all in the name of ( god ) .
      Not in the name of GOD .

    • Towing the line .
      Same old gobbley goop , global warming , gun control , spread the wealth , balance the scales . Elitist mumbo jumbo .
      Sorry Friar Francis , you can go home now , your crap does not harmonize with the constitution of the USA .
      We see right through you .
      By by .

    • Yep. How come I don’t see all you religious folks embracing every word that comes out of this supposedly infallible commie bastard’s mouth? I mean, isn’t he supposed to be second only to your god or something? I’m not sure anymore, since I don’t pay attention to men in dresses, who molest kids in their spare time, preaching about fairy tales. But that’s just me.

      • Because he isn’t Jesus, whom is pro armed defense. Plus even religious people look back to their holy book to make sure the person talking lines up with the instruction manual.

      • Mr. P., he’s only the head of the Roman Catholic Church. No authority over Protestants, Orthodox, other Christian sects, or non-Christians. So your question is properly aimed only at Roman Catholics.

  5. But with indulgences for sale, you can wash away your past. Pretty nice business model. Keys to the pearly gates for sale.

    • FWIW, I kinda liked the 15th Century RCC. At least it was close to honest – we are here to rule you, this is a business to make money, we have great parties, excellent orgies, no problems with incest or child buggering. They made almost no effort to hide any of it.

  6. It seems like every time he speaks, he further convinces me that he is the Antichrist, or at very least the last pope/false prophet, which is mildly depressing considering what it supposedly leads to. All that’s left for him to say is everyone needs a chip to buy things.

  7. The Liberal Catholic hierarchy does NOT believe in an individuals’ right to defend themselves.
    As part of their catechism training that all life is sacred.
    But that training does allow for a person to defend themselves, but the
    hierarchy of the Catholic church are Liberals from Europe.

    I think they are Liberal, now.

    But when Catholics start to get wiped out either peacefully by the shear number of Islamic immigrants or by force of another Islamic campaigns, the Catholics will start to abandon their liberalism or they will cease to exist and evaporate into a distant memory.

  8. Do I have to remind this jackass of the Crusades! What a hypocrite! I tell you what buddy why don’t you stay in your hometown in your country and stay the F out of ours. I really love it when people appointed to power Point their finger at a free society and want to change it, Go home! Nobody gives a kick ass about you at all Another oppressor!

  9. Last time i checked he works for an organization that has a history of child abuse. Instead of telling us what to do, he should fix his own cult first.

    • They fixed it by buying off the victims, scaring them by guaranteeing hell for talking about the priest molesting them. Supporting the drug lords of Southern America’s. Telling people that the tithe to the church is more important than feeding your family, no matter the source of the funds. Drugs, gun running kidnapping, piracy. Even advertising for Fiat. Both my wife and self were raised in the Catholic church, after the number of gay priests, hypocritical bastards who would run over anyone for political gain

      • Hey now, let’s not forget the Mafia, the never-ending scandals at the Vatican Bank, and the incredibly wide scale of the Irish child sex abuse. It was even more institutional than in the US. Not to mention the third-world where they just run wild.

  10. This pope sounds like a liberal puppet. He talks about accepting these “downtrodden refugees” and guns are bad. The refugees have already raped quite a few women and sexual assaulted countless young girls since arrival to Europe. Then he has armed guards and politely disses on America where we have probably the highest LEGAL fire arm ownership and were guns are used to save lives almost DAILY. Sounds like an out of touch old man. ISIS didn’t use guns for more than props when they were burning people, beheading, or chuckin em off tall buildings. Evil finds a way Popett. Even says in that BIG ol Book he supposed to read. Gods wants his people armed up as well. “if a man does not have a sword, let him sell his cloak and buy one.” My sword defends at 2800FPS.

  11. The church has a fairly clear position on self-defense:

    “Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow”

    “Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm.”

    (from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section two, chapter two, article 5, 2264,2265)

    The Pope’s opinion about arms sales must not be taken to deny those basic rights of defense that his church acknowledges. Be it a sword, a bow, or a firearm, the best method to protect life in defense must be available for ordinary folks.

  12. Brave of him isn’t it, with 12 armed guards surrounding him. Just like a preacher to be completely disconnected from reality. All you have to do to become that stupid is ask a fallacious question and then provide a simplistic and unrealistic answer. You can’t stop a machine and you can’t fix stupid. You can only wait for both to run out of gas.

  13. I was baptized Protestant, but I was molested Catholic! Lol I went to Catholic private school kindergarten through 12th grade And I’ve seen Very troubling things With this religious organization known as the Roman Catholic Church. They’ve had pri That molested children and instead of letting the law enforcement agency in that area arrest and put a big black eye on their religion they simply moved the priest out of the country And then. To another church in this country at a later date But you won’t hear this joke or talk about that. Not to mention the Roman Catholic Church is the most wealthy religious organization in the entire world That’s why when you go to have Mass They use 24 karat gold chalices. Give me a break! You and your little popemobile go on back home We don’t need anymore Europeans telling us how to live our lives I think we broke that when we got out from under the king Some 200 years ago plus! This guy is ridiculous!

  14. Pretty vague quote. How about those that their government or IS is killing ? And IF one country or group stopped all sales to whatever group wouldn’t another group step in and supply the arms ? Seems like a Pie in the Sky idea like Communism. Won’t work in the real world. Sorry Pope.

    • Very well spoken. I think The Roman Catholic Church Has got quite a few holes in their story. They guard the papal palace with assault rifles From whom you ask Well it used to be Religious Fruit cakes, now called terrorism. If you look at the start of terrorism it’s all religiously motivated and driven I think we’d be a lot better off without any religion in this country or anywhere in the world Especially with all these guys that are so called prophets now that you turn on the TV in the middle of the night and you’re being scolded at 3 o’clock in the morning buy some preacher who thinks he knows the way to God. My question is with all these religions and all these rules and regulations on how to get to God Which one is correct and which ones are just fake? I think they’re all full of shit. The Pope is also forgetting the Old Testament and variousParts of the New Testament as well where God talks about self defense and not letting An oppressor Take advantage of you or hurt you or you as a person because you’re made in the likeness of God therefore you carry a piece of God with you everywhere you go. So we’re supposed to just sit down and take it and get shot By oppressors And tyrannous! It just doesn’t seem believable never has never will It’s a crock of crap

    • But a whiz kid on climate change. I mean, he’s got a masters in chemistry; at least that’s what the leftard memes like to say. But then again, so did Walter White.

  15. Maybe on a World Wide basis we are becoming like those rats they studied late in the last century where the scientists crammed many more individuals into a habitat than the habitat could support. The result was craziness and violence. Rats don’t choose Leaders like People do, so the Rats fought it out, whereas People are choosing increasingly unbalanced Leaders whose agenda is to destroy any sense of individuality and personal freedom so they can be controlled by the Leaders and their paid bullies. Increasingly, each of us loses value to the Community as a whole and our lives and freedom become expendable. Takes that old Star Trek axiom, “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” to a whole new level of sinister.

    Now the Leaders decide what the “needs of the many” are and those who do not comply with the Leaders’ decision are declared detriments to Society to be controlled by force or eliminated. In 1957, Chairman Mao remarked concerning the prospect of Nuclear War: “I’m not afraid of nuclear war. There are 2.7 billion people in the world; it doesn’t matter if some are killed. China has a population of 600 million; even if half of them are killed, there are still 300 million people left. I’m not afraid of anyone.”*

    The remarks of Pope Francis reflect the attitude of Chairman Mao, but the Pope is too naive to recognize how unbalanced his Marxist-influenced point of view on the matter of Arms is. Maybe if we were ALL devoted, obedient Catholics, as the Pope would like us to be, we could cram 7+ billion of us onto the Planet and get along without any Arms. Unfortunately, “Il Papa”, it’s not that way. Neither, is it true that those of us who want to live as free individuals ought to, or will (ever), embrace your, and other “World Leaders'”, belief that we must be controlled by what you decide is best for us.

    The Marxist-influenced inversion of the notion “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” denies the truth that “the many” are free individuals, no matter how many there are. No one can spin it otherwise. However, the perverted interpretation advanced by today’s chosen “Leaders” seems to be gaining traction, and worse yet, acceptance. It will result in two Classes of People, the “Leaders” and “everyone else”. Want to see that future?…look no further than North Korea.

    Sorry, Your Holiness, but my Arms are not “drenched in blood” and neither are those of the millions of law-abiding, peaceful by personal choice gun owners in The United States, or the people who manufacture the Arms and related products we use. We do not/will not accept your premise that we must surrender our Arms, close our Businesses and give up our freedoms and rights for the “greater good” that you envision.

  16. Taken out of context, context is important people. Also anyone bringing up the crusades is being intentionally silly. Lets stick to events that happened within the last 100 years or so okay?
    http://www.vox.com/2015/9/24/9391549/pope-remarks-full-text

    “Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.”

    Do you see how that first sentence changes everything?

    • Exactly, people are getting all butt-hurt over these comments but he is talking only about arms sales to terrorists and criminals (like the Muslim Brotherhood and such).

      But so many people, including people here, don’t want to hear that.

    • Context is indeed important. But once you play the “broaden the context” card you have to be prepared to open it still further to be all-enconpassing.

      Considering the whole of this pope’s preachings, I still have to question his fundamental standings onaonany issues. I had real hopes for him at first, as it sounded like he might be leading the Catholic Church to a more thoughtful place. Now … It sounds more and more to me like platitudes.

      Or perhaps I’m just cynical. But then I was also the kid who got punished in grade school for asking the nuns questions about reconciling various aspects of church teachings with reality. That’s my context.

      • I had the same discussions with the nuns in my elementary school and all they would do was get really red faced mad and say quote You have to believe you have to have faith in quote. That reminds me of a whole lot of other stuff to thank you very much for your comment lolNothing like a yardstick smacked against the top of your hand Unexpectedly from behind Lol

    • Exactly, Robert. I was going to ask all the knee-jerk, don’t-engage-brain, jump-to-conclusion pope-haters here just why they approve of Russia selling arms to ISIS, since to anyone who actually paid attention that’s the sort of thing he’s talking about. From he comments here, it seems TTAG is a hotbed of terrorist-lovers.

  17. Markin Pa,
    Your reply was the most intelligent and nuanced of all the replies.
    I completely agree with everything you said. The Mexican Army and Police have failed to defend the people. The Police are often allied with the cartels.
    The ordinary Mexican citizens need to arm themselves and organize into self defense groups and drive out the cartels in their neighborhoods. The U.S. and Mexican governments should faciclitate this process. The Mexicans have made a small step with the formation of an armed rural police force that is supplied with weapons in exchange for government control.
    We do have the example of the Columbian Autodefensas that also started out as a self defense force that drove out the narcos. They were victorious and became local warlords.
    However, they immediately were lured by the money and took over the narcotics trade themselves.

  18. The Pope has tunnel vision.

    In the Pope’s world he speaks from his own perspective of peace and harmony attainable by all people through the leadership of his maker and teachings of the church. Yet, as even the bible describes, that is not the reality of our world, and never will be short of complete, unequivocal mind control of all humans by some power.

    Even the bible recognizes the need for strength to overcome evil through thought, words and deeds. With as much human evil and potential for tumult and anarchy in much of the world, the Pope should be able to recognize the need for individual resistant strength beyond hope and sacrifice. Without action, his own church faces the threat of impotent destruction given the proclaimed intentions of the Muslim world which both publically and privately celebrates the killing of all Christians at the hands of Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, and now ISIS at the behest of countries like Iran, to name but the most prolific of the so-called religious psychopathic fanatics, and urges the migration of Muslims to the Christian world.

    Be prepared, indeed a gun behind every tree, every blade of grass, every door.

  19. Yep…. still very happy I’m Jewish.

    This plutocrat can go stew in his own juices.. behind his armored bathroom door guarded by squads of vatican mercenaries carrying full-auto MP7s of course..

  20. This quote was taken out of context. See Colion Noir’s instragram from yesterday. I thought TTAG was above this, but now they’re starting to look like sesational media…please don’t go down that road

  21. I don’t understand, why doesn’t everyone just rely on their armed Swiss Guards to protect them? Isn’t everyone a theocratic dictator like me?

    • Why should we give A rich and powerful person In our community any break Whatsoever. We’ve been letting leaders In this country and leaders of the world get away with too much crap for way too long and that’s why we’re in this situation we’re in today in the United States. It’s high time we put our money where our mouth is and we tell these individuals that you will not break federal law you will not eradicate our constitutional freedoms and if you try you will be held accountable by a federal court And start putting these radical progressive liberal leaders in check and in prison End of story.

    • I agree. It’s sad that in the span of a decade we have gone from John Paul II, who not only saw the evil of communism and denounced it, but also played a key role in bringing down the iron curtain, to Francis who practically embraces it. It is very telling that he offered no criticism of Cuba’s communist dictatorship when he visited there last week, yet he is offering nothing but criticism of America now that he is here.

  22. If this pope didn’t say so many things that could be so easily used by the leftists to pass their freedom limiting laws, I’d have more respect for him. He knows the left will use his comments on global warming and gun control to their advantage. As such, I give him no respect as a religious leader. He’s a partisan in pope’s clothing.

  23. Something, something, get a sword, something, something:

    Luke 22:36
    And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.

    http://biblehub.com/luke/22-36.htm

    Sounds like Jesus was keen on the idea of being armed – weird! Now, that verse is likely taken out of context, but I hardly care, since taking verses out of context is standard behavior, but swords of that time period were likely no less “drenched in blood, often innocent blood,” then guns are today.

    • The quote continues:

      “For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

  24. Yikes it seems very few defending popery here. I believe he is the final pope-the whole Celestine thing. Kinda’ telling he has said NOTHING about pedohile priests. It seems he got Boehner to resign in a sea of tears…take some of those billions and help all the Catholics and Christians in the mideast. Their art collection alone might be worth a trillion bucks(yeah trillion)…

    • Of course he didn’t say anything about pedophile priests — he’s been acting instead of talking, and Congress doesn’t have any authority over those priests anyway.

      What he has done is quietly drag a number of offending priests who got away with things where they were back to the Vatican for trials under some rather quaint old laws that boil down to saying that if the Vatican believes a priest has violated a law where he lives and the local government doesn’t act, the Vatican can haul that priest in and try him under whichever set of laws is more severe, the Vatican’s or the local government’s. And he’s got priests who were formally living rather comfortably scot-free locked up on bread and water — and when their sentences are done, they’ll be sent to serve in places where the youngest person is like 70.
      On top of that, he appointed a tribunal in Rome and ordered them to find all the bishops responsible for letting priests get away with sexual abuse — and there’s no reason to believe he won’t be as harsh with them as with the priests (probably harsher).

      OTOH there is the situation with the papal nuncio in the Dominican Republic, and various priests who have managed to take refuge in South America instead of facing charges in other countries (primarily the U.S.), which mars Francis’ record. But a close reading shows that once again we see a pope determined to change things being fought by a hierarchy determined to cling to power and privilege. I have to wonder if Francis has been warned to back off or else — what happens with his new tribunal will tell a lot.

  25. It takes a special kind of hypocrite to shit talk self defense while surrounded by armed security.

    Also what is it about little bald men and disarmament?

    • Where did he mention self-defense? He talked about the slaughter of innocents. And he doesn’t need to mention self-defense; the Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms it strongly.

  26. Somehow I think that his good will tour is not going to create all that much good will. He is taking political stands on things, something he really should leave to politicians. Global warming, gun control, redistribution of wealth, are topics that will alienate people and will go a long way to turn away even more of his parishioners.

    • For some reason it was a dream of John Boehner to get a pope to address Congress.

      It may go down as his greatest accomplishment.

  27. I was wondering when TTAG would tag along on the pontiffs visit. Sadly what is not surprising is TTAG taking his words out of context. Great way to bring out the catholic bashers if that was the plan. If not, your bias is showing.

  28. The characterization of the Pope’s comments and sometime pure bigotry displayed above are sickening. That appears to be a common thread with TTAG these days sadly. This is the same Pope that called for an armed response to ISIS. NOWHERE has he said anything about an individual’s right to keep and bear arms. This is pure paranoia.

    The Know Nothings rise again it seems…

  29. Why should I care what the pope says? As far as I’m concerned, the Protestant Reformation made anything he has to say totally meaningless.

  30. Didn’t the Pope during WW2 appease the Nazi’s? The Pope is not an American. Didn’t the church host the inquisition, the 100 year war, the Spanish in Central America? Didn’t the Pope ignore Mother Teresa for most of her life? Thanks for your support and vote.Pass the word.
    mrpresident2016.com

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