I’m highly confident that it isn’t just MAGA, but, Catholics and Christians around the world who are not climate cultists, because I saw plenty of tweets from around the world, but, hey, CNN’s gotta CNN – say, how much in the way of fossil fuels does CNN use to operate?
Pope Leo faces MAGA ire after immigration and climate change remarks
Pope Leo XIV has adopted a more low-key, less combative style to his predecessor in the early months of his papacy. Pope Francis’s openness to the LGBTQ community, advocacy for migrants and critiques of unrestrained capitalism saw him run up against strong conservative opposition inside and outside the church.
Leo, after gently dipping his toe into the US political fray, is now facing criticism from similar quarters to Francis. The opposition is coming from conservative Catholics in the US and MAGA supporters, some of whom, after Leo’s election, had hoped he would take the church in a different direction from Pope Francis.
The first American pope was asked on Tuesday about plans by the cardinal in Leo’s home city of Chicago to give an award to Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a member of Senate Democratic leadership. Cardinal Blase Cupich, an ally and friend of the pope, was planning to give Durbin a “Lifetime Achievement Award for?support?to?immigrants,” but the move faced a backlash given Durbin’s support for abortion rights. Durbin decided to refuse the honor.
Unusually, around 10 US bishops even spoke out publicly against the award. Two of those who did – Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and Bishop Thomas Paprocki – were both appointed a religious liberty advisory body by US President Donald Trump and had been at odds with decisions made by Francis. (snip)
Leo’s comments were immediately criticized. One conservative Catholic described it as “disappointing” and “largely irrelevant”, right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh said it was a “terrible answer from Pope Leo” and Jack Posobiec, an influencer who is supportive of Trump, posted on X simply: “Some popes are a blessing. Some popes are a penance.” Joseph Strickland, the outspoken retired bishop of Tyler, Texas, said Leo’s remarks had created “much confusion”.
The day after, however, Leo generated more MAGA opposition when he took part in climate conference where he called for action on protecting the planet and blessed some ice. It all comes during a period when Leo had a private meeting with Reverend James Martin, a leading advocate for LGBTQ Catholics, spoke up against the “pandemic of arms” following the Minnesota school shooting and criticised huge CEO salaries and singling out Elon Musk.
Let’s not forget that Durbin is a big supporter of abortion on demand. I also do not see the Vatican taking in a lot of illegal aliens with 3rd world mentalities. But, you know, Leo doesn’t want to get involved in culture wars and polarization
This week they were disappointed. Leo has shown he will, like Francis, try and avoid the culture wars. He doesn’t want to fuel any polarization. “They are very complex issues, and I don’t know if anyone has all the truth?on them,” the Pope pointed out when asked about Durbin’s award. Leo will also speak up, when necessary, particularly on the treatment of immigrants, an issue close to his heart from his time as a bishop in Peru. While Leo’s aim is to be a peacemaker his intervention this week show he’s unafraid to face opposition when drawing lines on where the church stands.
Yeah, didn’t the entire article show him wading into culture wars and polarization? Anyhow, how dare you MAGA (and people around the world) complain!
Virginia Dems go from “Let your rage fuel you” to fantasizing about political assassinations “2 bullets to head” – RePost
https://commoncts.blogspot.com/2025/10/virginia-democrats-go-from-let-your.html
Today is the church’s feast day for St Francis of Assisi, and the day for the blessing of the animals. I told our pastor that if he wanted to bless my critters, he needed to come to our place, ’cause I don’t know how they’d react had I taken them in a crowd.
At any rate, we had a Care for Creation event at the church today, noting some of the blessings from St Francis. As it happens, we have a very nice grassy area, with trees, a herb garden, some cat tails, and flowers between the church and the rectory, so the celebration was held there. In connection with the late Pope Francis Laudato Si program, the Diocese of Lexington and all of the parishes have our conservation programs, but the important part is that they are all voluntary; there is no government force or compulsion involved.
Most things are simple: checking insulation, and adding what needs to be added, replacing older lighting with LED bulbs. We have done away with plastic utensils, now using, again, the old, washable flatware for church meals. This is our program.
Fortunately, I was not on the Laudato Si committee, though the only point of the program to which I would have objected, and which has now fallen through, was the consideration of adding an electric vehicle charging station. Our solar panels do OK in running the church buildings, but the notion that they could also generate enough power for a vehicle charger was silly. Our solar panels do have some age on them now, and are not generating quite as much sparktricity as previously.
Though I haven’t pointed it out to the parish council yet, the parish center’s asphalt shingled roof is now 22 years old, and it won’t be too much longer before we need to consider having the roof replaced . . . and the solar panels are on the roof. We might have to remove the solar panels to redo the roof, though the panels themselves should have protected the shingles underneath them; perhaps we can work around that.
We are doing, voluntarily, the reasonable things that can be done.
Me, personally? Naturally, we installed LED bulbs during the kitchen remodel, and the bulbs installed seven years ago have started to fail, but hey, seven years out of a light bulb is pretty good. I installed our solar-and-wind-powered clothes dryer several years ago, not to save money, but because Mrs Pico appreciates the way line-dried laundry smells.
I find it amusing when hard leftist militant atheists trot out their googled Bible verses to support their own versions of reality and totally support the Pope, when he agrees with them, but sneers at him and his life’s work the rest of the time.