Perhaps it should come as no surprise that yesterday, John Boehner extended a formal invitation to the leader of his Roman Catholic faith, Pope Francis I, to address a joint session of Congress.
Speaker of the House Boehner keeps his cards tightly held and his personal beliefs even closer. But sometimes Boehner’s religious agenda is exposed, like in 2012, when he hired one of the most influential anti-gay activists in America, Robert P. George, to join the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Commissioners at the USCIRF are government employees, and hold their posts for two years.
Dr. George, of course, is the co-founder of the National Organization For Marriage (NOM), and is a co-author of the Manhattan Declaration, which has been signed by Christian Evangelical leaders who promise “resistance to the point of civil disobedience against any legislation that might implicate their churches or charities in abortion, embryo-destructive research or same-sex marriage.â€
“This commission has a unique opportunity to call attention to efforts that threaten religious liberty around the globe,” Speaker Boehner said via a press release. “Dr. George is a respected and leading voice for religious freedom, and I’m pleased that he will bring his passion for this issue and legal expertise to the commission. No person should live in fear of persecution for worshipping as they see fit or be forced by government mandate to disavow or compromise their faith. He will be a great resource in the House’s effort to defend this fundamental human right.”
Boehner revealed his agenda for inviting the Pope in a statement he later released.
Pope Francis’ “tireless call for the protection of the most vulnerable among us—the ailing, the disadvantaged, the unemployed, the impoverished, the unborn—has awakened hearts on every continent,” Boehner’s statement reads.
Applauding the Pope’s “social teachings, rooted in ‘the joy of the gospel,’” Boehner aligned himself with “those who champion human dignity, freedom, and social justice.”
“These principles are among the fundamentals of the American Idea. And though our nation sometimes fails to live up to these principles, at our best we give them new life as we seek the common good. Many in the United States believe these principles are undermined by ‘crony capitalism’ and the ongoing centralization of political power in the institutions of our federal government, which threaten to disrupt the delicate balance between the twin virtues of subsidiarity and solidarity. They have embraced Pope Francis’ reminder that we cannot meet our responsibility to the poor with a welfare mentality based on business calculations. We can meet it only with personal charity on the one hand and sound, inclusive policies on the other.”
The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
To repeat:
“Many in the United States,” Boehner said, “have embraced Pope Francis’ reminder that we cannot meet our responsibility to the poor with a welfare mentality based on business calculations. We can meet it only with personal charity on the one hand and sound, inclusive policies on the other.”
Do those “inclusive policies” include the Republican agenda to deny health care, welfare, food stamps, unemployment insurance payments, domestic violence protections, and so many other responsibilities, to the neediest among us?
The hypocrisy is staggering.
Perhaps the Pope will take Boehner aside and have a very necessary “come to Jesus” talk with him.
Read Boehner’s letter to the Pope:
3-13-14 Speaker Invitation to Pope Francis – Joint Meeting
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Image: Speaker of the House John Boehner speaking at the Family Research Council-sponsored Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. in 2011. Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr.