Pope denies audience with Pompeo; Vatican warns against playing politics over China

By Philip Pullella

 

Pope Francis is seen at the San Damaso courtyard during the weekly general audience at the Vatican, September 30 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

 

ROME (Reuters) - The Vatican said on Wednesday it had denied a request from Mike Pompeo for an audience with Pope Francis, and accused the Secretary of State of trying to drag the Catholic Church into the U.S. presidential election by denouncing its relations with China.

 

The extraordinary remarks from the two top diplomatic officials at the Vatican came after Pompeo accused the Church in an article and a series of tweets this month of putting its "moral authority" at risk by renewing an agreement with China over the appointment of bishops.

 

Pompeo, who was in Rome on Wednesday and due to meet Vatican officials on Thursday, repeated his denunciations of China's record on religious freedom at an event hosted by the U.S. embassy to the Holy See.

 

The Vatican's two top diplomats, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher, said Francis had declined a request from Pompeo for an audience, as the pope avoids meeting politicians ahead of elections.

 

"Yes, he asked. But the pope had already said clearly that political figures are not received in election periods. That is the reason," Parolin said.

 

The Vatican's two-year-old agreement with Beijing gives the pope some say over the appointment of Chinese bishops. It was due to expire next month, but is expected to be renewed.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed what he called China's "repressive" regime on Wednesday, as Vatican officials accuse him of trying to drag the Catholic Church into the U.S. presidential election. Caroline Malone reports.

 

Officials in the Holy See say the agreement is not perfect but call it a step forward, after decades during which Chinese Catholics who recognise the pope were driven underground.

 

Parolin and Gallagher both described Pompeo's public criticism as a "surprise", coming just before his planned visit.

 

"Normally when you're preparing these visits between high-level officials, you negotiate the agenda for what you are going to talk about privately, confidentially. It's one of the rules of diplomacy," Gallagher said.

 

"THAT'S JUST CRAZY"

Asked if he believed that Pompeo's criticisms of the Vatican deal were intended for political use in the United States, Parolin said: "Some have interpreted it this way ... that the comments were above all for domestic political use. I don't have proof of this but certainly this is one way of looking at it."

 

The Vatican-China deal "is a matter that has nothing to do with American politics. This is a matter between Churches and should not be used for this type of ends," Parolin said.

 

For his part, when asked at a briefing if he was "picking a fight" with the Vatican over China and what impact that could have on Catholic and other Christian voters, Pompeo replied: "That's just crazy."

 

President Donald Trump has campaigned on his hard line towards China ahead of the Nov. 3 election. He is also strongly associated with conservative Protestant and Catholic movements, many of which have been critical of Pope Francis.

 

In his speech on Thursday, Pompeo did not directly address the Vatican agreement with Beijing, but he described China as the world's worst abuser of religious rights.

 

"Nowhere is religious freedom under assault more than in China," Pompeo said. The Chinese Communist Party was looking to "to snuff out the lamp of freedom ... on a horrifying scale".

 

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Peter Graff)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-01

 

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Poor form to even request an audience. The officials in the State Dept, WH  and Vatican, and the ambassador to the Holy See,  would have known that it would not occur.

 

Mrs. Gingrich, the third wife, not much help I guess?

 

 

 

 

Good for you you Pope Francis the correct call not to get used by trump and his mess

Twitter storm against the Pope in the works... #confefe

Gotta be desperately scraping the barrel when trying to use the Pope for political support like this; knowing full well the Pope never receives political figures in an election period.

 

 

Why would the Pope give an audience to the antichrist? 

I would think a meeting with the Dalia Lama and some Hong Kong activists in Taiwan with Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines present would be fun. And just for more fun throw in India.

The Vatican is a corrupt and lying mob gang like the CCP. Brothers in arms, who nobody needs.

Good for Pope Francis. Please join into politics and condemn the US attempt at hegemony through endless lying. Like Joe Biden should have avoided debating Trump because of his endless lies...Pope Francis should permanently ban the other half of the evil duo, Pompeo.

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The Vatican said on Wednesday it had denied a request from Mike Pompeo for an audience with Pope Francis, and accused the Secretary of State of trying to drag the Catholic Church into the U.S. presidential election by denouncing its relations with China.

Good move, wait until after January and deal with a sane administration.

27 minutes ago, Deli said:

The Vatican is a corrupt and lying mob gang like the CCP. Brothers in arms, who nobody needs.

Apparently Trump cs need them. But this coming out in the open shows the arrogance and lack of diplomacy of the US administration.

Edited October 1, 20205 yr by stevenl

25 minutes ago, Deli said:

The Vatican is a corrupt and lying mob gang like the CCP. Brothers in arms, who nobody needs.

That the trump admin requested a meeting shows you are wrong.

44 minutes ago, Deli said:

The Vatican is a corrupt and lying mob gang like the CCP. Brothers in arms, who nobody needs.

 

So got to wonder why Pompeo asked for a meeting.

1 hour ago, Morch said:

 

So got to wonder why Pompeo asked for a meeting.

Hoping to sell a few missiles maybe...

3 hours ago, Brunolem said:

Why would the Pope give an audience to the antichrist? 

Tip o' th hat, that did make me laugh 

3 hours ago, Brunolem said:

Why would the Pope give an audience to the antichrist? 

Because Trump says he's the Second Coming of God and the King of Israel? Making the Pope his 'employee.' Aug. 21, 2019 Vanity Fair.

13 hours ago, webfact said:

the pope avoids meeting politicians ahead of elections.

So no problem for the Pope to meet Chinese politicians at any time, then!

 

Outstanding. The more humiliation and scorn heaped upon this disastrous administration, the better. Good on the Pope, for a wise decision. 

 

Pompeo is beyond pompous. He is a horrible SOS. And fortunately, only a few months to go, and none of us have to see his face ever again. Obscurity is in his future. Same for his hapless boss. 

21 minutes ago, OJAS said:

So no problem for the Pope to meet Chinese politicians at any time, then!

 

 

Well, for one thing, the election year thing is not an issue for them.

Other than that your 'any time' bit is nonsense.

Edited October 1, 20205 yr by Morch

10 hours ago, Tug said:

Good for you you Pope Francis the correct call not to get used by trump and his mess

The Pope, complete Hypocrite. Preaches human rights and an avid supporter of the world's biggest human rights abuser. I remember a country in Europe that appointed their Catholic Bishops and cleargy too in the 1930/40's. The Catholic Church had no issues with that one either.

6 hours ago, Deli said:

The Vatican is a corrupt and lying mob gang like the CCP. Brothers in arms, who nobody needs.

 Who asked whom for a meeting ???  

USA Pompeo was embarrassed.   Period. 

Had pompous Pompeo got the meeting his master of chaos boss would have claimed some sort of fake endorsement. 

12 hours ago, Brunolem said:

Hoping to sell a few missiles maybe...

 

13 hours ago, Morch said:

 

So got to wonder why Pompeo asked for a meeting.

Ego of his boss I suspect

Well I guess when Trump is asked why did Pompeo want an audience with the Pope he will come up with his stock standard answer. "The Pope never heard of him don't even know him .Who is he never met or heard of him."

42 minutes ago, Paul Henry said:

Well I guess when Trump is asked why did Pompeo want an audience with the Pope he will come up with his stock standard answer. "The Pope never heard of him don't even know him .Who is he never met or heard of him."

Which probably would be true.

I think that the Trump administration has a fair point about the Church's acquiescence to China. The problem is that Pompeo has abandoned the traditional neutrality in elections of a Secretary of State and has been campaigning hard for President Trump. 

Disgusting hypocrisy, he's doing just what he is warning about

1 hour ago, mthomsen111 said:

I think that the Trump administration has a fair point about the Church's acquiescence to China. The problem is that Pompeo has abandoned the traditional neutrality in elections of a Secretary of State and has been campaigning hard for President Trump. 

 

What is your view based on? Is the Vatican obligated to follow USA foreign policy? Are the interests of the USA and the Vatican similar in this regard? The Vatican does not command armies, and usually goes about things in a more diplomatic way.

1 hour ago, Orton Rd said:

Disgusting hypocrisy, he's doing just what he is warning about

 

How so?