Vicar of Christ!!!!! When the so called vicar of Christ slapped a poor complaining Asian pilgrim and the global catholic media came in full swing to defend his action

 

Vatican signs historic deal with China – but critics denounce sellout 

Cardinal Joseph Zen, pictured here in 2013, said he was revealing confidential information because Chinese Catholics should know the truth. Photograph: Gregorio Borgia/AP

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/22/vatican-pope-francis-agreement-with-china-nominating-bishops  

 Leticia Velasquez‏ @CauseofourJoy

Did Pope Francis have time for this obviously desperate women? Did he dialogue with her? How did he recognize her attempts to speak to him? With two slaps and name calling “Bruja!

 

@GuardAmerican: Your Holiness @Pontifex: You not only slapped this woman, but you ignored her desperate plea asking for YOUR help again Xi Jinping Roman Catholic oppression in China. This is extremely disappointing. Even outright evil.

 

Pope slaps woman, says sorry

https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1512821/pope-sorry-slapping-devotee 

 

By AFP

Added 2nd January 2020 10:44 AM

"It happens to me too. I apologise for the bad example given yesterday," the head of the Catholic church said before celebrating Mass at the Vatican.

Pope Francis apologised Wednesday for slapping a woman who had grabbed him as he greeted a crowd of devotees, shortly before he delivered a speech denouncing "every form of violence against women."

The image of a visibly annoyed Francis slapping his way free from the clutches of an admirer as he walked by Catholic faithful on New Year's Eve instantly went viral on social media.

A personal apology followed.

"We lose patience many times," Francis confessed.

"It happens to me too. I apologise for the bad example given yesterday," the head of the Catholic church said before celebrating Mass at the Vatican.

Twitter enthusiasts commented on the pontiff's prompt riposte to the exuberant woman.

Francis had greeted children before the Nativity scene on Saint Peter's square and was turning away when a woman who had crossed herself then cried out something, yanked his hand and almost caused him to fall.

The 83-year-old pope grimaced and scowled before managing to break free, slapping her hand twice as a security guard intervened.

The pontiff continued his tour, walking with some difficulty while maintaining a slightly greater distance from visitors, and gradually relaxed again as he met with other children.

Twitter comments revealed some support for his instinctive reaction.

"I’m not a Catholic, but the woman is wrong. It even seemed as if the Pope experienced pain at one moment," one comment read.

Others were less favourable, however.

"Yikes. She was totally wrong but his reaction was not very Pope like," another commented.

In his first Mass of the New Year, the pontiff later declared that "every form of violence against women is a blasphemy against God, who was born of a woman."

He noted that the service traditionally celebrates the life of Mary, "the woman who wove the humanity of God."

The blessing of God for all, he said, was "not magic but requires patience, patience, and love."

The pontiff then repeated "patience and love" in a comment that was not contained in a text distributed to media ahead of time and which seemed to be his reaction to what had occurred the night before.

The pope is known to enjoy greeting the public, and also has a reputation for speaking his mind and having a determined temperament.

Francis emphasised Wednesday that women were the "sources of life" and deplored that they were "continually insulted, beaten, raped, forced to prostitute themselves and to suppress the life they bear in the womb."

He underscored that in the Christian faith, "from a woman was born the Prince of peace," and bemoaned that women's bodies were "sacrificed on the profane altars of advertising, of profiteering, of pornography."

The papal hand slap divides Catholics and the media

 

 

 Pope Francis kisses a figurine of the baby Jesus at the start of Mass on the feast of Mary, Mother of God, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Jan. 1, 2020. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/01/02/papal-hand-slap-divides-catholics-and-media 

Kevin Clarke January 02, 2020

It was the hand swat seen ’round the world, drawing responses from folks on social media both defending and deploring Pope Francis’ reaction to an unexpected jerk on his arm on New Year’s Eve. After cheerfully greeting a long line of well-wishers on his way to the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square, the pope had been suddenly grabbed by an overeager pilgrim, who yanked him closer to her as he appeared to step away. The pope, after attempting to pull himself free, slapped at her hand before Vatican security could intervene.

Here is how the Vatican’s official news service described the incident: “As he greeted the faithful, a woman tugged his arm, causing a shooting pain to which the Pope reacted with an impatient gesture to free himself from her grip.”

Pope Francis went off script the next day during the midday Angelus prayer to acknowledge the incident. “Love makes us patient,” he said, adding, after briefly choking up, “We often lose our patience; me, too, and I apologize for my bad example last night.”


Perhaps predictably, Catholics who have come to view Pope Francis as a threat to the clarity of church teaching could only see the worst in the pope’s angry reaction to the grasping pilgrim.

But the encounter in St. Peter’s Square had by then provoked scores of headlines and tweets by secular and Catholic media alike. Some initial and disorienting headlines went no further than variations of “Pope slaps woman,” suggesting a level of violence absent from the actual encounter. The incident was even mockingly recreated on Instagram by Matteo Salvini, Italy’s former interior minister and leader of Italy’s radical-right Northern League—no fan of Pope Francis because of the pope’s frequent defense of the rights and dignity of refugees and migrants.

Perhaps predictably, Catholics who have come to view Pope Francis as a threat to the clarity of church teaching could only see the worst in the pope’s angry reaction to the grasping pilgrim. Some delighted in noting that the pope’s “mask” of conviviality and kindness had fallen away during the unexpected encounter.

Others speculated wildly on the meaning of the incident, suggesting without any evidence that the pilgrim, who appeared to be Asian, had come from China to complain directly to the pope about recent Vatican efforts at rapprochement with Beijing and attempts to integrate the so-called underground and government-recognized churches. Some insisted that Pope Francis had denounced her as “bruja” or used an even worse Spanish pejorative as he pulled his arm from her grasp and slapped at her hand. But the language used by the pilgrim and the pope’s angry remark as he escaped her grip are impossible to discern even after repeated viewing of the widely distributed video of the incident.

Other Catholics joined the social media battlements to argue that the pope’s defensive reaction was instinctive and completely reasonable, noting that the 83-year-old pontiff, who has a history of sciatica, was clearly reacting in pain to the hand grab and could have easily been facing a greater threat than an impulsive pilgrim. (On that point, many wondered at the apparent inattentiveness of Vatican security.)


Two days later what the unhappy encounter had to say about the “real” Pope Francis—revealed finally as a sour hypocrite or merely an actual human being who can be startled into anger—remained hotly disputed on social media. 

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“Disgruntled Pope Francis pulls himself free from woman’s grasp” was the Reuters headline, that “disgruntled” cited by some readers as an odd way to describe the reaction of an elderly man clearly surprised and pulled off balance.
“Disgruntled? Look at the video. He was in pain! He was very obviously in pain!” one Twitter member pointed out, and the frequent CNN commentator Father Edward Beck responded: “I GUESS EVEN @Pontifex HAS HIS LIMITS. HE ALSO MAY HAVE A SORE ARM…”

The theme of the pope’s homily on the feast of Mary, Mother of God, just a few hours after the incident, focused on peacemaking and a call for the end of violence against women. During his first Mass of 2020, Pope Francis said: “Every violence inflicted on a woman is a profanation of God, who was born of a woman. Humanity’s salvation was accomplished through the body of a woman; how we treat a woman’s body is an indication of our level of humanity.”

A few media professionals found the apparent irony irresistible. “Pope Francis has used his New Year message to denounce violence against women, hours after slapping a woman’s hand to free himself from her grip,” noted CNN’s official Twitter account. A similar tweet from EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo invited an avalanche of criticism for both Pope Francis, deplored as a hypocrite and worse, and Mr. Arroyo, whose intentions were challenged by other commentators. Mr. Arroyo defended his tweets as mere reporting of the night’s events, but many Twitterati (it should be noted, this correspondent among them) deplored connections to the pope’s words on violence against women as a distortion of the incident and a case of false equivalence.

Hours after the incident, more sober headlines attempted greater clarity. CBS news ran an AFP wire report with the headline: “Pope Francis apologizes for swatting hand of woman tugging his arm”; and at The New York Times: “Pope Francis Apologizes After Slapping Away a Clinging Pilgrim.” The Associated Press ran the story under “Pope: Sorry I lost patience with hand-shaker who yanked me.”
Two days later what the unhappy encounter had to say about the “real” Pope Francis—revealed finally as a sour hypocrite or merely an actual human being who can be startled into anger—remained hotly disputed on social media. It would appear that in ending a volatile and fractious 2019, the world’s Catholics have not made a great beginning in 2020, carrying on a hermeneutic of antagonism that has often poisoned dialogue over the era’s significant ecclesial, social and political challenges.
In his Angelus remarks on Jan. 1, Pope Francis urged Christians to step down from “pedestals of our pride...so that the coming year will be a journey of hope and peace, not with words, but with everyday gestures of dialogue, reconciliation and the care of creation.” Despite his slip up on the last night of 2019, that is perhaps a call to our better natures worth keeping in mind this month as we try to make a good start to the new year.

Vatican signs historic deal with China – but critics denounce sellout

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/22/vatican-pope-francis-agreement-with-china-nominating-bishops 

Agreement with Beijing on nominating bishops is step in Pope Francis’s bid to repair diplomatic relations

Harriet Sherwood

Cardinal Zen says the deal ‘sends the flock into the mouths of the wolves’ and is a ‘betrayal’. Photograph: Benjamin Haas/The Guardian

The Vatican and China said yesterday they had signed a historic agreement on the appointment of Roman Catholic bishops, a breakthrough on an issue that for decades fuelled tensions between the Holy See and Beijing and thwarted efforts toward diplomatic relations.
The provisional agreement, which was signed in Beijing by deputy foreign ministers from both sides, was described by the Vatican as “the fruit of a gradual and reciprocal rapprochement”, following a long process of careful negotiation, and subject to periodic review.
“It concerns the nomination of bishops, a question of great importance for the life of the church, and creates the conditions for greater collaboration,” the Vatican said.
In Beijing, the foreign ministry put out a statement saying: “China and the Vatican will continue to maintain communications and push forward the process of improving relations between the two sides.”
But the deal was denounced by critics as a sellout to the communist government. “They’re [sending] the flock into the mouths of the wolves. It’s an incredible betrayal,” Cardinal Joseph Zen, the former archbishop of Hong Kong who has led the opposition to the deal, told Reuters.

Vatican agreement with China could 'deal blow' to Catholic church

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“The consequences will be tragic and long lasting, not only for the church in China but for the whole church because it damages the credibility,” he added.
The Vatican said that, as part of the deal, the pope would recognise seven Chinese bishops who were appointed by Beijing without the Vatican’s approval, and were excommunicated as illegitimate. Sources told Reuters the accord gave the Vatican a say in the naming of bishops and granted the pope veto power over candidates. China’s Catholics are split between an underground church swearing loyalty to the Vatican, and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA).

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The possibility of such a deal has divided Catholics across China, some of whom fear greater suppression should the Vatican cede more control to Beijing. Others want to see rapprochement and avoid a potential schism.
Greg Burke, director of the Holy See press office, acknowledged there was work to be done to reassure those who have opposed the agreement. “This is not the end of a process. It’s the beginning. This has been about dialogue, patient listening on both sides even when people come from very different standpoints. The objective of the accord is not political but pastoral, allowing the faithful to have bishops who are in communion with Rome but, at the same time, recognised by Chinese authorities.”
The deal has been done amid a crackdown by the Chinese regime on Christians and followers of other faiths in recent years. Churches have been closed down; crosses and other religious symbols have been removed.
President Xi Jinping introduced a programme to “Sinicise” all religious practice, insisting that it must be “Chinese in orientation”. The government must “provide active guidance to religions so that they can adapt themselves to socialist society”, he said.

The accord allows the faithful to have bishops who are in communion with Rome but recognised by Chinese authorities.

Greg Burke, Holy See press office

The explosion of Christianity in the country has mainly been seen in Protestant evangelical churches. Catholicism is a relatively minor religion, with an estimated 10-12 million adherents.
They are supposed to worship only in churches approved by the CPA, a state-controlled body. But many attend unregistered churches under the authority of bishops who are not recognised by the Chinese authorities.
The Vatican has been keen to re-create ties with Beijing ever since the Communist authorities broke off diplomatic relations in 1951. Pope Francis has vigorously pursued rapprochement with the rising superpower.
He has sent gifts to Xi, his homilies have been translated into Chinese, and last year the Vatican dispatched 40 artworks to Beijing in a cultural exchange which, according to a senior Chinese official, signalled the “strong commitment for the development of civil relations” between the two.

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Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington who resigned as a cardinal in July after facing allegations of sexual abuse, has been a regular envoy from the Vatican to Beijing, according to the Catholic News Agency.
A sign of Francis’s eagerness to curry favour with the Chinese has been his refusal to meet the Dalai Lama, knowing such an encounter would anger Beijing. The thaw between the two powers has come under fire from some in the church. Two years ago, Cardinal Zen said a rapprochement would be “betraying Jesus Christ” and a “surrender”.