Obama sets LGBQT ambush for Pope Francis

Media will construe visit as endorsement, but Catholics know the truth

President Obama has stacked the deck against Pope Francis by allowing the inviting of an "A list" of infamous American Catholics to meet the Holy Father when he arrives in the United States. The move, intended to make a political statement, is being perceived as rude and challenging, but there's little doubt Pope Francis will handle the moment well.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - America is proving to be something of a lion's den for Pope Francis ahead of this arrival next week. Between politically conservative Catholics, election cycle theatrics and now Obama's antics, Pope Francis will have to choose his words carefully to avoid being co-opted into the media tussle.

Working through a single homosexual equivalency activist, identified as Vivian Taylor, a 30-year-old male transvestite, President Obama has invited a list of persons who proclaim themselves to be Catholic, although they openly differ from the fundamental teachings of the Church. Included in Obama's Papal ambush are retired Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, who separated from his wife, advertised his homosexuality despite his position in the Episcopal church, and proudly proclaimed himself married to another man. He later divorced his partner.

Mateo Williamson has been invited to join Obama's team. Williamson is a transgendered woman who says she identifies as a man and is attracted to --gay men. The Church disagrees with the modern phenomenon of transgenderism and holds that all people are created by God as men or women, and this fact, which is hard-coded into the DNA, does not change. While such people are very welcome in the Church, their sexual misbehavior remains sinful. Transgendered persons are forbidden to act as godparents if they act as though they are the opposite sex from their birth.

Sister Simone Campbell has also been invited. Campbell is an ardent supporter of abortion and an organizer of the "Nuns on the Bus."

While the presence of these individuals in the constellation welcoming Pope Francis to America will steal some of the media spotlight from Pope Francis himself, and while it could prove awkward for some, there is no doubt Pope Francis will handle this with dignity and grace.

Even though some people reject the teaching of the Church on important matters, and even though they appear to be proud of their dissidence, the Church still loves these people. The responsibility of the Church is to treat all people with love and respect, even if they don't seem to love and respect themselves or the Church. It should be clear that loving people does not also mean endorsing their sins.

Pope Francis knows this and will certainly treat each person he encounters with love and respect. But whatever the media says, we should not construe brotherly love as endorsement of evil.