*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*
It has always been difficult to come to a reasonably consistent assessment of the Catholic Church’s Pope Francis because on several occasions he appears to be what one can confidently call a fairly “real Christian.” He certainly does preach and talk like Jesus Christ’s representative on planet Earth, but he does not always walk the talk in many important regards; primarily not selling off everything the Church owns and giving it to the poor which is precisely what Catholic Jesus commanded his followers to do to make it to Heaven. However, as far as preaching, admonishing and praying that all “Christians” follow the “ethical” examples and teachings of his religion’s namesake, Francis has been a reliable advocate for being a real “follower of Christ.”
Although he has not officially weighed in and joined the growing chorus of the religious and non-religious alike condemning the Trump’s patently “un-Christian,” illegal, and Judgment or the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. The Pope said,
“You cannot be a Christian without practicing the Beatitudes. You cannot be a Christian without doing what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 25.” That passage contains Jesus Christ’s commandment to help the needy by doing humanitarian and merciful works such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and welcoming the stranger no matter their faith or country of origin.
In a direct shot at the Trump and his American barbarians, the Pope charged that,
“It’s hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help. If I say I am Christian, but do these things, I’m a hypocrite.”
There isn’t much doubt that Trump, a savage barbarian whose only form of worship is reserved for himself, will even remember that the Pope condemned his un-Christian proposal to be cruel to ‘the stranger’ simply for the sake of being cruel. However, the Pope’s condemnation of the Trump’s evangelical supporters may have some impact on a segment of America’s Christians; at least on marginal Christians who were not necessarily caught up in the fear-mongering from the fascist now in the White House.
It is a sad fact of life in Trump’s fascist America that no amount of condemnation or criticism from a Pope, many humanitarian religious groups, Democrats, or the masses protesting an un-American act by an un-American living in the White House will have any effect whatsoever. Although it seems the Trump painted himself into a corner with an unpopular, un-Christian, and unconstitutional Muslim ban predicated on which Muslim-majority nation makes money for the Trump, it is important to remember that Donald Trump believes he is above any and all laws unrelated to profit for Trump or promoting his deification.
Trump rejects not only the law of the land but the ‘law” of the religion he claims is his own when it is profitable, like his latest money-making ban on certain Muslims who are learning that it is dangerous and insane to want to come to Trump’s America.
The above commentary is the sole opinion of its author.