{"id":79506,"date":"2020-10-01T16:19:32","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T13:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/pope-francis-refuses-to-meet-with-mike-pompeo-before-election\/"},"modified":"2020-10-01T16:19:32","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T13:19:32","slug":"pope-francis-refuses-to-meet-with-mike-pompeo-before-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/pope-francis-refuses-to-meet-with-mike-pompeo-before-election\/","title":{"rendered":"#Pope Francis refuses to meet with Mike Pompeo before election"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Pope Francis refuses to meet with Mike Pompeo before election<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n Pope Francis refused to meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo because he doesn\u2019t want to meet with \u201cpolitical figures\u201d during elections, and after the nation\u2019s top diplomat criticized a deal the Vatican is negotiating with China, according to a report.<\/p>\n

The Vatican on Wednesday turned down Pompeo\u2019s request for an audience with the pope after the secretary of state earlier this month accused the Holy See of jeopardizing its \u201cmoral authority\u201d if it extends an agreement with China over the nominations of bishops, Politico reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo years ago, the Holy See reached an agreement with the Chinese Communist Party, hoping to help China\u2019s Catholics. Yet the CCP\u2019s abuse of the faithful has only gotten worse. The Vatican endangers its moral authority, should it renew the deal,\u201d Pompeo wrote on Twitter<\/a> Sept. 19.<\/p>\n

Pompeo also blasted Catholic Church leadership during a religious freedom conference organized by the US Embassy to the Holy See in Rome this week, saying it should be at the forefront of human rights.<\/p>\n

The Vatican\u2019s top diplomats \u2013 Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher \u2013 confirmed the pope turned down Pompeo\u2019s request for an audience on Thursday, saying he didn\u2019t want the Catholic Church to be pulled into the US election, Reuters reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, he asked. But the pope had already said clearly that political figures are not received in election periods. That is the reason,\u201d Parolin said.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Vatican\u2019s Secretary of State, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin (right) meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo<\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The China deal \u201cis 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,\u201d Parolin said.<\/p>\n

The two-year-old deal between the Vatican and Beijing is expected to be renewed this month.<\/p>\n

Parolin defended the agreement and said the Vatican hopes it would advance religious freedom and allow for \u201cnormalization\u201d of the Catholic Church community in China that has seen its members driven underground if they recognize the pope.<\/p>\n

Parolin and Gallagher said the Vatican was taken by \u201csurprise\u201d over Pompeo\u2019s public criticism of the church.<\/p>\n

\u201cNormally when you\u2019re preparing these visits between high-level officials, you negotiate the agenda for what you are going to talk about privately, confidentially. It\u2019s one of the rules of diplomacy,\u201d Gallagher said.<\/p>\n

Pompeo, asked if he was \u201cpicking a fight\u201d with the Vatican, said, \u201cThat\u2019s just crazy.\u201d\n <\/p><\/div>\n