Mabon Elk Rut Moon
So. The pope met with Kim Davis. And certain parties are saying it means he’s lost all the good will he garnered while here earlier. Do I like that he’s giving aid and moral cover to what I consider a bankrupt moral position? No. Does that negate his calls for action on climate change, caring for the poor, the prisoner? No.
Politics is not this or that, black or white. Politics demands, to use a phrase coined by G. Bush I, coalitions of the willing. So, we disagree with the pope on same-sex marriage. So what? To engage in litmus test politics is to swing ourselves into the so-called values voters camp. That is, a politics in which a single issue can signal up or down support of a person or a policy.
I’m personally delighted with the pope’s underscoring of climate change urgency. Climate change is one thing, gay rights another. Unless you haven’t followed Roman Catholic doctrine, he’s following the orthodox line when he supports those who stand against gay rights and gay marriage. We don’t need him or the Catholic church on gay rights. Having him and the larger Catholic church pushing for change on the climate front? Good news. We can use the help.
