Pope's U.S. Visit: Obama Guest List Anything But Heavenly To Conservatives

Written by MARC TORRENCE (Patch National Staff)

The guest list for Pope Francis’s arrival ceremony Wednesday at the White House includes a gay bishop and transgender activists, which conservatives say insult the Pope’s religious beliefs.

“Classless decision by @POTUS to transform @Pontifex visit into a politicized cattle call is an insult to millions of Catholics,” tweeted Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who has campaigned on a platform of strong Christian values.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Vatican is taking offense at the list of guests, who will be a handful in a group of 15,000 people scheduled to attend the event on the South Lawn and surrounding area.

The Pope’s press office did not immediately return a request from Patch seeking comment on the guest list, but a Vatican spokesman told The Washington Post, “I can only say that the invitations are in the responsibility of the White House. There has been no official statement from the Vatican on this issue.”

Neither the White House nor the Pope’s office has confirmed the guest list, but here is a partial list of those slated to be there, according to multiple media reports:

• Gene Robinson: the first openly gay Episcopal bishop
• Mateo Williamson: a transgender Catholic and activist
• Vivian Taylor: a transgender Episcopalian and activist
• Aaron Ledesma: a gay Catholic who runs a blog called The Gay Catholic
• Simone Campbell: a nun and activist for immigration reform, the Affordable Care Act and economic justice

Image via Benhur Arcayan/Malatinszky/Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons