Vatican standoff with France tests pope’s ‘Who am I to judge?’ stance

Laurent Stefanini is seen at the Elysee Palace in Paris April 22, 2015. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer. *Editors: This photo can only be used with RNS-STEFANINI-VATICAN and RNS-FRANCE-VATICAN, transmitted April 24, 2015.

PARIS (RNS) Pope Francis has been hailed for his forward thinking, but — at least according to French news reports — the pontiff has put on the brakes when it comes to a gay French ambassador at the Vatican.

In January, French President Francois Hollande nominated his protocol chief Laurent Stefanini as Vatican envoy to replace outgoing ambassador Bruno Joubert. The pick seemed ideal: 55-year-old Stefanini is described as brilliant and a devout Roman Catholic, who secured support for his candidacy from Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, the archbishop of Paris. He is also a known quantity at the Vatican, having served as a top official at the French embassy to the Holy See a decade ago.

But so far, his nomination has gone nowhere. On Wednesday (April 22), France’s investigative weekly “Le Canard Enchaine” reported Pope Francis met with Stefanini last weekend. The message: The pontiff did not appreciate France’s 2013 same-sex marriage law, nor being pressured into accepting Stefanini’s candidacy.

French media report the standoff is due to Stefanini’s sexual orientation; France’s foreign ministry has only said his private life should be respected.

The pope’s reaction, as reported in the media, appears to contrast starkly with his remarks two years ago in which he said, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Another French media report said that the unusual meeting between Stefanini and Francis — a pope rarely gets directly involved in the appointment of an ambassador — was friendly and lasted 40 minutes, and ended with the two men praying together.

The French government has said little about the matter, except to confirm the meeting between the pope and the Vatican nominee took place.

“Nothing has changed,” government spokesman Stephane Le Foll told reporters. “France has proposed a candidate and for the time being we are waiting for the Vatican’s reply, after the usual discussions and review of his candidacy.”

Bernard Kouchner, France’s former foreign minister, has been more outspoken.

“The Vatican seems badly placed to refuse homosexuals,” Kouchner told RTL Radio this week, adding, “but apart from that, I adore Pope Francis.”

YS/AMB END BRYANT

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Economic crisis tests Italian family, Church opens doors

ROME (Reuters) - In happier times, ice-cream seller Antonio Siracusa would have considered turning to relatives for help when he lost his job in a cinema in Rome. But these are not happy times.

So Siracusa chooses to go to a free canteen run by Christians in the district of Trastevere for dinner, and picks up free food parcels for other meals.

"I have siblings, but I don't want anything from them," said Siracusa, as he stood in line at the Sant'Egidio charity's diner, adding that he didn't feel comfortable bothering them in such tough economic times. "The community here are my family."

A deep recession and rising unemployment has piled pressure on all Italians and may even be undermining Italy's most reliable social safety net in periods of financial difficulty - the family.

Christian charities say many Italians appear to be ashamed of turning to relatives already struggling in the economic crisis or are coping with the effects of divorce, the incidence of which has doubled in Italy since 1995.

Youth unemployment, at about 35 percent, is keeping sons and daughters at home even into their 30s and causing them to delay starting families of their own, while pension cuts have increased the additional support needed by the elderly.

"Social security in Italy has traditionally been the family. The problem is that families have become overloaded in the present crisis," said Augusto D'Angelo, who works at the Sant'Egidio diner.

The state has never offered a comprehensive jobless benefits system, and the debt crisis has forced it to further curb spending, limit pensions and hike taxes as part of austerity measures aimed at reining in strained public finances.

HANDOUTS

The Church, which still has strong influence in Italy despite a steady erosion in regular attendance numbers in recent years, has been stepping in where the family or government has failed to provide.

"If you go to the town hall for help, there are fixed responses, which they find it hard to deviate from. Church structures can be more flexible," D'Angelo said.

Unemployed barman Paride Santilli, 57, said he turns to his priest when he needs a warm meal, medicine or a new pair of shoes.

"When you go to the Church, they don't give you money, but they help you get what you need," said Santilli, who has no extended family to rely on.

"They sorted out a public transport pass for me, and some contact lenses," he said.

The number of Italians coming each evening to the Trastevere canteen has risen to about 200-250 from 100-150 about a year ago, D'Angelo said. Requests for food parcels that people can take home have also risen by at least 10 percent.

Pensioner Maria, 77, started coming more frequently after her landlady raised her room rate to 300 euros from 250 euros, burning more than three-quarters of her monthly income.

"I have to go to various free food handouts around Rome for breakfast, lunch and dinner," she said. She said she did have relatives in Turin but preferred to get by without them.

The crisis is fuelling feelings of anxiety, uncertainty and anger and causing tensions within families, according to Paolo Cruciani, psychology professor at Rome's La Sapienza University and vice president of the Lazio region's guild of psychologists.

CONFLICT

"The ideal response is for family members to pull together, but we see explosions of conflict, with relatives accusing each other of not having made enough pension provisions," Cruciani said.

"This can create internal crises: children develop distrust of parents, and mothers and fathers face anxiety because they worry they have not properly provided for their offspring. Meanwhile elderly people face shame and desperation when they find their pensions don't cover their needs."

The number of people living in absolute poverty in Italy, a country of about 60 million, rose to 3.4 million in 2011, or 5.7 percent, up from 5.2 percent in 2010, data from statistics office ISTAT showed.

Those living in relative poverty for Italian standards were roughly stable at 8.2 million, or 13.6 percent. But among families with no workers and no pensioners, the relative poverty rate rose to 51 percent from 40 percent.

"A growing number of people are falling from poverty into a state of misery," said Francesco Soddu, head of Catholic charity Caritas Italiana, at a church conference on poverty in Naples. "People who used to live a dignified life now find they are having to beg for food."

The rate of suicides for economic motives in Italy surged to 198 in 2009, easing to 187 in 2010 but still up by a quarter compared with 150 in 2008, according to a report by research institute EURES.

Most people eating at the Sant'Egidio canteen have little hope their situation will improve in the near future.

"It's very hard to find work, stores aren't doing much business, there's an enormous crisis of demand," said Siracusa.

Others have found ways to stay active by joining Christian networks.

Santilli, the barman, who had to sleep in dormitories after he lost his job and spent some nights on the street, said he had started volunteering at another free soup kitchen.

"You have to be hard, keep busy and make intelligent choices," he said. "I am worried about the crisis but I'm not crying, if you cry then it's all over."

(Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

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Herman Cain Pressed on Muslim Loyalty Tests in GOP Debate

Cain, who continues to rise in polls, clarified that he said he would not be comfortable having a Muslim in his administration – not that he wouldn’t appoint one.

"You have peaceful Muslims and you have militant Muslims – those that are trying to kill us. And so when I said I wouldn't be comfortable I was thinking about the ones that are trying to kill us," the former Godfather's Pizza CEO said during the first major GOP primary debate in New Hampshire.

He added, "I do not believe in Sharia (Islamic) law in American courts. I believe in American laws in American courts, period."

The issue was raised by Josh McElveen of WMUR News who cited Cain's earlier interview with Think Progress.

Cain, a self-professed Christian, said in March that he would not be comfortable with a Muslim in his cabinet or as a federal judge because "there is this creeping attempt ... to gradually ease Sharia law and the Muslim faith into our government." Like us on Facebook

"This is what happened in Europe. And little by little, to try and be politically correct, they made this little change, they made this little change."

Before that, Cain admitted that he has little knowledge of Islam. He was asked by Christianity Today magazine about the role of Muslims in American society. While affirming their right to freely practice their religion, Cain said based upon what he does know about the Muslim religion, he believes "they have an objective to convert all infidels or kill them."

"Now, I know that there are some peaceful Muslims who don't go around preaching or practicing that. Well, unfortunately, we can't sit back and tolerate the radical ones simply because we know that there are some of them who don't believe in that aspect of the Muslim religion," he told the magazine.

During the New Hampshire debate on Monday, Cain defended himself when he was accused of singling out Muslims.

He said he would ask "certain questions" to Muslims when interviewing them for a job but maintained, "It's not a litmus test."

"It is simply trying to make sure that we have people committed to the Constitution first in order for them to work effectively in the administration."

Other Republican presidential contenders weighed in on the matter.

Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich echoed the need for caution.

As an example, he pointed to the Pakistani's plot last year to bomb New York's Times Square.

"The Pakistani who emigrated to the U.S. became a citizen, built a car bomb which luckily failed to go off in Times Square was asked by the federal judge, how could he have done that when he signed – when he swore an oath to the United States. And he looked at the judge and said, 'You’re my enemy. I lied,'" Gingrich recounted for the audience.

"Now, I just want to go out on a limb here. I’m in favor of saying to people, if you’re not prepared to be loyal to the United States, you will not serve in my administration, period," Gingrich asserted.

Though it may sound controversial, he said similar measures of precaution were taken when dealing with the Nazis and with communists.

"And it was controversial both times, and both times we discovered after a while, you know, there are some genuinely bad people who would like to infiltrate our country. And we have got to have the guts to stand up and say no," he contended.

In a more toned down response, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney first made it clear that Sharia law will never be applied in U.S. courts.

With regard to his own appointments, he stated, "Obviously, anybody who would come into my administration would be someone who I knew, who I was comfortable with, and who I believed would honor as their highest oath – their oath to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States."

Other candidates who joined the debate on Monday with moderator John King of CNN were: Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.

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