Marco Rubio loosed some hardcore bile against the Catholic Church, accusing the Church of cozying up to the Castro regime.
The Daily Caller reports:
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said Wednesday that he is “deeply concerned” that the leadership of the Catholic Church has “negotiated themselves a space of operation” in Cuba “in exchange for looking the other way,” and expressed concern that Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming trip to the island may “reinforce that arrangement.”
Rubio, a Catholic, said during a discussion at The Heritage Foundation that the Catholic Church has “negotiated a political space for themselves in exchange for their moral imperative.”
Volunteering an example, Rubio said, “last week… the church invited — the cardinal invited — Castro thugs to come into the church and remove people.”
Rubio also denounced the church for “actively participating in exiling dissidents,” sarcastically adding, “somehow exiling someone to Spain is a humanitarian measure.”
I don’t know for sure specifically what he’s referring to but it might just be the story that came out that within the last week that protesters had occupied Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Charity in Havana and the Cathedral of Pinar del Rio in an apparent effort to demand an audience with Pope Benedict during his March 25-29 visit to the country.
They wouldn’t leave the church until the Pope came to see them, according to CNA. So the pastor called the police and had them removed. That’s hardly rising to the level of cozying up to dictators.
Spokesman for the Archdiocese of Havana, Orlando Marquez, called the incidents an “organized strategy by various groups in different regions of the country” aimed at “creating difficult situations” as the Pope’s visit approaches.
Marquez called the recent protests “illegitimate” and “irresponsible.”
This seems like a pretty wild and outrageous accusation from a Senator of the United States if that’s what he’s basing it on. I know a lot of folks had been considering Rubio as a strong possibility for a veep slot but these kinds of comments seem so out of bounds to me that I hope everyone would reconsider. He needs to be pressed on this issue. If he’s got evidence to back up what he’s saying, then let’s hear it.
March 21, 2012 at 10:15 pm
Oh man…I hope there's more to this story…I really like Rubio.
March 21, 2012 at 10:27 pm
Rubio is not a Natural Born Citizen, anyway. His parents were not citizens at the time of his birth. Let him stay in the Senate.
March 21, 2012 at 10:36 pm
I hear that the Pope is bringing his crocodile to Cuba. Hopefully this is part of a secret Vatican plot to devour the Castros with Papal attack amphibians.
March 21, 2012 at 11:23 pm
Crocodiles are amphibians????!!!!!!???
March 21, 2012 at 11:32 pm
Double check that Rubio is still a Catholic. I remember reading he fell in with the Southern Baptists and their heresy but was baptized Catholic. Either way, Marco, shut it!
March 22, 2012 at 12:22 am
The Pope is going to Cuba to evangelize. He is going to speak and I'm sure he will bring up the oppressive regime in Cuba. It is controversial, but everything the Pope does is controversial to someone. Why doesn't Rubio offer to pray for our 84 year old pontiff who represents out faith with Truth.
March 22, 2012 at 1:19 am
Anonymous wrote, "Rubio is not a Natural Born Citizen, anyway. His parents were not citizens at the time of his birth"
Since he was born in Miami, he is a natural born citizen — no matter the citizenship status of his parents.
March 22, 2012 at 1:21 am
Rubio would be a disastrous VP pick, he has said he is Catholic, but attends and contributes to a non-Catholic Church, investigating a pick like this would split the values voters that form the base of the GOP.
March 22, 2012 at 1:32 am
From what I heard, Rubio was Baptised Catholic, became a Mormon, reverted to Catholicism and now attends and evangelical church.
Sounds like just the right guy to compliment a Romney Candidacy.
March 22, 2012 at 1:38 am
I am going to give Rubio the benefit of the doubt here. I live in Florida and you have no idea how passionate the Cuban population is in its opposition to the Castro regime in Cuba. Most of the elder generation of Cubans here are either actual exiles that escaped the violence and oppression there or people who have been too afraid to return to their home country because of the regime. Many lost friends and relatives during the days of Che. I can kind of understand them being upset at anything that looks like it might legitimize the Castros and their communist allies.
I love Pope Benedict and I absolutely believe he intends to come for purposes of evangelizing, but I can see being upset at the appearances of the visit if I were amongst the exiled population. The Holy Father is going to have to walk a mighty fine line during this visit. I will be praying for him and for the people of Cuba.
March 22, 2012 at 2:18 am
"From what I heard, Rubio was Baptised Catholic, became a Mormon, reverted to Catholicism and now attends and evangelical church.
"Sounds like just the right guy to compliment a Romney Candidacy."
Heh.
But my guess is that these comments just got Rubio bounced from any serious consideration for Dullard Flip Rino's running mate. At least they should. If Dullard does go ahead and make this anti-Catholic crapweasel his running mate, all the more reason to NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, EVER vote for Dullard Flip Rino.
March 22, 2012 at 2:32 am
So Jay, what are you saying? 😉
March 22, 2012 at 2:42 am
There are priests in Cuba that are very cozy with the Castros and communism. There are some very vocal critics, but many (including the Cardinal) seem all too-often to back Castro, and not defend the weak.
Likewise, many writers, Catholics, world leaders (Walesa in Poland), have written to the Pope asking him to meet with the Ladies in White, and other political dissidents and prisoners of conscience… but no word yet on that.
That's the main reason for what Rubio said.
March 22, 2012 at 3:13 am
Kelule – the supreme court of the united states differs with you. The key term here is natural born citizen. It does not mean just born here it requires both parent be citizens, to qualify a natural born, not just born here….
This is also our presidents current dilemma …. His father was never a citizen….
March 22, 2012 at 4:46 am
Mr. Rubio is a good Catholic 'in communion' with Rome.
Bad Catholics are the ones like the Padre that got bounced by his Bishop for denying Holy Communion to a lesbian buddhists catholyk girl…
*
March 22, 2012 at 11:54 am
Matthew, There are a few facts your article did not reflect. There are lots of criticisms out there about Cardinal Ortega y Alamino's relationship to the state in Cuba. Some of his actions seem to make things too easy for the state and do not SEEM to protect the flock. I don't know what happens in private. That's the public perception. There are several dissident groups who tend to be faithful Catholic, who constantly confront the regime regarding human rights issues, disappeared relatives, decades-long illegal detentions, etc. Some of those groups occupied the chapel. I'm disappointed that the Church let the civil authorities arrest them.
It's a complicated situation. The Cardinal has his supporters and critics. Both are probably right in some instances. Just fyi and this may not apply, but all the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church up to the 1990's worked for the USSR and some of the bishops were KGB agents.
March 22, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Jhynds, Anon and all y'all others, Please consult a little history before you rule on who is or is not a US citizen, "natural born citizen".
The reason that anyone born on US soil is automatically a citizen is because of our history from colonization where children of colonists were automatically US citizens. Since then, anyone who was born in the US or US territory, protectorate and the Canal Zone were natural born US citizens. A US citizen parent can convey their citizenship to his/her child regardless of the other parent or where the child is born. That is the LAW. Look it up.
With y'all's logic, if a child is born by c-section they are not "natural-born", rather artificially born.
Come on. You have the right to your opinion but not to your facts. Where on earth did you get the idea that both parents had to be US citizens? Where did you get the idea that you had to have 2 US parents and had to be born in the geographical center of the country? This is ridiculous.
Jay Anderson, so, you'll be voting for Obama again?
March 22, 2012 at 2:24 pm
Marco Rubio's family was co-opted by Mormons when his family moved to AZ for a few years (his father never converted. The Mormonism was dropped when they moved back to FL. Rubio is married to a Protestant and sometimes attends services with his wife, but also goes to Mass regularly–like many of us in similar circumstances. And, like others above, I would not underestimate the profound (and legitimate)revulsion of Cuban emigrees to any accomodation of the Castro regime. Marco's allowed to express his reservations. Pope Benedict is not a John Paul II, returning to his homeland; it is optimistic to expect his visit to have the same effects JPII's had in Poland.
CJohnson
March 22, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Jay Anderson, so, you'll be voting for Obama again?
He didn't vote for Obama the first time.
And for the record, refusing to vote for Romney is NOT a vote for Obama, no matter how many times people shrilly declare it. Only a vote for Obama is a vote for Obama.
Other than that, great refutation of the birther silliness. People need to stop getting their "facts" from World Nut Daily.
March 22, 2012 at 5:40 pm
As a Catholic whose parents are Cuban Americans and left Cuba because of the Castro regime, I totally understand Rubio's comments. I am a practicing Catholic homeschooler who has followed your blog for some time and disagree with you here. I don't agree with what the Cuban cardinal has done. I do pray that the pope's visit has lasting effects on the Cuban people and that many come to know Christ through him. Some links to commentaries about the Cardinal's actions in Miami:http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/21/2706730/cardinals-action-clouds-popes.html