President Barack Obama is attempting to embarrass Pope Francis by inviting religious dissidents to meet the Pontiff at the White House, former governor of Arkansas and GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee tells
Newsmax TV.
"The president has made a huge mistake in not being a very gracious host," Huckabee said Wednesday to Dennis Michael Lynch, guest host of "The Steve Malzberg Show."
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"Inviting the Pope to his home and then trying to make sure you bring people into the path of the Pope known because of their very visceral and sometimes very vocal disagreement with the Pope personally and … the church generally.
"I'm not even a Catholic but you don't try to embarrass a guest that you invite to your home. You don't try to bring someone in that's going to instruct the Pope on what the doctrine of the Church should be."
The Obama administration invited transgender activists Mateo Williamson and Vivian Taylor, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, Bishop Gene Robinson, and Sister Simone Campbell, an activist nun who leads a group criticized by the Vatican for its silence on abortion and euthanasia.
But Huckabee said the Pope should do all the talking.
"The Pope is the one who tries to teach doctrine to the people. It's not that you have dissidents going and teaching the doctrine to the Pope. I'm just appalled by that," he said.
"It's the most remarkable kind of, just disrespectful manner of treating the Pope. I mean keep in mind, this is a president who bowed to the Saudi king, who bowed to the emperor or Japan."
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