Tancredo Trashes Pope [UPDATED]

Former presidential candidate Tom Tancredo (who, thankfully, garnered only about 20 votes total in the GOP caucuses and primaries) not only dislikes Mexicans, but exposes himself as an anti-Catholic bigot, as well:

... Benedict has calibrated his immigration stance with care, stating the need to protect family unity and immigrants’ human rights, but pointedly avoiding any specifics of the American immigration debate, like the issue of whether to grant legal status to illegal immigrants. Yet last week his visit quickly stirred the crosscurrents of the debate.

His comments drew a rebuke from Representative Tom Tancredo, a Republican from Colorado who has been a leading opponent of illegal immigration.

Accusing the pope of “faith-based marketing,” Mr. Tancredo said Benedict’s comments welcoming immigrants “may have less to do with spreading the Gospel than they do about recruiting new members of the Church.” Mr. Tancredo, a former Catholic who now attends an evangelical Christian church, said it was not in the pope’s “job description to engage in American politics.”

(emphasis added to highlight anti-Catholic idiocy)

My Comments:
I can't believe that there were actually orthodox Catholics who supported this bigoted nutjob for President. Can you imagine this Know-Nothing arsehole as leader of the free world? Welcoming the Pope to our country in the effusive manner that President Bush (also an evangelical) did? Give me a frickin' break!

The Democrats have called upon John McCain to repudiate Tancredo's comments (never mind Howard Dean's and the Democrats' lack of moral authority on such matters), a call I'm sure Sen. McCain will heed in short order (McCain has never had qualms about denouncing conservatives, and in this case such a denunciation is not only warranted but demanded).

Not only should McCain denounce Tancredo, but he should say that, given the President's historic reception of the Pope at the White House last week - an event that symbolically put to bed our nation's anti-Catholic past - there is no room in the GOP for Tancredo's brand of throwback Know-Nothingism.


UPDATE
Creative Minority Report has more:

Well this sets off Tancredo on what is one of the most ridiculous and misconstrued political attacks I've ever seen. To think this guy wanted to be President is a little scary.

I guess by issuing this release he wanted to make sure that he could never ever and I mean never again run for nationwide political office.

“I would like to know what part of our lax immigration policy is considered violent,” Tancredo said. “I fail to see how accepting more refugees than any other nation –and providing free health care, education, housing and social service benefits to millions of illegal aliens is in any way ‘violent’ or ‘degrading.’”

Pope Benedict XVI has made amnesty a key issue in his papacy. He met with President Bush, reportedly adding his voice to the open-border lobby by encouraging Bush to provide blanket amnesty to all illegal immigrants in the United States.

At the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Pope said, “I want to encourage you and your communities to continue to welcome the immigrants who join your ranks today, to share their joys and hopes, to support them in their sorrows and trials and to help them flourish in their new home.”

“I am not taking issue with the Pope’s moral authority and respect his views on the threat of radical Islam,” Tancredo said. “However, it is not in his job description to engage in American politics.”

Tancredo also cited a recent report indicating that the “Catholic Church…has been losing members rapidly -- as much as a third of the native-born Catholic population. Meanwhile, it has gained members among foreign-born (mostly Hispanic) residents.”

“I suspect the Pope’s immigration comments may have less to do with spreading the gospel than they do about recruiting new members of the church," said Tancredo. "This isn’t preaching it is ‘faith-based’ marketing.”

So much of what he says is completely wrong. The Pope isn't talking politics. He's imploring us to be sensitive and caring to all, including illegal immigrants -which to me is something we would do well to remember.

But when Tancredo impugns the Pope's motives then we swerve into crazyland. Here's the thing - Tancredo thought he could ride the national consensus to secure the border into a referendum for his candidacy. And when it didn't happen his rhetoric became increasingly offensive and anti-immigrant thus leading to his being ostracized from the mainstream.

Exactly. Like I said: Tancredo has shown himself to be a bigoted, anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant, Know-Nothing nutjob of the highest order.


UPDATE #2
Opinionated Catholic has an excellent post - "A Catholic Republican Responds to Represenative Tancredo's Pope and Catholic Bashing" - likening Tancredo's outburst with traditional 19th and early 20th century anti-Catholicism, and includes a roundup of the blog coverage on this topic.

Definitely check it out (just ignore the reference to me as a "Republican" - although I'm a conservative, I claim membership in no party).

And, by the way, if Michelle Malkin is sincere in voicing the sentiment that "Open borders benefit Catholic churches looking to fill their pews and collection baskets" [ED.: What? They weren't Catholic before they came here?] and/or that "The Vatican and American bishops ... have long promoted immigration anarchy and lawlesness", then yes, she is an anti-Catholic bigot, regardless of her attempt to clarify her remarks.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Yesterday from the Left, Today Bishops Attacked from the Right