NYT: Obama’s Catholic activist roots and his meeting with Pope Francis

The New York Times published an article about some of Barack Obama’s Catholic ties:

The Catholic Roots of Obama’s Activism

CHICAGO — In a meeting room under Holy Name Cathedral, a rapt group of black Roman Catholics listened as Barack Obama, a 25-year-old community organizer, trained them to lobby their fellow delegates to a national congress in Washington on issues like empowering lay leaders and attracting more believers.

“He so quickly got us,” said Andrew Lyke, a participant in the meeting who is now the director of the Chicago Archdiocese’s Office for Black Catholics. The group succeeded in inserting its priorities into the congress’s plan for churches, Mr. Lyke said, and “Barack Obama was key in helping us do that.”

By the time of that session in the spring of 1987, Mr. Obama — himself not Catholic — was already well known in Chicago’s black Catholic circles. He had arrived two years earlier to fill an organizing position paid for by a church grant, and had spent his first months here surrounded by Catholic pastors and congregations…

This Thursday, Mr. Obama will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican after a three-decade divergence with the church. By the late 1980s, the Catholic hierarchy had taken a conservative turn that de-emphasized social engagement and elevated the culture wars that would eventually cast Mr. Obama as an abortion-supporting enemy…

A White House accustomed to archbishop antagonists hopes the president will find a strategic ally and kindred spirit in a pope who preaches a gospel of social justice and inclusion. Mr. Obama’s old friends in the priesthood pray that Francis will discover a president freed from concerns about re-election and willing to rededicate himself to the vulnerable.

But the Vatican — aware that Mr. Obama has far more to gain from the encounter than the pope does, and wary of being used for American political consumption…

But the election of Pope Francis last March seemed to breathe new life into the Catholic Church and, potentially, into the relationship between Mr. Obama and the institution that gave him his start. While far from an ideological progressive, Francis does sometimes appear cloaked in Cardinal Bernardin’s “seamless garment.” His de-emphasis of issues like abortion and same-sex marriage and his championing of the poor and vulnerable — articulated in his mission statement, “The Joy of the Gospel” — have impressed a second-term president who argues that income inequality undermines human dignity. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/us/the-catholic-roots-of-obamas-activism.html?hpw&rref=us&_r=0

The above article goes into more details about Barack Obama’s early connections to Roman Catholicism, including him sometimes attending Mass in Indonesia. Here are some excerpt from another news article about the upcoming meeting:

American and Vatican officials say the talks may disappoint those hoping for fireworks, and that the summit is going to focus on collaboration much more than conflict.

One reason is that the two men have a lot in common. Moreover, neither side wants to derail the chances for greater cooperation at a time of global volatility.

“I have to believe in this kind of high-level meeting, it’s not about making anybody feel bad,” Ken Hackett, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, said in a recent interview in his office here…

He added: “I don’t believe the pope and president will be arguing about why the church doesn’t change its position on abortion, because it ain’t going to happen. So it’s not going to be engaged.”

A shared agenda

Instead, the talks are likely to be governed by two other realities. The first is that Francis, the first pope from Latin America, has clearly signaled that he wants the Catholic Church’s public witness to focus less on culture war issues and more on addressing income inequality and helping the poor and society’s outcasts — which dovetails with Obama’s priorities.

“In the past, you had mutual respect and collaboration on important issues” between the Vatican and Washington, said Joshua DuBois, former head of the White House’s faith-based office and author of a recent book about his spiritual advice to the president.

“But I think for the first time you have a sense that at a high level the priorities are the same — and that’s new.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/22/president-obama-pope-fran_n_5002878.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

What are those “high level” “priorities” that “are the same”? Basically, both Pope Francis and Barack Obama want to change the financial world order into something more akin to a socialist/communist model while both also wish to push an ecumenical agenda. Even though the latter is a higher priority for Pope Francis, six weeks or so ago, US President Obama made an ecumenical appeal himself:

In contrast to those who wield religion to divide us, lets do more to nurture the dialogue between faiths.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-lets-nurture-the-dialogue-between-faiths/

Barack Obama is also scheduled to meet with Pope Francis on March 27, 2014. The two leaders, while different, have some things in common in terms of economic outlook. Now,with this ecumenical statement, Barack Obama is advancing, knowingly or unknowingly, that which is one of Pope Francis’ major objectives, which is to increase ecumenical dialogue (with the goal of an ecumenical religion). His meeting with the Pope will also further confirm to the world that the Pope has major political impact.

Pope Francis, himself, has a major ecumenical agenda that includes atheists and non-Catholics (see Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? and also watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware!). The Pope is also supposed to meet with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in May when he is in Israel/Palestine. Barack Obama, who claims Christianity, calls the Koran holy, carries a Hindu monkey god, and has taken certain steps inconsistent with a true Christian profession (for details and links see the article Prophecies of Barack Obama?) has decided to at least meet with Pope Francis to go over apparently mutual areas of concern.

Since the two leaders seemingly have a worldly agenda, perhaps they will agree at their planned meeting to work toward steps to further support each other to try to make that agenda take place.

As far as Barack Obama himself goes, I warned back in 2009 (in my book 2012 And the Rise of the Secret Sect) that he would take steps to support the objectives of the final Antichrist. In my view, his ecumenical statements and upcoming meeting with Pope Francis are consistent with that. Barack Obama’s and Pope Francis’ economic positions seem consistent with those that appear to come from a lamb, but instead are the words of a dragon (cf. Revelation 13:11, 16-17).

Major ecumenical unity will occur in the world (Revelation 13:4,8) and in particular Europe. Some steps have already been taken, and bigger steps will happen in the future. While many push this agenda, the Bible shows that while it will be fairly successful (Revelation 13:1-4,8), it should not be something that Christians are part of (Revelation 14:12, 18:4; Zechariah 2:6-7).

The Bible shows that God will eliminate the unity of the false faith around when Jesus returns (cf. Revelation 11:15), and then establish proper religious unity (Zechariah 2:10-11).

What Pope Francis and Barack Obama are seemingly trying to do is repeatedly warned against in the Bible (Revelation 13:1-18, 14:12, 18:4; Zechariah 2:6-7).

Some items of related interest may include:

Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? As far as some changes affecting Protestantism and Pope Francis, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware!
Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation discusses the largest church since the second/third century, which in a real sense is the eighth church mentioned in the Book of Revelation (it also endorses “eighth day” worship). What church would support the Beast? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet.” Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy. You can also watch a video titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?
Could Pope Francis be the Last Pope and Antichrist? According to some interpretations of the prophecies of the popes by the Catholic saint and Bishop Malachy, Pope Francis I is in the position of “Peter the Roman,” the pontiff who reigns during tribulations until around the time of the destruction of Rome. Do biblical prophecies warn of someone that sounds like Peter the Roman? Could Francis I be the heretical antipope of Catholic private prophecies and the final Antichrist of Bible prophecy? This is a YouTube video.
The Malachy Prophecies and “Peter the Roman” An Irish bishop allegedly predicted something about 112 popes in the 12th century. Pope Benedict XVI was number 111. Francis would seem to be number 112–if he is that one–and if so, he is to reign until Rome is destroyed. May he be an antipope/final Antichrist?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Amazon Book What does the Bible say about a pope near this time? Is the final pope to be an antipope and antichrist? Does Catholic prophecy point to Pope Francis as being the dreaded “Peter the Roman”? This 186 page book provides information and answers.
The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Kindle This electronic version of the printed book which is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Kindle.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. A video of possible interest may be Will Will USA Spying Help the Beast Power?
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?