163 Catholic in Congress that is 30% and growing a

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163 Catholic in Congress that is 30% and growing and only represent 23% of the faith based population of the United States...again scary for a Protestant...RED FLAG

Supreme Court Roman Catholic 4 of 9 Number the next president might get to replace 4...RED FLAG

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So many things wrong with your screed, so little time. I must have missed Article I's mandate that Congressional Representation shall be in direct proportion to the membership of religious denominations, in the States of the Union. Sounds official, right? LOL! in ain't there.

Article III, Judicial: The Justices of the US Supreme Court shall be appointed such that their religious beliefs are directly proportionate to the religious denominations found in the States of the Union.

That ain't in it either.

See, now this is what I mean by 'bat-shit-crazy'. You've raised more red flags than you'd see in Tiananmen-Square on May Day.

Any every point you've raised is fear driven and based upon misunderstanding and misinformation.

Please, crank up the Google machine and make a minimal effort to learn something.

Was Pope Francis' address to the US Congress a violation of the separation of church and state?


Mark VandeWetteringTechnical Director
Published in Fatherly and The Huffington Post

No, it wasn't a violation of separation of church and state, textbook or otherwise.

Jefferson wrote:


Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.

In other words, when Jefferson spoke about the "wall of separation between Church and State", he was specifically addressing it with respect to the Congress and its ability to create law. Pope Francis is not a member of Congress, and thus cannot create any law. He is not placed under any obligation by this principle of our democracy.


As for the members of Congress, there is nothing inappropriate about receiving a world leader in their halls and listening to what he had to say. It is true that Pope Francis was the first religious leader to address a joint meeting of Congress, but there is nothing inappropriate or improper in asking him to do so.

Here's the text from the "textbook":

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Has Congress made a law establishing a religion by allowing someone who is religious to address them?

No.

It's that simple.

Rob Cline, Honest american. I love my country but will not lie for it.

The Pope is both a foreign leader and a religious leader.

He is not alone though. In your example if it were a violation it would also preclude us from establishing foreign relations with most of the middle east Africa and Asia.

Aside from that the constitution only forbids the congress from making laws limiting the free exercise of religion or establishing a national religion like the church of England.

The president does not vote in congress but he does participate in congress just like anyone can. There's no law that bars him from addressing the congress like he does at the state of the union address every year.

The pope most likely could do it in France because again he's a foreign leader.