Huckabee blasts White House's guest list for the Pope as 'politicized cattle call' as ex-nun sacked from Catholic school for her lesbian marriage is latest invitee
- Margie Winters, 50, lost her job at Waldron Mercy Academy in Pennsylvania in June over her 2007 same-sex marriage
- On Wednesday, Winters will be joined by her wife during welcoming ceremony for the pontiff on the South Lawn of the White House
- She hopes to speak to Pope Francis and ask him to extend his message of inclusion to the LGBT community
- GOP White House candidate Mike Huckabee said today, 'Obama shows total disrespect...by transforming Pope Francis’ White House visit into a politicized cattle call for gay and pro-abortion activists'
Mike Huckabee lit into President Barack Obama this afternoon, sending a firestorm of tweets and scolding him in an op-ed, over the 'disrespect' he's showing the Pope by inviting gay rights and abortion activists to greet him tomorrow at the White House.
'Obama shows total disrespect to millions of Americans by transforming Pope Francis’ White House visit into a politicized cattle call for gay and pro-abortion activists,' the former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate said on the Daily Caller.
His tweets hit the same notes as the op-ed, and emphasized Obama's tolerance for other religions.
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Mike Huckabee lit into President Barack Obama this afternoon, sending a firestorm of tweets and scolding him in an op-ed, over the 'disrespect' he's showing the Pope by inviting gay rights and abortion activists to greet him tomorrow at the White House
High honor: Roman Catholic teacher Margie Winters (left), 50, was fired this summer over her same-sex marriage. On Wednesday, she will be in Washington DC to help welcome Pope Francis (pictured in El Cobre, Cuba, on Tuesday) at the White House
Winters and her wife will be among some 15,000 people at the closed-to-the-public welcoming ceremony for the pontiff Wednesday on the South Lawn. In this picture, the Flag of Vatican City flies next to American flags along West Executive Avenue outside of the White House Monday
'Even though Osama Bin Laden murdered thousands of Americans, the Obama administration respected his dead body under Muslim tradition,' he wrote in the Daily Caller. 'Out of diplomatic respect, President Obama has bowed to a Saudi King and a Japanese Emperor. He’s even worn turbans, ethnic robes, and Japanese kimonos.'
Among the invitees to tomorrow's welcome ceremony are a Roman Catholic teacher from suburban Philadelphia who was fired this summer for marrying her female partner.
Margie Winters said Monday she hopes the pontiff will address issues facing gay Catholics during his visit to the US this week.
The 50-year-old Winters lost her job as religious instruction director at Waldron Mercy Academy in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in June over her 2007 same-sex marriage.
Winters says the school principal knew she was gay and married to Andrea Vettori, clinical director at a health center for the homeless, when she was hired eight years ago.
The couple met in their mid-30s when they entered the Sisters of Mercy as candidates for religious life.
She was told she could be open about her marriage with faculty but not with parents at the school, Winters told The Philadelphia Inquirer in July.
A parent at the school eventually found out about her marriage and complained to the school's trustees.
When Winters wouldn't resign, she told Action News she was then terminated.
'In the Mercy spirit, many of us accept life choices that contradict current church teachings,' Principal Nell Stetser said in a letter to parents obtained by the Inquirer, 'but to continue as a Catholic school, Waldron Mercy must comply with those teachings.'
Waldron is run by the Mercy sisters, independent of the archdiocese, but the local church has the power to pull the 'Catholic identity' of any institution seen to stray from church teaching.
True love: Winters (right) and Andrea Vettori (left) Andrea Vettori (left) met in their mid-30s when they entered the Sisters of Mercy as candidates for religious life and tied the knot in 2007
Catholic institution: Winters lost her job as religious instruction director at Waldron Mercy Academy (pictured) in Pennsylvania in June when a parent found out she was married to a woman and complained
In addressing Winters' firing, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput praised the Mercy officials for showing 'character and common sense' for sticking to church teachings
Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput, wading into the issue amid Winters' case, stressed that Catholic schools are responsible for 'teaching and witnessing the Catholic faith in a manner true to Catholic belief,' referring to the church's condemnation of homosexual activity. He said the Mercy officials showed 'character and common sense' for sticking to church teachings.
Around the country, more than 50 people have reported losing their jobs at Catholic institutions since 2010 over their sexual orientation or identity, according to New Ways Ministries, an advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics based in Mount Ranier, Maryland.
Pope Francis famously caused a stir in June 2013 when he uttered, 'Whom am I to judge?' while addressing the sensitive subject of gays in the Roman Catholic Church.
Huckabee noted in his op-ed that 'when the issue emerged in his native Argentina, Pope Francis blasted same-sex marriage as a “destructive pretension against the plan of God.” '
'Why then does the Obama White House invite crude critics of the Catholic Church and its teachings to welcome the Pope to America for the first time?'
Some 15,000 people from diverse social and religious backgrounds are expected to attend the welcoming ceremony for the pontiff Wednesday on the South Lawn. The event is by-invitation-only and not open to the public.
The Pope arrived in the United States today, where he was greeted on the tarmac by President Barack Obama
'HO, HO, HEY, HEY, WELCOME TO THE USA!' shouted fans of the Pope as they waited for him to arrive at Joint Base Andrews this afternoon in Maryland
Winters will be joined at the White House by her wife. She hopes to get a chance to speak to the pope and ask him to extend his message of inclusion to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics.
'I would ask him to listen to our stories of faith, and to listen with the heart of a shepherd with the mindset of hopefully including us more in the Church,' Winters told CBS Philly.
She says her invitation came through the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT advocacy group.
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