Huckabee says Obama 'pretends to be' a Christian for Pope's guest list

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Former Arkansas governor and would-be president slammed Obama, whom he said 'believes he's a Christian, and pretends to be'
Huckabee was complaining about guests at the 11,000-strong papal welcome ceremony that included Christians whose life choices cuold be considered an insult to Pope Francis
Guest list included pro-choice nun, transgender woman, openly gay retired Episcopal bishop and Catholic teacher fired for marrying her girlfriend
Huckabee wrote on Tuesday that 'Obama shows total disrespect ... by transforming Pope Francis' White House visit into a politicized cattle call for gay and pro-abortion activists'
'Welcoming a pro-life, pro-marriage leader at the White House with a crowd of abortion and gay rights activists,' he wrote, 'is as classy as hosting an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with an open bar'

By David Martosko, Us Political Editor For Dailymail.com

Published: 14:28 EST, 23 September 2015 | Updated: 16:18 EST, 23 September 2015

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Mike Huckabee said Tuesday that Barack Obama 'pretends to be a Christian,' after the president's guest list for Pope Francis' White House welcome ceremony included a short list of Catholics and other Christians who haev visibly parted with Church doctrine.

Huckabee told Newsmax TV that he is 'concerned about a guy that believes he's a Christian, and pretends to be and then says he is, but does things that makes it very difficult for people to practice their Christian faith.'

'I’m disappointed if a person says, "I’m a Christian," but you invite the Pope into your home and then you invite a whole bunch of people who are at odds with the Catholic Church policy. I think there’s something very unseemly about that.'

The guest list for Wednesday morning's pomp and circumstance on the South Lawn of the White House included a pro-choice nun, a transgender woman and an openly gay retired Episcopal bishop – plus a Roman Catholic teacher from suburban Philadelphia who was fired this year for marrying her girlfriend.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS

ATTACK MODE: Mike Huckabee lit into President Barack Obama on Tuesady night, saying he 'pretends to be' a Christian

GUEST LIST: Roman Catholic teacher Margie Winters (left), 50, was fired over her same-sex marriage, but was on hand to welcome the Pope during his White House welcome ceremony (right)

Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, divorced his partner last year after previously divorcing his first spouse, a woman.

Margie Winters, the suburban Philadelphia educator, said Monday that she hoped the pontiff would address issues facing gay Catholics during his visit to the U.S.

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.

Her invitation to join a crowd of 11,000 on Wednesday morning came via the Human Rights Campaign, an gay-rights activist group.

BIG DEAL? More than 11,000 people crowded into the South Lawn of the White House, but conservatives have seized on a handful of people whose lifestyles would be at odds with Catholic doctrine

Huckabee was answering a question Tuesday night about whether Muslim politicians should be disqualified from running for president.

'There is no religious test for a person to hold public office in America,' he said. 'I'm less concerned about what faith a person has. I'm more concerned about the authenticity of their faith and how that plays out in their policies.'

Huckabee lashed out at Obama on Tuesday in an essay published by The Daily Caller, saying he '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, also a Baptist minister, is making his second run at the White House and aims to capture the enthusiasm of evangelicals.

That's a voting bloc for whom other right-wing Christians like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are avidly competing.

DISSIDENTS: Not everyone in Washington was glad to welcome Francis on Wednesday, including a group of protesters who want the Catholic Church to ordain women as priests

'Welcoming a pro-life, pro-marriage leader at the White House with a crowd of abortion and gay rights activists,' he wrote, 'is as classy as hosting an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with an open bar. President Obama should be ashamed of himself.'

Pope Francis famously caused a stir in two years ago when he hinted at a Catholic embrace for gays and lesbians.

'If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?,' he said in June 2013.

Huckabee wrote Tuesday in his op-ed that before he was the Roman pontiff, '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?' he asked.

PAPA! Pope Francis addressed a sea of humanity at the White House on Wednesday in slow, careful English, as President Barack Obama looked on

POPE IN AMERICA: FRANCIS'S ITINERARY ON HIS FIRST TRIP TO THE UNITED STATES

Pope Francis, who has never been to the United States before, will arrive from Cuba at Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington D.C. on Tuesday, September 22.

WEDNESDAY: WASHINGTON D.C.

9.15am: Welcome ceremony and meeting with President Obama at the White House

11am: Papal Parade along the Ellipse and the National Mall (time approximate)

11.30am: Midday Prayer with the bishops of the United States, St. Matthew's Cathedral

4.15pm: Mass of Canonization of Junipero Serra, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

THURSDAY: WASHINGTON D.C. AND NEW YORK

9.20am: Address to Joint Meeting of the United States Congress

11.15am: Visit to St. Patrick in the City and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington

4pm: Depart from Joint Base Andrews

5pm: Arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport

6.45pm: Evening Prayer (Vespers) at St. Patrick's Cathedral

A jogger runs past the front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building festooned with the Vatican and US flags on Pennsylvania Avenue, next to the White House Tuesday

FRIDAY: NEW YORK

8.30am: Visit to the United Nations and address to the United Nations General Assembly

11.30am: Multi-religious service at 9/11 Memorial and Museum, World Trade Center

4pm: Visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels School, East Harlem

5pm: Procession through Central Park (time approximate)

6pm: Mass at Madison Square Garden

SATURDAY: NEW YORK AND PHILADELPHIA

8.40am: Departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport

9.30am: Arrival at Atlantic Aviation, Philadelphia

10.30am: Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia

4.45pm: Visit to Independence Mall

7.30pm: Visit to the Festival of Families Benjamin Franklin Parkway