Althouse: "I don’t like the 666," wrote the pope, rejecting a 16,666,000 pesos contribution from Argentinian president Mauricio Macri.

June 15, 2016

"I don’t like the 666," wrote the pope, rejecting a 16,666,000 pesos contribution from Argentinian president Mauricio Macri.

"Francis, who has long supported progressive causes in Argentina, and the centre-right president Macri have often found themselves on opposite sides of political debate. But the pope is reported to have been particularly irritated when the Argentinian media presented the president’s donation as a sign that relations between the two leaders were improving. The Argentinian chapter of [the pope's the Scholas Occurentes educational foundation] returned the donation saying that 'there are those who are trying to misrepresent this institutional gesture ... with the purpose of generating confusion and division among Argentines.'"

Reports The Guardian.

18 comments:

rhhardin said...: The pope doesn't know about units. The mark of the beast has to be dimensionless or it means nothing.; 6/15/16, 7:43 AM
Michael K said...: Goofy Pope. If I had not already drifted away from the Church, I would now.; 6/15/16, 7:48 AM
Shawn Levasseur said...: This just in... Religious leader believes in superstitions.; 6/15/16, 7:50 AM
shiloh said...: Ronald Wilson Reagan, who ironically looks saintly compared to the current Republican "presumptive" nominee.

Supposedly the devil is everywhere so one can't be too careful.

Heard a few cons here say Hillary/Obama is the devil er evil. ok, maybe more than a few.

Conservative hyperbole thrives at Althouse ...; 6/15/16, 7:57 AM
Fernandinande said...: I'm primed!

2^2 + 3^2 + 5^2 + 7^2 + 11^2 + 13^2 + 17^2 = Rope a Pope.; 6/15/16, 7:58 AM
Captain Drano said...: This sounds more likely:
"When President Macri visited Francis in February, the pope asked him that the indigenous activist Milagro Salas be released on bail. When Macri replied that he was barred by the constitution from intervening in the judicial process, Francis proceeded to ask money for his NGO. Scholas Occurentes had already been handed over money by the former government of Argentina.

However when Francis was made aware of the imminent publication of articles in the press revealing the mismanagement of funds by Scholas Occurentes, like members of its staff travelling first class from Buenos Aires to Rome to profess their adoration of Francis, a ritual which he is particularly fond of, he ordered his NGO to return the money to the government at once under the false pretense that the money should be used by the government to help the poor of Argentina, which made sense and also showed that the pope’s NGO is bogus. Out of spite and because of the Salas episode Francis, who is more a politician than a pope, tried to harm Macri by blaming the wrongdoings of his own NGO on the Argentine government. The 666 has nothing to do with it. Good old greed and hypocrisy have a lot to do though.

As for Milagro Salas, she is currently in jail for a litany of charges stemming from her stewardship of the funds that were supposed to be spent to meet the basic needs- like food and shelter- of the members of the indigenous communities, the poorest Argentines, instead of which Salas and her henchmen allegedly stole and embezzled those funds by the millions. Miss Salas was also an assiduous patron of the Conrad’s, a five stars hotel and casino in the plush resort of Punta Del Este known to host the likes of Brad Pitt and George Clooney. When that incongruity was brought to her attention, Miss Salas retorted without missing a beat that indigenous people had every right to vacation in Punta Del Este just like her and the rich and famous."; 6/15/16, 9:20 AM
mockturtle said...: The office of pope has long been considered Antichrist by some.; 6/15/16, 9:28 AM
cubanbob said...: shiloh said...
Ronald Wilson Reagan, who ironically looks saintly compared to the current Republican "presumptive" nominee."

Considering the "presumptive" Democrat nominee is a grifter, criminal and traitor...... no what were you saying?; 6/15/16, 10:10 AM
cubanbob said...: ""I don’t like the 666," wrote the pope, rejecting a 16,666,000 pesos contribution from Argentinian president Mauricio Macri."

Considering his views on the former president of Argentina the Pope could be forgiven for not wanting to be reminded of that.; 6/15/16, 10:12 AM
traditionalguy said...: Francis, The Talking Pope, also needs to stay indoors on Friday the 13th.

And he needs to consider hiring another ten million trained Exorcists to help the Catholic faithful. They can do a mass deliverance to cast out the Spirit of Carbon Energy Use.; 6/15/16, 10:33 AM
The Godfather said...: Argentina should give the money to Hillary!'s Foundation. She'll take it.; 6/15/16, 11:13 AM
Darrell said...: Lefties, like Pope Karl, are all about "science."; 6/15/16, 11:22 AM
Static Ping said...: The "666" in the donation is almost certainly an intentional insult. The Pope certainly has cause to be offended, though honestly it would be better if he turned the other cheek.

I'm not getting the mockery here. If someone intentionally insults you in a coded way, it is still an insult. Even if the Pope sees the "666" as merely a reference to the number of the beast in Revelation without any true mystical power, it is pretty obvious that Macri (or his representative) knew what it meant and were trying to be unpleasant. It's similar to the coded "F*** Y**" veto letter that Arnold Schwarzenegger sent out years ago.; 6/15/16, 11:56 AM
Quaestor said...: In USD it's $1,212,077.35 so what's the complaint? It's not like Frankie gonna spend it himself, right? ... Right?; 6/15/16, 11:57 AM
Quaestor said...: ...whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. applyth not to pontiffs, saith the Church.; 6/15/16, 12:02 PM
Darrell said...: Send it to me. I'll buy something at the Althouse Amazon portal.; 6/15/16, 12:38 PM
Quaestor said...: No, send it to me! I'll only spend 10% at the Althouse Amazon portal. Forty percent will go to the highly respected Ferraris for Quaestor Fund, and the residue I'll give to a local parochial school as a scholarship program for poor kids.

Now I ask you, who's more charitable, Quaestor or the reigning pope?; 6/15/16, 2:00 PM
Lydia said...: It was a postscript, folks. And that group that was supposed to get the money is a bunch of bureaucrats who like to spend money (check out their website). Money Francis thinks could be spent on the poor. Plus, he was quite peeved recently when he learned they flew first class from Rome to Buenos Aires for a meeting.; 6/15/16, 4:01 PM