Pope Francis to Meet with Racist Homophobe

It seems that every time I begin to hope that perhaps Pope Francis is more than just a slick PR artist and that he truly seeks to move the Roman Catholic Church out of the 13th century, he does something that suggests that in the last analysis he's no better than the Nazi Pope who formerly headed up the Inquisition.  How else to explain Francis' plan to meet with raging homophobes and white supremacists who masquerade as "family values" advocates.  A prime example: Tony Perkins of Family Research Council who has documented dealings with the KKK and has spoken a number of times to white supremacist hate groups.  As they saying my mother used to tell us, you are known by the company you keep and it doesn't get much fouler than Perkins. John Becker at The Bilerico Project looks at Francis' plan to meet with some very nasty people.  Here are highlights:

Last week we told you about an upcoming meeting at the Vatican where Pope Francis will sit down with prominent non-Catholic religious leaders to discuss marriage and family.

The purpose of the event, which will take place next week, is to show strong support for marriage discrimination; it's titled "An International Interreligious Colloquium on The Complementarity of Man and Woman." Among the leaders scheduled to attend are high-profile homophobes like Rick Warren and the Southern Baptist Convention's Russell Moore.

Today, another name was added to the list: hate group leader Tony Perkins, one of the most outspoken opponents of LGBT human rights in the United States. Right Wing Watch reports:

Although he is not listed as a speaker, another prominent American opponent of LGBT equality will also be attending the conference. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said in an interview on Newsmax TV today that he plans to attend the conference in Rome and expects the Catholic Church to "make a very clear statement that pertains to marriage and what the Church views marriage to be" to provide "clarity" to the confusion coming out of the recent synod.

Perkins compares gay legal advocates to terrorists; lies that pedophilia is a "homosexual problem;" consistently misgenders trans people; endorses the dangerous "pray away the gay" myth; and calls gay people "intolerant," "hateful," "vile," "spiteful," and "pawns of the enemy [Satan]."

Repugnant, right? This is a bigoted, hateful man who is willing to say almost anything in his unholy crusade to beat back civil and human rights for LGBT people. And yet, Pope Francis -- The Advocate's 2013 "Person of the Year" -- is rolling out the red carpet for Perkins at the Vatican next week.

As the old saying goes, "A man is known by the company he keeps." The fact that Pope Francis is willing to keep company with the likes of Tony Perkins speaks volumes.