Vatican Envoy Who Invited Kim Davis to Papal Meeting Retires
Source: ABC News/AP
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of his ambassador to the United States who was behind Francis' controversial meeting with Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who went to jail rather than comply with a court order to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, 75, had submitted his resignation in January after he reached the mandatory retirement age for bishops.
On Tuesday, Francis accepted it and named his ambassador to Mexico, the French Monsignor Christophe Pierre, to replace Vigano in the Holy See's highest-profile diplomatic posting.
Vigano had invited Davis to be among those greeting Francis in the Vatican embassy in Washington last September during his visit to the country. Her lawyer caused an uproar when he announced the meeting shortly after Francis returned to Rome, describing it as papal affirmation of Davis' approach to conscientious objection.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pope-replaces-us-ambassador-vigano-names-french-monsignor-38327805
Background story:
After Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the Vatican ambassador to the United States, invited renegade Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis to his residence for an audience with the Pope, many progressives and LGBTQ people reacted with outrage. Pope Francis, known for his softer stance on LGBTQ rights and outreach to the less fortunate, came under fire for associating with the reviled government official who went to jail rather than issue a marriage license to same-sex couples.
Many Vatican watchers expected the Pope to quietly replace Viganò when he reached the statutory retirement age. Church law allows the Pope to decline the mandatory resignation, but he has reportedly accepted the Archbishop’s. A hardline conservative, Viganò was considered a hurdle to Pope Francis‘ vision of a more welcoming and tolerant church.
Viganò will be replaced by Archbishop Christophe Pierre according to the Washington Post. Pierre currently serves as the Vatican‘s ambassador to Mexico and has served as a diplomat at various posts around the world.
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/03/pope-will-replace-american-ambassador-who-arranged-meeting-with-kim-davis/
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