A Catholic Citizen in America

About a week ago, in a discussion of what’s been happening in Vatican City, someone referred to the late Pope Francis as a “commie in a cassock”. I hadn’t run into that particular phrase, but I’m all too familiar with the attitude.

The “commie in a cassock” remark reminded me of the “communist crucifix” incident and material I’d put together, back in 2015, focusing mostly on a “corn altar” in Paraguay.

Then another non-crisis popped up, which I’ll talk about first.

• Social Media Highbrow Hijinks??
  • Nonsense and Perspective
• The Curious Case of the Communist Crucifix
  • Bolivia, a Superficially Cursory Overview
  • The “Communist Crucifix”, “Commie in a Cassock”: Really??
  • Recognizing Realities
  • How I See Diplomatic Gifts
• Altar de Maiz: Corny? Yes! — Appealing? To Me, Yes!!
  • Photos: Views of the “Altar of Corn”
  • It’s Art, It’s Sculpture, and Now It’s Recycled
• Pope Leo XIV: “…Evil Will Not Prevail….”
• Odds and Ends: a Sozzled Scientist’s Sausage, Goofy Gifts to Popes

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Social Media Highbrow Hijinks??

Headlines about social media posts don’t make it into my news feed very often. Possibly because my online habits don’t reflect an obsession with celebrities.

At any rate: a week ago Friday, someone’s X/Twitter post got reposted on the official White House X/Twitter account.

Commentary and reactions to that post showed up in my news feed, including this:

“Catholic leaders criticize Trump for posting apparent AI photo of himself as the pope”
Joe Hernandez, NPR News (May 4, 2025)

“…Trump posted the image on his Truth Social account on Friday night, and shortly after it was reposted by the White House on its official X account….

“…Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York who is friendly with Trump, told journalists in Rome Sunday morning that he hoped Trump ‘didn’t have anything to do with’ the image. When asked if it offended him, Dolan said, ‘it wasn’t good.’

“The New York State Catholic Conference said in a post on X: ‘There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.‘

“Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois said in a Facebook post that by publishing the image ‘Trump mocks God, the Catholic Church, and the Papacy.’

“Paprocki added the image was ‘deeply offensive’ — especially as Catholics continue to mourn Pope Francis and prepare for the papal conclave. ‘President Trump owes an apology to Catholics and all people of good will,’ he said….”
[emphasis mine]

I’d seen a prequel of sorts in the preceding Tuesday’s news, so I wasn’t entirely surprised.

• “Graham jokingly asks conclave, Catholics to ‘keep an open mind’ about Pope Trump”
  Lauren Irwin, Blog Briefing Room, The Hill (April 29, 2025)

At the time, I thought the idea of “Pope Trump” was silly, at best. I still do. I also think the bishop, archbishop, and state Catholic conference made good points.

I’d probably feel more offended, if that “Pope Trump” remark and the funny photo didn’t represent the sort of tone-deaf — at best — understanding of the Catholic Church, Catholic beliefs, and Catholics, that’s been endemic in my country since day one.¹

After decades of exposure to that sort of thing, I finally became a Catholic: and that’s another topic. I’ve talked about this before:

“…I like being an American, but realize that my country isn’t perfect: and never has been. On the whole, I think we’ve been getting better….

“…I’ll admit to a bias.

“I’m a Catholic, and like being allowed to live here. We’re even allowed to own property and vote. That’s a huge improvement over the ‘good old days’ in some parts….”
(“Independence Day 2017” > The ‘Good Old Days’ Weren’t (July 4, 2017))

Nonsense and Perspective

I’m not — I want to emphasize this — at all happy about that ‘Pope Trump’ picture.

As for whether it was intended as a joke, mockery, was a cluelessly tone-deaf effort at showing solidarity with America’s Catholics, or something entirely different — I have no idea.

Again, I think Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, and the New York State Catholic Conference, made good points. I’d feel considerably more upset, if I didn’t have decades of exposure to this sort of nonsense. After a while, it becomes just ‘more of the same’.

That said, I do see a few positive points in the “Pope Trump” picture.

For one thing, some skill went into making the image. The head’s the right size, and light is coming from the same direction for both the face and the mitre. Compared to some cut-and-paste photos I’ve seen, this one’s pretty good: and quite likely the result of someone using very up-to-date software.

For another, posting on one of Trump’s X/Twitter accounts and promptly reposting on the official White House X/Twitter account implies both some familiarity with contemporary social media and a certain degree of coordinated effort.

I’d prefer seeing these skills applied in some other way: but I’ll take indications of competence as examples that — I’d better stop now.

I’ve noticed — or, rather, not noticed — the “Pope Trump” item in my news feed this week: aside from a few blips on Monday. I’ll take that as good news.

My guess is that, a decade from now, that clever picture will be as well-remembered as the “communist crucifix” is today.

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The Curious Case of the Communist Crucifix

I remember the “communist crucifix” micro-scandal mainly because it happened when I was distracted by technical difficulties. I’ll get back to that, briefly after this excerpt from a 2015 CNA article:

“Pope calls ‘communist crucifix’ protest art, but says he wasn’t offended“
Catholic News Agency (July 15, 2015)

“Responding to waves of controversy after receiving a ‘communist crucifix‘ — a carving of Christ crucified on a hammer and sickle — from Bolivian president Evo Morales, Pope Francis said he took no offense, but understands the work as ‘protest art.’

“‘I would qualify it as protest art, which in some cases can be offensive,’ the Pope said during an inflight news conference on his July 12 overnight flight from Paraguay to Rome.

“But given the context of this piece of art, he added that he understands the idea behind the crucifix, and ‘for me it wasn’t an offense.’

“He recalled an exhibition in Buenos Aires several years ago in which an Argentinian artist he described as ‘a good sculptor, creative,’ and who is now deceased, made a similar piece depicting a crucified Christ on an airplane.

“‘It was protest art, and I recall one, it was a crucified Christ on a bomber (airplane) that was falling down, no? It’s Christianity, but a criticism that let’s say Christianity allied with imperialism which is the bomber.’

“The crucifix, which the Pope revealed was traveling with him back to Rome, was given to him by leftist Bolivian Evo Morales on Thursday, sparking controversy….”
[emphasis mine]

Experiences of my youth suggested that “communist crucifix” hysteria might last a while. So I had a whole mess of notes about Bolivia, Evo Morales, and the last few centuries of history in that part of the world.

That was in mid-2015.

I was getting increasingly frustrated with alleged improvements in the blogging service I used at the time.

The sound and fury wailing around the “communist crucifix” died down. That, and running across more-immediately-interesting items, put the mid-2015 notes on my back burner. Besides, I was getting ready to start this iteration of A Catholic Citizen in America.

Time passed. “Pope Trump” and “commie in a cassock” popping up within days of each other reminded me of those decade-old notes. And some nice photos.

Bolivia, a Superficially Cursory Overview

Putting the “communist crucifix” in context involves Bolivia, so taking a very quick look at the country and the folks living there seems like a good idea.

Bolivia, like many countries in Latin America, got off to a rough start.

I’d rather live in central Minnesota than in Bolivia, even taking our climate into account: but the Latin American nation is definitely not the worst place in the world to live.

At least one recent Bolivian change of leadership was an election, a coup, or something else: which doesn’t sound good. But — I think this is important — it’s been a debatable point. Other elections, apparently, have actually been elections. People voting and everything. I see that as good news.

Bolivia isn’t, apparently, as desperately poor as it was a few decades back. Which is more good news. Who has how much wealth — that looks like a work in progress.²

The “Communist Crucifix”, “Commie in a Cassock”: Really??

That “commie in a cassock” crack last week reminded me that there’s what I strongly suspect is a small but loud demographic who are ardently “American”, and may think they are — or should be — speaking for American Christians in general. Some are Catholics: very “American” Catholics.

Others: mistaking them for typical American Christians may be possible.

But nobody’s going to reasonably suspect them of covert Catholic sympathies.

Me? I don’t expect a pope to react as if he’s a spokesman for the ‘Godliness is next to Americanism’ crowd. Or conform to more currently-fashionable “isms”.

Briefly, I’m convinced that:

• South America isn’t the United States
• Bolivia isn’t the Upper Midwest
• United States firms and agencies aren’t always right

There’s a whole lot more to say, including why I don’t think the Catholic Church and Nazi Germany are part of a commie plot — run by Satan — you can’t make up stuff like this, and that’s yet another topic.

Recognizing Realities

I’m not a huge fan of Evo Morales, or tone-deaf amalgamations of religious symbolism and partisan politics.

But I do recognize that a great many folks in Latin America, Bolivia included, have gotten hurt — hurt badly — by some American politics and self-destructive business practices.

Self-destructive in the long run. In the short run, individuals profited. In a strictly financial sense.

About the late Pope Francis receiving the “communist crucifix”, taking it back to Rome, and calling it “protest art”?

What was he supposed to do and say?

I think calling the object “protest art” is accurate, and that our first Latin American pope had more reason than most to know and understand what’s been done to folks who weren’t at the top of the heap in that part of the world.

Besides, it was a diplomatic gift.³

How I See Diplomatic Gifts

I had notes about diplomatic gifts. But I’ll spare you that excursion into historical and political trivia.

Except for a few high points.

Like the The Right Honourable Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton’s notion that giving an American president a ping-pong table — made in China — would make a positive impression about British know-how and industry.

I’m not sure why a box, decorated with a mix of Sinhalese and Christian imagery, given by the King of Kotte to the King of Portugal about a half-millennium back, struck me as connected with the 2015 “communist crucifix” brouhaha.

Maybe it was the mix of Christian and Sinhalese (folks living in Sri Lanka) visual elements. Which I don’t have a problem with, and that’s yet again another topic.

Then there was the lurid scandal of a vicuña coat, a White House Chief of Staff in the Eisenhower administration, Congress, and a zealous journalist. In 1958.

The coat was from a textile manufacturer having trouble with the FTC and Congress. Apparently, receiving the vicuña coat — and, adding to the degeneracy, an oriental rug — reflected badly on the righteousness and integrity of the White House. At any rate, the Chief of Staff lost his job, Congress kept on doing what Congress does, and the world moved on.⁴

Finally, I think diplomatic gifts show more about whoever gives the things — than on the pope, president, or king they’re given TO.

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Altar de Maiz: Corny? Yes! — Appealing? To Me, Yes!!

Let’s take a closer look at that altar de maiz, “altar of corn”, where the late Pope Francis was celebrating Mass, a few days after the “communist crucifix” commotion.

I did a little extra checking this week, but a CNA article still has the best — and very nearly the only — description I found of it that’s in my native language: English.

But I did find a few good photos of it that I’d missed, back in 2015.

Photos: Views of the “Altar of Corn”

There’s probably additional information on Zenoura Cazador De Instantes (Pereira Verly)’s (“Zenoura Hunter of Moments (Pereira Verly)” Facebook page. There are definitely more photos — you’ll have to sign in to see them, sorry about that.

My understanding of Spanish is very limited, so I did a screenshot of his first four thumbnails, and called it a day. Again, there’s a great deal more on his Facebook page. Clicking the “Photos of the ‘corn altar’…” image, above, should link you there.

Pereira Verly’s photos show that the “altar of corn” is very modular. Plus, you’ll see photos taken during its assembly that you may not find anywhere else.

It’s Art, It’s Sculpture, and Now It’s Recycled

I’ll admit to a bias: I think the “corn altar” designed by Koki Ruiz, for the 2015 visit of Pope Francis to Paraguay, looks good. And, given the intended symbolism, is appropriate for the pope’s visit.

I’ve gathered that the altar de maíz/altar of corn was used for more occasions than the Mass with Pope Francis, and had several different configurations.⁵ But most of what I know about it came from this article:

“Spectacular Paraguay altar destined to be broken down, recycled“
Catholic News Agency (July 12, 2015)

“‘The coconuts will be used to make soap and the corncobs are destined to feed animals. The squash will be given to people. From it, a sweet called ‘andai’ is made,’ the artist, Kiko Ruiz, told CNA days before the celebration.

“‘It’s made me very happy to do this job. There’s a great excitement among the people who collaborated with me in making the altar. This happiness motivated me to make this artwork,’ he said.

“‘I know that the Pope’s visit has great significance because it’s bringing happiness and a message of peace.’

“Ruiz is the plastics artist who was charged with the creation of the altar. The structure’s base is 131 feet long and nearly 56 feet tall with a pyramidal shape. The total surface area is more than 4,305 square feet covered with corn, coconuts and squash. In the center, there’s a cross….”
[emphasis mine]

The CNA article, again, may be the most thorough English-language description of the altar de maíz available online. Why this remarkable piece of temporary and recycled art/sculpture/architecture is nearly off the radar — that’s something I don’t know. I’m just glad I could find as much as I did.

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Pope Leo XIV: “…Evil Will Not Prevail….”

I was going to wrap up this week’s post with less about popes and presidents and more about positions and perceptions.

Then my wife told me, early Thursday afternoon, that we have a new pope: Leo XIV.

I’d been expecting news that the College of Cardinals had picked our 267th pope, but hadn’t realized how excited I’d be. That’s not, by itself, a bad thing; but it’s distracting.

So I’m embedding that video — just under three minutes — of Pope Leo XIV’s first speech, and sharing this excerpt from the Vatican News English transcript:

“Pope Leo XIV: ‘Peace be with all of you’”
Vatican News (May 8, 2025)

“…Allow me to continue that same blessing. God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward. We are disciples of Christ, Christ goes before us, and the world needs His light. Humanity needs Him like a bridge to reach God and His love. You help us to build bridges with dialogue and encounter so we can all be one people always in peace.

Thank you Pope Francis!”
[emphasis mine]

About that statement: “evil will not prevail” — it’s not exactly news to me, but it’s also nice to get a reminder now and again.

Next, I’ll slap down a highly-abbreviated version of what I was going to say — and then sit back, relax, get a cup of coffee — and very likely do more relaxing.

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Odds and Ends: a Sozzled Scientist’s Sausage, Goofy Gifts to Popes

I had planned on comparing the “Pope Trump” X/Twitter post to a celebrated scientist’s photo of a sausage slice: which he said was an image of Proxima Centauri, taken by the Webb space telescope.

Then, as folks were discussing the alleged image of our nearest star, the scientist sobered up. According to him, he’d had a perfectly good reason for taking that photo. And for saying his photo of a chorizo slice was actually a JWST image of Proxima Centauri.

I think that incident shows something about human nature and the advisability of writing — and posting — while intoxicated.

But I also think it says little or nothing about either science or Spanish sausage.

Okay. I’ve gotten “Proxima Chorizo” off my checklist. I’ve put links to some of what I’ve said about social media and dealing with differences in the footnotes.⁶

Finally, I’d found something in The Glasgow Herald that I’d planned on using in a discussion of weird gifts folks give the pope.

I’m sharing a mostly-legible image of the thing and calling your attention to the tricycle sent by a Frenchman, a whale’s skeleton, riding boots, and the goat mentioned in the article:

• “Strange Gifts to a Pope”
  From Our Own Correspondent, The Glasgow Herald (March 19, 1888) via Google News

Picking popes, making sense:

• “Pope Leo XIV: the 267th Bishop of Rome”
  (May 8, 2025)
• “Electing a Pope: Current Events, Ancient Heritage”
  (May 3, 2025)
• “Choosing a New Pope: Change and Constants”
  (April 24, 2025)
• “Principles, Priorities, Politics: and Being Catholic”
  (September 21, 2024)
• “Infallibility?”
  (July 30, 2017)

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¹ Being Catholic in America has had its ups and downs:

• Wikipedia
  • Anti-Catholicism in the United States
  • Catholic Church in the Thirteen Colonies
  • History of the Catholic Church in the United States
  • History of immigration to the United States
  • History of Roman Catholicism in the United States
  • Immigration to the United States
  • Ku Klux Klan (defending America from ‘foreigners’ like Blacks, Jews, Catholics)

² Bolivia isn’t Minnesota:

• Wikipedia
  • Bolivia
    • Economy
  • Evo Morales (Bolivian president 2006-2019, still alive)
  • List of countries by wealth per adult
• Bolivia
  The World Factbook, cia.gov
• “Pope Francis focuses on poor in Bolivia”
  BBC News (July 9, 2015)

³ Assorted miscellanea and, right, a possibly-inaccurate map of Sri Lanka’s geopolitics of the 1520s:

• Wikipedia
  • Bolivia
  • Diplomatic gift
  • Evo Morales
  • List of pastoral visits of Pope Francis
    • 2015
  • Sinhalese people (currently the largest ethnic group living in Sri Lanka)
  • Sri Lanka
  • United States
  • Upper Midwest
• Bolivia
  The World Factbook, cia.gov
• Presidential Gifts
  Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum
• Protocol Gift Unit
  U.S. Department of State
• Article I Legislative Branch – Section 9 Powers Denied Congress
  Constitution Annotated — constitution.congress.gov
• “Pope Francis focuses on poor in Bolivia”
  BBC News (July 9, 2015)

⁴ A British Lord, and a vicuña overcoat my father told me about:

• Wikipedia
  • David Cameron
  • Diplomatic gift
  • Human history (300,000 years B.P.- now)
  • Sherman Adams (guilty of being given a vicuña overcoat and an oriental rug)
    • Scandal
  • Vicuña (A “needs additional citations for verification” article)
• “David Cameron’s table tennis table gift to Barack Obama made in China”
  James Orr; The Telegraph, UK (March 18, 2012)

⁵ Stuff I could have talked about, but didn’t:

• Wikipedia
  • List of pastoral visits of Pope Francis
    • 2015
  • Paraguay
• “Zenoura Cazador De Instantes (Pereira Verly)”
  Facebook — in Spanish, requires Facebook login
• “Zenoura Cazador De Instantes (Pereira Verly)”
  Debate.com (July 9, 2015) in Spanish
• “#Video Conco el altar de maíz y coco creado cara el papa”
  Teen Talk With Ana DeBernardo, page 25, Valley Patriot (August 2015)
• “Spectacular Paraguay altar destined to be broken down, recycled”
  Catholic News Agency (July 12, 2015)

⁶ Part of my take on dealing with differences in general and social media in particular:

• “Olympic Opening Ceremonies: ‘Saddened by Certain Scenes’” (August 5, 2024)
  • It’s Okay, Everybody’s Doing It?
  • Dealing With Reality
  • The Last Supper: It’s a Big Deal
• “Liberal? Conservative? Republican? Democrat? No: Catholic” (July 27, 2024)
  • Political Pigeonholes and the Big Picture
• “Freedom of Speech: On the Whole, I Like It” (July 6, 2024)
  • Information, Attitudes, Access, and Me
  • Free Speech, Social Media, and Perceptions
  • Prepublication Censorship, a Near Miss
  • Politics, Panic, and Principles