Pope's Affiliates Accuse White House of 'Apocalyptic Geopolitics'
An explosive article written by two close associates of Pope Francis accused Steve Bannon, the chief White House strategist, of espousing "apocalyptic geopolitics." It also offered a scathing critique of the "evangelical fundamentalism in the U.S." which adopted a twisted reading of scripture and the Old Testament that promotes conflict and war.
Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro and Marcelo Figeroa, editors-in-chief respectively of two Catholic publications, co-wrote an article in the latest edition of "La Civiltà Cattolica," looking at the relationship between "Evangelical Fundamentalism" and "Catholic Integralism."
It noted "a strange form of surprising ecumenism is developing between Evangelical fundamentalists and Catholic Integralists brought together by the same desire for religious influence in the political sphere" in American society.
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The piece referred to Bannon as an exponent of "apocalyptic geopolitics," a doctrine espoused by evangelical John Rushdoony. It described today's American Christian fundamentalism founded by said theologist as no different from the one that inspires Islamic fundamentalism, which believes an apocalypse that needs to be fulfilled.
The authors backed their premise by giving a brief history of American fundamentalism and other conservative evangelical movements such as proponents of the prosperity Gospel and "dominionism," which seeks to establish a government based upon "biblical law."
These fundamentalist groups, the article said, see the U.S. as a nation blessed by God while demonizing segments of the population whose ideologies they disagree with, like black civil rights, feminist and hippy movements, communism, and now, the Muslims.
The article was published just days after evangelical leaders "laid hands" on President Donald Trump in the Oval Office following discussions about religious freedom and support for Israel. White evangelicals overwhelmingly voted for Trump at 81 percent.
Although not an official publication of the Holy See, "La Civiltà Cattolica" is reviewed and vetted by the Vatican's Secretary of State before publication. This means the article would have had the explicit backing of Pope Francis.
