Craig Bannister at CNSNews.com reports that the San Francisco Chronicle highlighted how House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi helped an Episcopal bishop in San Francisco wash the feet of two children on Holy Thursday to "honor the dignity and work of immigrants," and push legislation for “an earned pathway to citizenship."
MRC president Brent Bozell was appalled at this political display as an abuse of her putative Catholic faith:
"I am a Catholic and I am offended at Minority Leader Pelosi's continued abuses of the Catholic Church's teachings and traditions. As a Catholic who has watched Ms. Pelosi champion one anti-Catholic cause after another, I believe this to be sacrilegious.
"Christ taught the washing of the feet as an act of utter humility, while she turned a sacred religious tradition into a grandstanding political publicity stunt. Ms. Pelosi's politicizing of Holy Week is sickening and shameful."
“Here, are the cameras ready? I want to get in on this foot washing gig too! Wow, that Pope is so fantastic. That foot washing thing is a great opportunity to show how much I care for the poor. Let me snuggle in here with a top dog Episcopalian so the big money folks can see how much I care for the poor. Hold on. I need to get back to Washington because I think we’re voting to give ourselves another pay hike this afternoon. Then I have to attend a dinner where I’m going to get the Margaret Sanger Eugenicist Award.”
This is exactly what Papa Benedict meant when he said the liturgy is not the place to be creative. This is because soon the creativity takes over and becomes more important than the liturgy. It becomes a gimmick, and once it’s a gimmick it becomes not much more than a gimmick.
