YOU CAN'T BELIEVE IT -- Is Pope Francis really about to endorse THIS man?

Cuban officials have given the go ahead for the papal altar to be erected next to a giant outline of Che Guevara for the world to see. Work has already begun on the project and the placement of the altar will provoke commentary from those who accuse Pope Francis of being a socialist. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Workers assembling the great altar where Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in September have decided to erect the structure next to a massive outline of Che Guevara. The placement is deliberate and could be an effort to co-opt Pope Francis into a silent endorsement of that nation's political heritage. --Or, it could just be a very convenient place to hold a large gathering of people, since the image overlooks Havana's main central square, the Plaza de la Revolucion. 

So far, the Vatican has not commented, but it is likely that officials there are well aware of the venue and its connotation. In fact, the venue has been used by the Church before. 

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It is certain that because of the placement, some commentators will take the opportunity to label Pope Francis a socialist and to distance themselves from their own Holy Father, a sad undertaking. 

Pope Francis does not fit any conventional political label because he is not a political man. Rather, he is a man of God. Commentators who blast Pope Francis for his stance on moral issues, which includes economics, the environment, the family, abortion and others, are not much better than those who would attempt to co-opt his appearance for their own political benefit. 

It should be noted that both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI also celebrated Mass in the same location previously. 

Following Pope Francis' visit to Cuba on September 20, he will come to the United States to attend the World Meeting of Families. While in the United States, the Holy Father is expected to speak about the importance of the family to the Church and to the world. Moreover, news outlets will be listening intently for any statement that can be spun into a political discourse and woven into the fabric of the presidential campaign cycle, which is now moving into high gear. 

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The Vatican has already warned that Pope Francis does not intend to speak directly about American political issues, and that he will not endorse any candidates. However, given the intense partisan and petty nature of the American news media, we can expect a significant volume of coverage from each side spinning the Papal visit to their advantage. 

And that will sadly include the labeling of Pope Francis as a socialist and pictures of him celebrating Mass next to a secular icon of Che Guevara. 

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