Two late twentieth century phenomenon led to the recent meeting in the Vatican between Joe Biden and Jorge Bergoglio. It is the corruption and desecration of two formerly honorable and valuable institutions, the Democrat Party and the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church.

Under Harry Truman and John Kennedy Democrats defended the Free World, reached for the stars, and cut taxes. Under John Paul II the Church defended the Free World, guarded individual conscience, and understood the value and spiritual limits of the free market.

But both institutions fell prey to modernism. Since 1968 the Democrats have become an American political party that at the same time is actually anti-American. They consort with America’s enemies, promote discredited socialism, and generally seek to injure the country to render it helpless against their own quest for raw power whatever the cost. As we are seeing this hour in Virginia, they will lie, cheat, and break the law to seize power.

Since 1964 and Vatican II a miasma has come over the Roman Catholic Church in general. Essentially liturgical in nature but also more than that, the supposed reforms of the council led to wholesale local takeovers by elements in the Church, especially in certain dioceses in this country, more interested in deviant the pleasures of the flesh than in serving their flock.

Over the last generation the Church has justifiably paid for this in much treasure and opprobium. But in some ways it refuses to desist in its errant ways. That tendency has led to the ascension of Jorge Bergoglio and his championship of Marxist and radical social views the Church not only should be fighting, but views the pope sounds laughably clueless about when spouting. At least the Borgia popes were entertaining.

And then there is abortion. No matter where one stands on the issue one can ken that organizations have rules. Without such anarchy would reign and an organization would just be a purposeless mob. One of the rules of the Catholic Church states very clearly that abortion is wrong. Their is no wiggle room. The matter is black and white, as it is for Catholics regarding other biblical injunctions. If one disagrees, fine. There are other faiths that would welcome you. But one cannot continue to realistically call yourself a Roman Catholic if one activity supports abortion on demand, as Joe Biden does.

The pope should have brought this up and publicly castigated Mr. Biden. Perhaps that would have motivated the chief executive to seek religious succor with the Episcopalians or the Methodists, an arrangement no doubt suitable to most parties concerned. Instead, the pontiff chatted with Biden about climate lunacy and God knows, literally, what other manner of old hack leftist tomfoolery. Both men are embarrassments to their respective institutions. May their days in office be shortened.