POPE-LATAM/HAMMER AND SICKLE Vatican says pope did not have negative reaction to hammer and sickle gift

Record ID: 147919

  • Title: POPE-LATAM/HAMMER AND SICKLE Vatican says pope did not have negative reaction to hammer and sickle gift
  • Date: 9th July 2015
  • Summary: SANTA CRUZ, BOLIVIA JULY , 2015) (REUTERS FOR AGENCY POOL) MEDIA AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VATICAN SPOKESMAN FATHER FEDERICO LOMBARDI SAYING: "I don't know if the pope said "I didn't know about it" but he certainly didn't know about it, I didn't know about it, virtually nobody knew but the Jesuits who knew Espinal told me that it is true it comes from here. But it did not have a particular ideological significance, his desire was to have dialogue with everyone in order to encourage a greater commitment for liberation and progress of the country." MEDIA AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VATICAN SPOKESMAN FATHER FEDERICO LOMBARDI SAYING: "Certainly this was not planned by the pope, this is clear, but the pope hasn't made particular signs of... He accepted the gift, we have seen it, we have seen the President giving him the honourary gifts but this was not something that was known about by the pope or the archbishopric. Why? Because normally the pope never accepts these kind of honourary gifts. This is a fact. But the pope didn't have any particular reaction nor did he tell me to express any particular negative reaction to this."
  • Embargoed: 24th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAAU98L3NO9AXYGTM02U9AP23M
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The Vatican said on Thursday (July 9) the pope was not displeased after being handed a wooden hammer and sickle - the symbol of communism - with a figure of a crucified Christ resting on the hammer by Bolivian President Evo Morales.
    The rather unusual gift sparked some debate as to whether the pope had said he was not happy with the gift at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in La Paz, Bolivia.
    But the Vatican denied this was the case saying the cross had been a copy of one used by the Jesuit Father Luis Espinal Camps. The priest, who was a strong supporter of the rights of miners, was tortured and murdered by paramilitaries in 1980. Few people previously knew that such a cross had been used by the murdered priest.
    "I don't know if the pope said "I didn't know about it" but he certainly didn't know about it, I didn't know about it, virtually nobody knew, but the Jesuits who knew Espinal, told me that it is true it comes from here," explained Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi.
    "But it did not have a particular ideological significance, his desire was to have dialogue with everyone in order to encourage a greater commitment for liberation and progress of the country," Lombardi said.
    Asked if the gift had been planned or was a surprise, Lombardi said:
    "...we have seen the President giving him the honourary gifts but this was not something that was known about by the pope or the archbishopric. Why? Because normally the pope never accepts these kind of honourary gifts.
    "But the pope didn't have any particular reaction nor did he tell me to express any particular negative reaction to this," Lombardi said.
    Pope Francis, presided at a Mass for hundreds of thousands of people in La Paz on Thursday.
    The 78-year-old pontiff, on the fifth day of his three-nation tour of South America, is showing a few signs of fatigue but generally appears to be holding up well despite the changes in altitude and temperature.
  • Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register