Pope Francis makes absurd appointment to PAL

When Gavin, Katherine & I were discussing what we should bring to you on Catholic Unscripted this week, I felt there was more than a little push back to the idea of discussing the pope's latest appointment to the Pontifical Academy for Life. No one even knows about the Academy, I was told, and no one cares much about it. But I don't think the importance of this moment can easily be overlooked:

Of all the scandals of this pontificate, the naming of the pro-abortion atheist to the Pontifical Academy for Life has caused more more scandalized comments than anything we’ve witnessed so far. Even non-Catholics have reached out to us in horror.

It’s really unmasked Francis.

— Rorate Caeli (@RorateCaeli) October 21, 2022

Indeed, this appointment has caused bishops to publicly raise eyebrows:

Appointment of pro-abortion economist to Pontifical Academy for Life??? https://t.co/7I9OVIkSTh

— Bishop Down Umber (@BishopUmbers) October 19, 2022

 And clergy are speaking out:

In an attempt to calm the furore, Archbishop "I like men's bums so much I paint them on the wall of my cathedral" Paglia made a statement on the appointment of Mazzucato 

‘it is important that women and men with skills in various disciplines and from different contexts enter the Pontifical Academy for Life, for a constant and fruitful interdisciplinary, intercultural and interreligious dialogue,’ 

The statement also explains that Pope Francis nominated the members of the academy himself, who then made it through the selection process without any red flags being raised.

It's literally like an explanation of inviting Satan to "join the dialogue". What sort of dialogue can you have with a demon? What sort of fruitful dialogue can you have with someone who diametrically opposed to everything you believe and everything you are trying to achieve? Unless you're actually trying to achieve something entirely different to what you are supposed to be trying to achieve.