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Pope Perplexed By Hammer And Sickle Crucifix
Pope Perplexed By Gift Of Hammer And Sickle Carved With Crucifix
The Huffington Post
By Katie Sola
Attachment 2946
Pope Francis looked nonplussed as Bolivia's President Evo Morales presented him with a gift today in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
Yep, that's a wooden hammer and sickle with a crucified Christ carved on the hammer.
The pope is on the fifth day of a "homecoming tour" of Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay.
The hammer and sickle is the international symbol of communism, representing industrial laborers and farmers, respectively.
It's possible Morales gave the pope the peculiar symbol to remind him of the world's disadvantaged. In a Mass today, the pope said everyone has a moral obligation to help the world's poor and hungry.
Morales, an Aymara Indian, is known for his anti-imperialist views and has frequently clashed with the Catholic Church. Shortly after he took office in 2006, he removed the cross and Bible from the presidential residence. Bolivia became a secular state following amendments to the constitution in 2009, according to Reuters.
His views have softened since Francis attained the papacy. "He who betrays a poor person, betrays Pope Francis," he said yesterday.
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That's the look of a man who's contemplating putting the item in a Garage Sale, ASAP. (From the comments)
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