U.S. Embassy in Vatican in hot water over Pride flag

The U.S. Embassy in the Vatican has come under fire on Wednesday after it chose to fly the pride flag in honor of Pride Month. 

After the embassy’s social media account posted a picture of the Pride flag flying in front of its office in the Holy See, it quickly garnered a negative response from well over 1,000 people, including Christians of various denominations who remarked upon the impropriety of such a display. 

https://twitter.com/USinHolySee/status/1531947017450176515 

Many commentators asked why the Embassy would replace the American flag with an activist symbol, while others reflected upon how the values being promoted by the embassy stood in contrast to traditional Catholic values. 

Rome-based reporter Bree Dail, remarked upon how the U.S. Embassy sparked a controversy in 2021 when it flew the seven-colored rainbow “PACE” flag, which looks similar to the Pride flag, but which represents peace rather than gender and sexual affirmation. 

https://twitter.com/breeadail/status/1531973412587032577 

“Well, I suppose getting the flag correct when making a statement is a start…although the PACE flag might be more appropriate, given current events?” Dail wrote. 

A number of commentators remarked that the U.S. State Department has failed to promote Pride Month in Muslim nations, only daring to do so in countries where they know they will not face a backlash. 

“.@StateDept Do the Muslim nations. Then we’ll know you’re serious about your commitment to pride,” wrote Monica Mathews. 

“Now do your embassy in Saudi Arabia. I dare you,” Hadi Nasrallah echoed. 

Others took issue with the State Department’s willingness to promote cultural imperialism through its embassies. 

“Back in the day if you wanted to colonize some other country and foist your cultural values upon it, you’d go behead that land’s king and parade through the streets with his head on a spike. Now the strategy is to fly a rainbow flag and wait for demoralization to set in,” wrote William Wheelwright. 

“Amb. Joe Donnelly, an alleged Roman Catholic, should be ashamed of this horses**t. You can support LGBTQ rights without rubbing a host nation’s nose in it, you coven of virtue signaling jacka**es at State,” @Gormogons tweeted, noting, “Repeat after me: ‘The only flag a US embassy or consulate should ever fly is the United States flag,'” as detailed by the Daily Wire. 

“Let’s be clear: the Biden administration would never do this in an Islamic country. This is anti-Catholic bigotry,” wrote Daily Wire editor Ben Shapiro.

Ian Miles Cheong

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Ian Miles Cheong is a freelance writer, graphic designer, journalist and videographer. He’s kind of a big deal on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/stillgray

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