Hard to understand

Today John Paul II was beatified at the Vatican. And there was a snake in the garden:

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe arrived in Rome for the beatification of the late Pope John Paul II, airport officials said Saturday, despite his EU-wide travel ban for alleged human rights abuses.

Alleged is putting the matter too delicately, of course, as Mugabe is one of the worst tyrants and butchers on the African continent. He has pushed his nation into ruin.

The reason/excuse proffered?

The Vatican did not personally invite Mugabe to the Sunday event, said the Rev. Federico Lombardi of the Holy See Press office

But a diplomatic relationship exists between Zimbabwe and the Vatican, a sovereign state that is not a member of the European Union

"It (the Vatican) cannot tell Mugabe not to come if he wants to take part, just like it wouldn't tell no to (U.S. President Barack) Obama or (French President Nicolas) Sarkozy, if they had wanted to come," Lombardi said.

I don't know about you, but I have a difficult time accepting that. Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy were both freely elected and serve at the pleasure of their citizens. Mugabe has been a dictator for rather a long time, conducting elections mostly for show. He's also a murderous tyrant. The comparison insults both Obama and Sarkozy.

As anyone who reads this feature knows, I'm a lifelong Catholic. Jesus tells us repeatedly that the way of the Christian is difficult and I understand that. As Catholics, we look to the Church for support and guidance as we walk through this world. We also expect moral clarity. There's not much of that if Robert Mugabe is in attendance. There were nearly 1.5 million people gathered today at the Vatican for the beatification. In that context, perhaps Mugabe was only a face in the crowd. I further understand that I do not know the condition of Robert Mugabe's soul and should be careful in passing judgment on him. The record seems to speak for itself, though.