Bush meets Benedict….again
The Vatican said that the Pope simply wanted to show his appreciation for the hospitality he was shown on a recent visit to the US. However Marco Politi, the veteran Vatican correspondent of La Repubblica, said that Mr Bush’s unstinting admiration for the Pope had given rise to talk of the President’s possible conversion, by analogy with Tony Blair. Mr Bush is a Methodist and a “born again” evangelical Christian.
Vatican sources said that no conversion process was under way, and could in any case only take place — as in the case of Mr Blair — once Mr Bush had left office. They said that the rumours appeared to arise in part from remarks by Nancy Brinker, the White House head of protocol, who had said that Mr Bush was “a huge fan of this Pope”, had “total respect” for the pontiff and “totally supported” him.
It’s more ‘out there’ now, these rumors people have asked me about several times on the air when I’ve reported on the papal visit on Relevant Radio. Bush’s admiration for the Pope is obvious, so of course there’s speculation. Especially when Bush says he ‘totally supports’ Benedict.
However both Vatican and US officials said that this referred to the fact that despite their differences on Iraq and the Middle East, Mr Bush and Pope Benedict saw eye to eye on the need to defend Christian values in the West and on specific issues such as abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research as well as poverty in Africa.
Corriere della Sera noted that differences between the Vatican and Washington over Iraq now “lie in the past”, with the Pope’s concerns focused more on Iraq’s transition to democracy and the plight of Christians in Iraq and the Arab world.
They had a good and more than symbolic talk.
During their discussions, Pope Benedict again thanked the president for the welcome he received during his April visit to the United States and also expressed gratitude for his commitment to the defense of moral values.
God alone knows how, and in what ways, that may change with a new president.
