Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Ambassador Glendon: "Meeting between Pope and President a proud day for Americans"
It was wonderful to have this great world religious leader express his appreciation for so many things we take for granted," Mary Ann Glendon told Catholic News Service April 16."From the inside, we Americans read the Pew polls and see the glass half-empty," she said.
But the pope, in his speech to the president, reminded people that "we have many different religions that coexist in harmony and flourish in this kind of political arrangement," she said.
That kind of affirmation was special, she said. So was the fact that the pope and the president both seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the occasion.
Glendon noted that the speeches of the two leaders overlapped on several key issues, especially where Bush echoed some of the pope's main themes -- on the need for love, hope and respect for life.
"The president, I think, was particularly eloquent today. I think it was one of the best talks he's ever given," she said.
Ambassador Glendon was also interviewed by the National Review today:
Lopez: Is Benedict’s vision of human rights different than the one that, say, Amnesty International or the U.N.’s human-rights embody?Glendon: The pope has spelled out his vision of human rights pretty clearly: They will be precarious unless they can be grounded in acceptance of universal moral principles that are inscribed in human nature. Not every desire or agenda item of this or that interest group is a human right. If a right is fundamental, it is not an item on a menu from which one can pick and choose. Human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent, but there can be different ways of bringing them to life — a “legitimate pluralism in forms of freedom.”
The White House Welcoming Ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI
10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - Meeting with the President at the White House
NOTE: This post will be updated as more information becomes available on this topic.
President George Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush welcome Pope Benedict XVI to the White House. The welcome will be on the South Lawn of the White House before approximately 5,000 people. This is only the second time in history that a pontiff has visited the White House.
The White House Welcoming Ceremony: Sequence of Events:
South Lawn Arrival Ceremony for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
April 16, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
- His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI arrives on the South Lawn and is greeted by the President and Mrs. Bush.
- The President introduces His Holiness to U.S. Delegation members including the Vice President, Mrs. Lynne Cheney, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See.
- The Marine Band performs the National Anthem of the Holy See. There will be a simultaneous 21-gun salute followed by the playing of the National Anthem of the United States of America.
- Kathleen Battle performs “The Lord’s Prayer.”
- The President delivers remarks.
- His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI delivers remarks.
- U.S. Army Chorus performs “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
The President Meets with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
Oval Office, The White House
April 16, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. EDT
- Following the ceremony, the President and His Holiness walk along the Rose Garden Colonnade to the Oval Office.
- The President and His Holiness participate in a Meeting in the Oval Office.
- At 12:05 p.m., His Holiness departs the South Lawn aboard the Popemobile and heads west on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Coverage
Washington DC, Apr 16, 2008 / 10:21 am (CNA).- This morning Pope Benedict was officially welcomed to the United States by President Bush and 12,000 other guests at the White House. During the reception, the Pontiff described the goal of his visit to bring hope to American Catholics and strengthen them to increasingly contribute to the life of the United States.In his opening remarks, President Bush highlighted the religious roots of the United States and the values of defending life and religious freedom. He also told the Pope that the U.S. needs his message and encouragement in fostering these values.
The Holy Father responded by expressing his pleasure to be present in the United States as a guest and indicated his, “great respect for this pluralistic society.” Pope Benedict also stated his goal for the visit, “As I begin my visit, I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal and hope for the Church in the United States, and strengthen the resolve of Catholics to contribute ever more responsibly to the life of this nation, of which they are proud to be citizens.”
In his remarks, the Holy Father also indicated his expectations of meeting with not only the American Catholic community, but with other Christian communities and representatives of the many religious traditions present in this country.
The Pope then continued to elaborate on the importance of freedom in the history of the United States. “Freedom is not only a gift, but a summons to personal responsibility.” He continued to illustrate the actions necessary to protect freedom and quoted from Spe Salvi, 24…” In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out for each generation and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good.”
Pope Benedict concluded his address with “as I begin my visit to the United States, I express once more my gratitude for your invitation, my joy to be in your midst, and my fervent prayers that Almighty God will confirm this nation and its people in the ways of justice, prosperity and peace. God bless America!”
Following the address, Pope Benedict was treated to a rendition of “Happy Birthday”, after which he and President Bush met privately.
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a meeting at the White House, Pope Benedict XVI and President George W. Bush discussed the problem of terrorism and how to confront it while respecting human rights.The two leaders also expressed their joint concern for the protection of human life, marriage and the family, according to a statement issued after a private meeting April 16.
"The two reaffirmed their total rejection of terrorism as well as the manipulation of religion to justify immoral and violent acts against innocents," the statement said.
"They further touched on the need to confront terrorism with appropriate means that respect the human person and his or her rights," it said.
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and President George W. Bush met today in the Oval Office of the White House.President Bush, on behalf of all Americans, welcomed the Holy Father, wished him a happy birthday, and thanked him for the spiritual and moral guidance, which he offers to the whole human family. The President wished the Pope every success in his Apostolic Journey and in his address at the United Nations, and expressed appreciation for the Pope's upcoming visit to "Ground Zero" in New York.
During their meeting, the Holy Father and the President discussed a number of topics of common interest to the Holy See and the United States of America, including moral and religious considerations to which both parties are committed: the respect of the dignity of the human person; the defense and promotion of life, matrimony and the family; the education of future generations; human rights and religious freedom; sustainable development and the struggle against poverty and pandemics, especially in Africa. In regard to the latter, the Holy Father welcomed the United States' substantial financial contributions in this area. The two reaffirmed their total rejection of terrorism as well as the manipulation of religion to justify immoral and violent acts against innocents. They further touched on the need to confront terrorism with appropriate means that respect the human person and his or her rights.
The Holy Father and the President devoted considerable time in their discussions to the Middle East, in particular resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict in line with the vision of two states living side-by-side in peace and security, their mutual support for the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon, and their common concern for the situation in Iraq and particularly the precarious state of Christian communities there and elsewhere in the region. The Holy Father and the President expressed hope for an end to violence and for a prompt and comprehensive solution to the crises which afflict the region.
The Holy Father and the President also considered the situation in Latin America with reference, among other matters, to immigrants, and the need for a coordinated policy regarding immigration, especially their humane treatment and the well being of their families.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Did Pope Benedict "Snub" President Bush
Bush-hating commentators at Vox Nova believe it's a big deal that Pope Benedict XVI will not be attending President Bush's dinner in his honor, portraying it as a deliberate snub:
National Catholic Register's Pope2008 believes it's a "non-story", and explains why with the help of Hugh McNichols ( Popes, By Tradition, Dine Alone PewSitter.com April 15, 2008):"Benedict Ratzinger is no fool, and I’m betting that, at some point, Bush and his fellow nationalists are going to get an ugly surprise."
"I agree. What else really explains Benedict’s ‘inability’ to break bread with Mr. Bush, even at such a big ‘party’ in the former’s honor. A ’scheduling confict’?"
"The fact that the Holy Father does not dine in public is often an issue that is more deeply rooted in traditions associated with a monarchial papacy," writes McNichol. "John-Paul II during his papacy often dined with people outside of the well-insulated Papal Household, but he chooses always to be the polite host and not the guest at the table. Such is the same with the present Holy Father. One needs to understand that for Catholics, Benedict XVI is the embodiment of temporal and spiritual authority in the Church, and as a result, wherever he goes, he brings the presence of the Church with him. Popes until John-Paul II usually dined alone. Blessed John XXIII compared this unique aspect of papal behavior as something compared to being punished."John Allen, Jr. rebuts the allegation as well:
In fact, the pope virtually never attends gala events organized in his honor by other parties, especially while he’s on the road. Basically speaking, when the pope travels he commits to following his official agenda, no more and no less. ...Rumors, therefore, that Benedict XVI has “spurned” an invitation from Bush on the basis of some specific policy difference – out of protest over the Iraq war, for example, or debates over the use of “torture” – seriously over-interpret this standard bit of papal operating procedure.
Of course, Benedict XVI is committed to staying above the American political fray, and that might provide an additional incentive to steer clear of events that could be interpreted as having a political overtone.
Nonetheless, the bottom line on the White House bash is that if you’re going to a party with the pope, it’s almost always going to be on his turf and at his invitation.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Bush & Benedict
The discussion ranged from the positive (but often unnoticed) aspects of the Bush presidency -- such as his quadrupling U.S. aid to Africa (The President's Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS Relief; his efforts to combat malaria in Africa) -- to the troubling persecution of Christian minorities in Iraq by radical Muslims -- to his decision to prohibit federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.
The Washington Post also ran an article -- A Catholic Wind in the White House -- on President Bush's considerable openness (being a Methodist) to having Catholics play a role in his administration and to listen to what they have to offer on Catholic social teaching:
Bush attends an Episcopal church in Washington and belongs to a Methodist church in Texas, and his political base is solidly evangelical. Yet this Protestant president has surrounded himself with Roman Catholic intellectuals, speechwriters, professors, priests, bishops and politicians. These Catholics -- and thus Catholic social teaching -- have for the past eight years been shaping Bush's speeches, policies and legacy to a degree perhaps unprecedented in U.S. history.Of course the Bush presidency is not without its Catholic critics:"I used to say that there are more Catholics on President Bush's speechwriting team than on any Notre Dame starting lineup in the past half-century," said former Bush scribe -- and Catholic -- William McGurn.
Bush has also placed Catholics in prominent roles in the federal government and relied on Catholic tradition to make a public case for everything from his faith-based initiative to antiabortion legislation. He has wedded Catholic intellectualism with evangelical political savvy to forge a powerful electoral coalition.
"There is an awareness in the White House that the rich Catholic intellectual tradition is a resource for making the links between Christian faith, religiously grounded moral judgments and public policy," says Richard John Neuhaus, a Catholic priest and editor of the journal First Things who has tutored Bush in the church's social doctrines for nearly a decade.
John Carr, a top public policy director for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, calls the Bush administration's legacy a "tale of two policies."However, on issues like same-sex marriage, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research, and working to limit abortion in the United States and abroad, President Bush and the Catholic Church are in mutual agreement. (Positions which may not be as well received, I might note, under a Democratic administration)."The best of the Bush administration can be seen in their work in development assistance on HIV/AIDS in Africa," says Carr. "In domestic policy, the conservatism trumps the compassion."
Saturday, April 12, 2008
The White House Welcoming Ceremony - Sequence of Events
On April 15, 2008, the President and Mrs. Bush will participate in an Arrival Ceremony for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.The memo contains a detailed "Sequence of Events" of Benedict's arrival on the South Lawn at 10:30am, April 16:On April 16, 2008, the President and Mrs. Bush will welcome His Holiness to The White House in an Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn followed by a meeting between the President and His Holiness in the Oval Office. Later that evening, the President and Mrs. Bush will host a dinner for Catholic leaders and friends in Honor of the Visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in the East Room of The White House.
- His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI arrives on the South Lawn and is greeted by the President and Mrs. Bush.
- The President introduces His Holiness to U.S. Delegation members including the Vice President, Mrs. Lynne Cheney, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See.
- The Marine Band performs the National Anthem of the Holy See. There will be a simultaneous 21-gun salute followed by the playing of the National Anthem of the United States of America.
- Kathleen Battle performs “The Lord’s Prayer.”
- The President delivers remarks.
- His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI delivers remarks.
- U.S. Army Chorus performs “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
According to the memo there will be 9-12,000 visitors on the South Lawn, made up of Catholic clergy, ecumenical representatives, local Catholic school children, and members of the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Sisters of the Poor and the Knights of Columbus.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Pope to receive a Rose Garden Reception from President Bush
- The Bush administration is organizing a "unique'' Rose Garden ceremony as it finalizes plans for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI next week, reports Mark Silva of the Baltimore Sun:
"There is great excitement throughout the staff regardless of one’s religious affiliation,” says White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin. “This is a very special day.”
Hagin, together with Anita Bride, the first lady's chief of staff, held a roundtable discussion with members of faith-based media to give an inside look at the White House preparations. “As a Catholic,'' McBride said, "this is an enormous honor for me and a privilege to work on some small aspect of this visit.''
The staff has prepared a ceremony that reflects the usual details reserved for heads of state, together with “very appropriate and warm additions.” McBride notes that nearly 10,000 people will attend the ceremony surrounding the pope's arrival on the South Lawn on Wednesday.
A number of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will be present during the ceremony, along with members of Catholic Charities and community volunteers. The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps will don their Revolutionary regalia for a presentation during the ceremony and will honor the Holy Father with the 21 gun salute, a typical gesture for a visiting head of state.
- The Rhode Island Catholic reports that President and Mrs. Bush have invited two priests from the Diocese of Providence, Monsignor Paul Theroux and Father Bernard Healey, to be among those who will join the President for the arrival ceremony:
“It is a tremendous honor to join the President of the United States in welcoming the Holy Father to the United States,” said Father Healey. “Pope Benedict XVI is only the second Pope to visit the White House, making this a truly historic event. The Holy Father’s visit presents a unique time in which Catholics throughout Rhode Island and the country may strengthen their faith in Christ and the Church.”
- USA Today reports that President Bush is throwing a dinner in honor of Pope Benedict XVI. There's just one wrinkle: It doesn't include the pope.
Cardinal Martino has taken it upon himself to inform everybody that Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming visit to the White House to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush does not signal Vatican support of the Bush administration's foreign policies:
The cardinal spoke to reporters April 11 during a break in an international conference on disarmament sponsored by the Vatican council.
I honestly don't know who is making that assumption at this point in time. Not even from the so-called "Catholic neoconservatives" like Fr. Neuhaus, George Weigel or Michael Novak -- who simply state that there is a lot more to the U.S. / Vatican relationship than the dispute over Iraq; like their mutual agreement on a broad range of life issues, where our President does see "eye to eye"."The pope and the Holy See cannot renounce with one visit all the Holy See's positions of rejecting war, always encouraging dialogue to smooth over disagreements and fostering cooperation," he said.
He said the argument that U.S.-led troops have to remain in Iraq in order to bring security and protect the Christian minority is open to question.
"Obviously the main error was to start a war, a second war" after the Gulf War against Iraq in 1991, he said.
But whether it is wise to keep troops in Iraq is "a very difficult judgment" to make because some analysts say "the daily slaughter that unfolds in Iraq" is rooted in the continued presence of foreign troops, said the Italian cardinal.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Iraq -- Between Pope and President
 Bush meets Benedict 2007 |
On social issues like abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research, the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the conservative President Bush find much common ground.President Bush and Pope Benedict last met each other in June of 2007, when the President visited the Vatican for the first time.But a month from now, when Benedict makes his first visit to the U.S., his meeting with Bush is likely to underscore an issue where there remains a deep divide between the Vatican and the White House -- the war in Iraq.
The war began five years ago tomorrow, and from the start, the pontiff and his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, have spoken out against it. "Nothing positive comes from Iraq," Benedict said during his Easter message last year.
Benedict will be greeted by Bush when his plane lands April 15, the Vatican announced yesterday. The pair will meet the next day to kick off the Pope's six-day U.S. visit that includes a Mass at Yankee Stadium and a speech at the United Nations. Observers expect the Iraq war will come up during the White House visit.
"If it doesn't, I'd be disappointed in the pope," said the Rev. Richard P. McBrien, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. "If it does, however, I would expect Benedict XVI to be a bit softer in his approach than John Paul II. But the effect will be the same, namely, the war will continue through the remainder of the president's second term."
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
President Bush to greet Pope Benedict upon arrival at airport
Vatican: Bush to greet pope at airport in unusual gesture at start of papal US trip International Herald-Tribune March 17, 2008:
VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI will be greeted by President Bush at Andrews Air Force Base next month at the start of the pontiff's weeklong U.S. trip, the Vatican said Monday.
The Vatican released the pope's itinerary for the April 15-20 visit, saying that Bush and first lady Laura Bush would give the pope a private welcome upon his arrival at the base.
There was no immediate confirmation from the White House.
Bush is scheduled to preside over a formal welcome ceremony on the White House South Lawn on the second day of the visit before hosting the pontiff in the Oval Office.
The president traditionally greets visitors at the White House. The most elaborate welcome has been a South Lawn ceremony with trumpet salutes, booming cannons and the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, dressed in 18th-century uniform, parading by the reviewing stand and invited guests.
The White House has said that during their meeting, the president and pope would continue discussions they began during Bush's trip to the Vatican in June on the importance of faith and reason in reaching shared goals.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Benedict to visit President Bush, White House during Papal Visit
Pope to Visit White House on First Papal Trip to U.S. Fox News. February 15, 2008:
WASHINGTON — Pope Benedict XVI will visit the White House April 16, meeting during his first trip to the United States since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church in 2005, administration officials said."The President and the Holy Father will continue discussions, which they began during the President's visit to the Vatican in June 2007, on their common commitment to the importance of faith and reason in reaching shared goals," according to a news release.
"These goals include advancing peace throughout the Middle East and other troubled regions, promoting inter-faith understanding, and strengthening human rights and freedom, especially religious liberty, around the world."
Both the president and first lady Laura Bush will receive the pope, the White House said.
Benedict will visit the United States April 15-20, traveling first to Washington, where he will also make a stop at the Catholic University of America. He will then travel to New York, stopping at the United Nations on April 18 to deliver an address the U.N. General Assembly. He also will visit Ground Zero and hold mass at Yankee Stadium.
The trip also falls on the three-year anniversary of Benedict's becoming pope, following the death of Pope John Paul II.
