The Pope is both the spiritual leader of a billion Catholics worldwide and the head of state for the Vatican, a 1-mile square country. It is easy for the average person to get the two roles confused, since the Pontiff receives hundreds of people a day in audiences and delegations.
The etiquette of international diplomacy requires the giving of gifts, shaking of hands, picture taking, and speechifying. So what would an appropriate presentation involving the Pope look like?
In this deeply thought out featurette (at least 5 minutes worth while mowing the lawn and mulling bad puns) WBN presents:
Ap-Pope-priate Or Not Ap-Pope-priate?
Ap-Pope-priate [CSM]: “The Pope was to give the President a mosaic representing Saint Peter’s square, an autographed copy of the encyclical ‘caritas in veritate,’ bound in white leather, and a pontifical medal.
The pope also gave Mr. Obama a document on bio-ethics called “Dignitas Personae,” which explains Vatican opposition to abortion and embryonic-stem-cell research, which the president supports.
Ap-Pope-priate?: President Obama gave Pope Benedict XVI something kind of cool ... “a stole that had been placed on the remains of St. John Neumann, a 19th century Redemptorist and the first male naturalized US citizen to become a saint,” per AFP’s Laurent Lozano in his pool report.
Ap-Pope-priate?:[WDTPRS] I am not sure, but it seems that something is odd with this gift that the President is living to the Holy Father. It is said to be a stole that “belonged to” John Neumann, something of ‘great historical significance’ – but when you look at the photo of the stole here, it is obvious that it is an Almy [Episcopalian-made] special, and then as you read further, you begin to pick up the fact that it really was only put on the body of the saint in 1989 and removed a few yeas later to be replaced with something that was more authentic to the period in which he lived.
Not Ap-Pope-priate:[FoxNews] Newsweek guest columnist Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is suggesting President Obama is more Catholic than the pope.
In a column on Newsweek's Web site, the former Maryland lieutenant governor and member of the Kennedy clan says Obama's agenda reflects the views of American Catholics "much more closely than those vocal bishops and pro-life activists."
Townsend continues that Catholics in the U.S. aren't bothered by disagreements between the White House and the Vatican over reproductive rights and homosexuality because "they know Obama's on their side... [his] agenda is closer to their views than even the pope's."
1 comment:
Obama the Superstar did all he could do to appear morally superior to the Pope, our Bishops, and leaders of the Catholic Church. His modus operandi is obviously to separate the faithful from the hierarchy. Unfortunately, in this nation, that may not be difficult. This is a very scary time.
Not to mention Mrs. Obama's "Witches of Eastwick" look at the Vatican...just an observation...
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