Posted on 06/13/2008 6:38:38 AM PDT by camerakid400
George W Bush and Pope Benedict XVI have held an intimate meeting in Rome as rumours mounted in Italy that the president may follow in Tony Blair's footsteps and convert to Catholicism.
The two men spoke for half an hour in the 12th century Tower of St John, a private area in the Vatican gardens which is used by the pope for private reflection.
The usual protocol for heads-of-state is a meeting in the pope's library in the Apostolic Palace, but a spokesman for the Vatican said Benedict wanted to reward Mr Bush for the "warmth" of his reception at the White House earlier this year.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
This is not likely.
We’d welcome him to the RCC
Ala.... Tony Blair ?
How do you know?
Well, there you have it.
If so, this must be of recent consideration by the President as I was told a few months ago they were returning to their Methodist church in Dallas.
However, Mr Bush did not, as expected, kneel in prayer before the Grotto of the Madonna of Lourdes
Maybe after he leaves office....... maybe. But I doubt it as well.
I wonder how SMU would take it if, whether they would still support the Presidential Library or not.
All roads lead to Rome ...
Catholic Bump!
There's nothing at all to indicate that the President is leaning that way.
LOL! I didn’t recall that, actually; I guess I was just so caught up in the events that I somehow missed Our Lady!
But seriously, I think this would be wonderful. It would give Bush an environment that would be supportive of his thought and positions, something that can be hard to find nowadays.
He wouldn’t be the first. Justice Clarence Thomas, for example, who was brought up as a Catholic but attended an Episcopal church prior to those awful hearings, came back to the Church afterwards and I think has found considerable intellectual and moral support in it.
Wouldn't change a thing.
The Holy Father has many cats in his gardens. I wonder if any joined the conversation? :)
Mindless speculation.
Oh brother! LOL.
I don’t think that SMU cares about GW becoming a Catholic; landing a presidential library is a huge prize and he could be Buddhist for all they care.
Whatever the President chooses to do, I wish him all the best on his spiritual journey. I sincerely hope that he is listening to God and makes the right decision; I am an Evangelical Christian but I respect the tradition and inherent conservativeness of the Catholic faith. They stand unashamedly for life and are a bastion against godlessness in many otherwise godless parts of the world.
Somehow I doubt this. For the Telegraph, anything having to do with the Pope or the Catholic Church is bad, bad, bad. This is just another way to bash Bush.
they’ll have to play ND for the right to build it
And the thing that has always amazed me is then why do so many RCCs vote for the Democrats, the party of abortion?
A lot of pro-immigrant and pro-illegal-immigrant support comes from the Catholic church as well.
I already consider GWB our first Catholic president, I mean if Bill could be the first black president then why not.
Because the majority of “Catholics” are nominal Catholics, like most Jews in the U.S. are nominal Jews.
Not to mention, it IS pretty cool—when you begin to think about it—to be able to have the very body of Peter, Jesus’ direct successor, entombed down there in the deep basement right directly under the huge central altar in the basilica, and with all those other Popes as well, including the great JP2 (R.I.P.) nearby.
Yup, I attend a Catholic Church with my Catolic wife, I have often heard the Priest refer refer in glowing terms to the plight of the illegals.
Well, I don’t think anyone really knows one way or the other, is all I’m saying.
We already had JFK, though.
I’d be more inclined to think he’s receiving historical guidance from the Pope regarding Iran and the Middle East. He’s probably asking for and opinion on what to do about Iran’s nuclear program. That’s what I would be doing if I had an audience with the Pope and I was the most powerful secular figure in the west.
Pres. Bush is a United Methodist. So is Laura.
As a UMC ordained minister/elder, I could see Pres. Bush doing this given the thorough rejection he has received from the UMC as a human being. I’m not talking about rejection of political positions. I’m speaking of downright disdain and hatred he has personally received as a United Methodist from every portion of our denominational chain once one leaves the level of individual members.
Most telling in this was the outright bitterness and rejection directed toward the person, GW Bush, when he and Laura were attempting to reward Southern Methodist University with a presidential library.
My methodist leaders were disgracefully hateful
However, if Michael Corleone is right. If one keeps one’s friends close, but one’s enemies closer, then Pres. Bush will clasp the UMC to his breast.
If he were actually to leave the UMC, though, I’d bet on a church that is actually represented in Crawford, Texas. That would probably give a choice between Methodist, Catholic, or some variety of Baptist, if demographics means anything.
One may not know, but it doesn’t seem likely as was said in post #2.
Correction: A lot of pro-immigrant and pro-illegal-immigrant support comes from some within the Catholic church, in spite of Church teaching, as well.
“This is not likely”
Why not? It brings him into compliance with his Latin overlords.
Huh??
Good catch, so the President all during his eight years in Washington has been attending that Episcopal Church, cause there’s no Catholic Church nearby?
” the president may follow in Tony Blair’s footsteps and convert to Catholicism.”
That’s actually really funny!!
I needed some humor at the end of the week.
To see W do that, would be about as likely as him leaving Laura for Richard Simmons.
>> There’s nothing at all to indicate that the President is leaning that way. <<
I’m not meaning to fuel this speculation... other than to have fun with it, but there are a LOT of little things pointing that way:
President Bush is (supposedly) a devoutly religious man, who no longer feels at home in his own denomination (Methodist), and has been shopping for another denomination.
Recently, he’s been going to a nosebleed High-Church Episcopalian church near the White House. That’s the next closest thing to Catholicism.
His brother already converted.
He has Catholic icons in his home.
His issue stances are in line with Catholic doctrine. (No, the Catholic position on the Iraq war are not what the MSM reports it to be, and yes, the death penalty is upheld by Catholic doctrine.)
Now, there’s this stuff about his relationship with the Pope.
The “national” leaders and policies of said same leaders, of the United Methodist Church are one of the main reasons we have gone from over 11 million members in the sixites, to under 8 million today.
I might worship the twin there....
Is that a miniature Bath Tub Mary on the table?
So a few visits to an Episcopal church (the church of his childhood) proves he's leaning toward converting to Catholicism?
I don't see the logic there.
The hierarchy of the UMC is part of the radical left. Why to they hate Pres. Bush? It’s simply what they do. They don’t need a reason.
All they need to know is “It’s Bush’s fault.”
You’ve seen it. It’s irrational. But that doesn’t mean they don’t do it.
I know. But I'm a little ambivalent about claiming him....
I’ve just returned from Annual Conference. I’ve seen first hand this week exactly what you speak of. It’s enough to keep me gagging for weeks.
Agreed. But, I’m just saying that unlike in the UK, this would not be a novelty.
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