Posted on 05/20/2009 3:37:33 AM PDT by markomalley
The White House disclosed over the weekend that President Barack Obama is to make a weeklong foreign tour in July that will include Russia, Italy and Ghana. However, noticeably missing from the list is the Vatican.
It’s been widely thought that Obama would visit Pope Benedict XVI when the president attends the G8 summit in the Italian town of L’Aquila July 8-10. But there was no mention of the Holy Father or the Holy See in the statement, despite the fact that, according to sources in Rome, the president will be staying at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Italy in Rome.
The White House says the reason is because the precise details of his tour have yet to be worked out. “We won’t go into the details of who he’s meeting and the places he’ll be visiting until nearer the time,” said a spokesman, adding that the president’s “primary purpose” for coming to Italy is the G8 summit. “I imagine as we get substantially closer to the date, we’ll have more details.”
The Vatican is hopeful of a presidential visit. Father Ciro Benedettini, deputy director of the Vatican Press Office, told me the Holy See is “waiting” to hear from the administration but noted the U.S. embassy to the Holy See is still without an ambassador.
Father Benedettini said it’s usual for a visiting head of state to visit the Holy Father when passing through Rome, but he added that so far “nothing concrete” had been planned. According to Rome sources, just over a week ago the Vatican had still not received “first contact” from the administration to start visit preparations.
In all likelihood, Obama will have an audience with the Pope. But the fact that the Vatican was not on the itinerary released over the weekend, that steps have hardly been taken to arrange a meeting, and that a Vatican ambassador has yet to be appointed is perhaps revealing of how low down on the list of priorities the Holy See is at the White House.
/sarc (I think)
ping
Obama will probably tell The Pope he’s too busy to see him now, but if The Pope can call his secretary something can be worked out for The Pope to come calling in Washington.
It’s pretty much the height of arrogance.
Unoffical sources say that at least 3people have been proposed to the position.
Hard for Obama to find someone who is pro life.
...and the Vatican is not going to dialog on that point.
The Pope? How many divisions has he got?
Josef Stalin
He is the “Pope/Messiah/Guru” of the libtard fake lunatic “religion”
He’s already done his dirty work trashing Catholics. Anything more would only be mud in your face.
Now, it will be shunted aside just like everyone else Obama has betrayed.
Ha! And they thought Obama would treat them differently because they gave him a standing ovation?
Enjoy the space under Obama's bus. It's getting crowded there.
I hope he decides to go to the Vatican and then is told he is not welcome!
As Laura Ingraham so beautifully stated (sadly to the idiot OReilly) 'Obama was cloaking himself' in the reception he received as an endorsement for his policies. Like the auto industry, the banks/insurance concerns, Obama 'fixed' the dogma of Roman Catholicism 'just by showing up.'
Of course.
Why would the so-called American Pope deal with the dead see*.
*A term for the Vatican in “Father Elijah” by Michael D. O’Brien.
**We know how the complete story ends. It’s the “getting there” that is a problem.
Scenes from the *Omen* come to mind.
They are going to have to bless VATS of holy water, and display crucifixes en-masse, if the Annointed One (666) goes ANYWHERE near the Vatican!!
I suspect, however, that the Vatican has not extended any formal invitation to Obama at all.
No, no, no, no, no... This is about dividing the Church. See, Catholics don't have to listen to the pope. He's really not that important. Besides, the American Church should be run as a democracy, shouldn't it?
In other times,good ol’ times,the Pope should have harshly and publicly condamned that kind of fake “messiah”....
Catholics are becoming more and more whining shamefull cowards
“Catholics are becoming more and more whining shamefull cowards”
Nice blanket smear of Catholics, Doc.
You mean when Damien was in the limo as it approached the church and had a hissy fit?
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