Obama has first telephone conversation with the Pope

Times Online ^ | December 13, 2008 | Richard Owen

[NYer]

It has emerged that US President-elect Barack Obama held his first telephone conversation with Pope Benedict XVI yesterday, the day a senior Vatican official made clear the Holy See would oppose any changes by Mr Obama in US policy on embryonic stem cell research.

The Vatican said the conversation on Tuesday formed part of the "normal exchanges" between a new American President and other world leaders. Father Federico Lombardi, the Pope's spokesman, said neither the Pope nor Mr Obama had made any reference to the stem cell issue during the call, in which Mr Obama had responded to the Pope's message congratulating him on his election win.

At a press conference on Tuesday the Vatican on infant mortality, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan of Mexico, the Pope's "health minister", strongly reiterated the Vatican's opposition to using embryos for research purposes when asked about signs that Mr Obama might reverse or relax the Bush administration's executive order banning the use of embryos and limiting federal spending for stem cell research. He said embryonic stem cell research "served no purpose".

Monsignor W. Francis Malooly, the Catholic bishop of Wilmington in Delaware, said he would not ban Joe Biden, the Vice President elect and a Roman Catholic, from taking Communion because of his stand on issues such as stem cell research and abortion. Mr Biden, a Senator from Delaware, lives in the Wilmington diocese.

The bishop was quoted as saying that "the Eucharist must not be politicised". He added that the job of a Catholic prelate was not to "alienate people" but rather to "change their hearts and minds". A number of Catholics in the senior ranks of the US Democratic Party take a liberal pro-choice stand on abortion, including Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, and John Kerry,

[RexBeach]

That’s not the pope he knows. Zup, Holiness!

[NYer]

"The Didache, probably the earliest Christian writing apart from the New Testament, explicitly condemns abortion without exceptions. It tells us there is a "way of life" and a "way of death" and abortion is a part of the way of death. This has been the consistent teaching of the Church ever since."

[exile]

I wonder if Commissar Obama started the conversation with

“Wow! It's really nice to finally speak to my emissary on earth.”

[Robert A Cook PE]

OK.

So what did his “Oneness” command the Pope to do about morals and religion?

[murphE]

Monsignor W. Francis Malooly, the Catholic bishop of Wilmington in Delaware, said he would not ban Joe Biden, the Vice President elect and a Roman Catholic, from taking Communion because of his stand on issues such as stem cell research and abortion. Mr Biden, a Senator from Delaware, lives in the Wilmington diocese. The bishop was quoted as saying that "the Eucharist must not be politicised". He added that the job of a Catholic prelate was not to "alienate people" but rather to "change their hearts and minds".

This is such a load of horse poop. Your job Bishop is to save your own soul and the souls of your flock. Helping one of your flock to commit mortal sin by making a sacrilegious communion is the work of Satan.

[marshmallow]

“Hello.....Barack......everyzink ees goink splendeedly!! Zee Vatican take over off Amerika vill soon be complete. Zat pro-abortion deesguise off yours vas a masterstroke!! Soon.....it all vill be mine........MINE!!!”...... *maniacal cackle* < /sarc>

[trisham]

If that was intended to be funny, it failed miserably.

[frogjerk]

Time to write to the Bishop.

[sitetest]

Alternative title:

“The Anti-Christ has First Telephone Conversation with the Vicar of Christ.”

[mlocher]

The bishop was quoted as saying that "the Eucharist must not be politicised". He added that the job of a Catholic prelate was not to "alienate people" but rather to "change their hearts and minds". A number of Catholics in the senior ranks of the US Democratic Party take a liberal pro-choice stand on abortion, including Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, and John Kerry,

Sometimes you need a strong dose of the Law to make the heart recognize the strong message of the Gospel. Why are Pelosi and Kerry still allowed as members of the Catholic Church?

[ScottinVA]

Just a few minor “progressive” societal changes and we could end up with:

Monsignor W. Francis Malooly, the Catholic bishop of Wilmington in Delaware, said he would not ban pedophiles from taking Communion because of their stand on issues such as child sexual abuse. The bishop was quoted as saying that “the Eucharist must not be politicized”. He added that the job of a Catholic prelate was not to “alienate people” but rather to “change their hearts and minds”.

[marshmallow]

Mr Biden, a Senator from Delaware, lives in the Wilmington diocese. The bishop was quoted as saying that "the Eucharist must not be politicised". He added that the job of a Catholic prelate was not to "alienate people" but rather to "change their hearts and minds".

Uh.....how's that going, your Lordship? What exactly are you doing to change Joe's mind? Seen any signs of progress?

Neither have I.

As for "politicising" the Eucharist, that would be true only if Biden was denied Communion for being a Democrat. This has zero to do with politics. And where did he get the idea that excommunication would not help to change "hearts and minds"? That's what it's there for. It's to bring home to recalcitrant and obstinate sinners that they are in grave danger and to shock them back to reality.

Putz!

[al_c]

Monsignor W. Francis Malooly, the Catholic bishop of Wilmington in Delaware, said he would not ban Joe Biden, the Vice President elect and a Roman Catholic, from taking Communion because of his stand on issues such as stem cell research and abortion. Mr Biden, a Senator from Delaware, lives in the Wilmington diocese. The bishop was quoted as saying that "the Eucharist must not be politicised". He added that the job of a Catholic prelate was not to "alienate people" but rather to "change their hearts and minds".

I wish these yahoos would realize it's not about politicizing or banning ... it's about the person's eternal soul. By receiving the eucharist in a state of sin, they are bringing eternal judgment upon themselves. It's about protecting their eternal life.

[knarf]

Zero will “in your face” ‘remind’ the Pope that he is conclaving with Muslims and with smooth disgust for catholisism and the Pope ... tell him to pound sand.

[verga]

Is this what passes for humor now?

[verga]

Sometimes you need a strong dose of the Law to make the heart recognize the strong message of the Gospel. Why are Pelosi and Kerry still allowed as members of the Catholic Church?

Seriously because some of the American Bishops are missing a set of brass ones.

[Old Phone Man]

As far as I’m concerned, Democratic politicians who wave the fact that they are Catholic yet go out and support issuses that are against the teachings of Christianity are nothing but wolves in sheeps clothing..
I firmley believe that if a person(no matter what faith thay are) petitions the Holy Spirit they will be answered......They will be enlightened...It doesn’t matter how many degrees they possess or how high their IQ is either....My life was in shambles 15 years ago however I got on my knees and with my whole heart begged the Holy Ghost to help me( as a Catholic growing up thats how I prayed to him too..The Holy Ghost)..I told him that I wanted to believe and to please straighten my life out....Something wonderful happened then, slowly I started to intuitivly know what was right and what was wrong through the help of the Spirit!
I was enlightened!
Beware of people in politics who go against their core beliefs (I see many of these people in politics who make an abomination out of my Catholic Church.....)Thank God the Holy Spirit gave me true insight to see through the bums!!

[weegee]

“Why am I calling you again? I believe that all of the world’s religions offer salvation in the afterlife, if there is one, and that Jesus was a historical figure, and that sin is what goes against my beliefs. Oh yeah, and I blocked legislation that would have ended the practice of putting aborted babies that lived into a closet to die unattended in periods that could last up to hours.” -BO

[Ransomed]

I think it’s funny. Sometimes a point can be illustrated better with a lil’ funny thrown in.

Freegards