Posted on 06/15/2008 6:36:27 AM PDT by kronos77
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.
The two men have grown increasingly close in the past two years, and Mr Bush was overheard whispering: "What an honour, what an honour, what an honour!" as he ascended the steps to the tower.
After a stroll through the Vatican gardens, the men listened to a recital by the choir of the Sistine Chapel. However, Mr Bush did not, as expected, kneel in prayer before the Grotto of the Madonna of Lourdes. It was thought that he may have prayed with the pope in private. Mr Bush prayed with Benedict in the Oval Office during the Papal visit to the US in April.
Several Italian newspapers cited Vatican sources suggesting that Mr Bush may be prepared to convert. One source told Il Foglio, an authoritative newspaper, that "Anything is possible, especially for a born-again Christian such as Bush."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
As a Catholic, I would love it if Bush converted. He’s welcome with open arms.
The liberal MSM just keeps inventing the news.....
"There's nothing to those rumors," spokesman Tony Fratto said Friday.
Father Richard John Neuhaus, a prominent Catholic priest who runs the monthly magazine First Things and has been consulted by Mr. Bush, also discounted the reports. "I'd be very surprised," he said.
Yet, Marco Politi, the respected Vatican correspondent of La Repubblica newspaper speculates otherwise. His reasoning: President Bush met with the Pope. The President's brother Jeb converted to Roman Catholicism as has former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Ergo, President Bush must be converting to Roman Catholicism.
This is the same kind of speculation that sends oil prices higher and higher.
Other than finding it silly that every time somebody has a slightly different interpretation of one sentence of the bible they form a new church over it, and raise millions to have gym's, swimming pools, and day care centers to steal members from their previous denomination.
But other than finding the above system that runs the protestant world silly, he has no reason.
Since Mrs. Bush is a Methodist and President Bush converted from ECUSA to her church, chances are he's going nowhere if she isn't interested. It's an old saying that if you're courting a girl, you should agree with her father in politics and her mother in religion . . . .
But I can see him leaving the Methodists, because they have been very rude to him in D.C. -- denouncing him personally from the pulpit WHILE he was in the congregation. That's why he goes to the ECUSA (very high) church in D.C., but I don't see him reverting to the Piskies because they've all gone nuts.
My uncle left the Methodist church to become a Baptist precisely because of the liberal Methodist leaders. If you know how a life long Methodist feels about Baptists, Bush becoming a Catholic is not that unlikely.
President Bush was in Iraq recently, yet I don’t recall him converting to Islam. The only media worse than ours is that in the UK.
An article very similar was posted on Friday here.
I doubt very much GWB will convert to Catholicism. He is a deeply devout Christian, however, and has a natural affinitiy to the views and faith of Pope Benedict XVI. It’s a simple matter of two like-minded people of faith supporting one another in their worldly tasks.
“At least that crazy Catholic Priest Pflager got his rear end handed to him by his Bishop.”
No, benching Pfleger for two weeks is hardy getting “his rear end handed to him”. It is more akin to having his pinky finger slapped.
If Cardinal George had inhibited Pfleger for several months or a year or two, then I’d say his got his “rear end handed to him”. Frankly, this would be an appropriate penalty for Fleger’s transgressions.
I don’t know if it is tied to the calendar world wide... but this week was the first rite for my RCIA class to become Catholic.
I’m not sure if convert would be the proper language... I believe as a baptized Christian President Bush would be Candidate to be confirmed as a member of the Church.
Italians speculate Bush to convert
Catholic News Ping!
Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Catholic News Ping List.
We have: "He was last seen going up the stairs." Those are famous words here now. Usually we say it about the firemen. It's going to be a long time before we get used to the idea that 343 of them lost their lives that day. Or rather gave them.
Those 343--they were mostly tough Catholic men with soft hearts from the outer boroughs. They were Italians and Irish and Poles and Puerto Ricans, and they lined up for absolution, received a blessing and ran into the buildings lugging their gear. Their funerals were at Our Lady Queen of Peace, and St. Rose of Lima Church. And sometimes at the funerals they played an old '70s song whose title you'll never hear the same way again: "Stairway to Heaven."
The defining moment of his presidency is 9/11 and what he knows is that hundreds of men, mostly Catholic, willingly gave their lives to try and save others. That my friends is Catholic.
What I know, having served in the U.S. Army for over twenty years is that an inordinate number of our general officers are Catholic. That my friends is Catholic.
We serve others and care about others because Christ did. That my friends is Catholic.
When George W. Bush completes his journey home to the Catholic Church, he will be welcomed with open arms by Jesus Christ.
If it is true, than our President will be joining Jeb and Columba in the pews.
That’s a lovely picture.
Evidently you do not understand that Pope Benedict is the vicar of Christ on earth.
Thank you for your beautiful post. I concur with your thoughts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.