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Obama tells pope he wants to reduce abortions in U.S.
Reuters ^ | July 10, 2009 | Philip Pullella and Jeff Mason

Posted on 07/10/2009 11:26:28 AM PDT by NYer

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - President Barack Obama promised Pope Benedict on Friday that he would do everything possible to reduce the number of abortions in the United States, the Vatican said.

Obama and Benedict held private talks for about 40 minutes in the pope's frescoed study in the Vatican's apostolic palace and the Vatican said bioethics and life issues were a central part of the discussion.

In a surprise move, the pontiff gave Obama a booklet explaining Vatican opposition to practices such as abortion and embryonic stem cell research, which Obama supports.

"Obama told the pope of his commitment to reduce the number of abortions and of his attention and respect for the positions of the Catholic Church," Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters after he was briefed by the pope.

Obama supports abortion rights and says his policy is to change economic and social conditions so as to put more women in situations where they do not feel they have to have an abortion.

The pope gave Obama, who last March lifted restrictions of federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, a copy of a recent Vatican document on bio-ethics in which the Holy See explains its opposition to such practices.

"Dignitas Personae" (dignity of a person) condemns artificial fertilization and other techniques used by many couples and also says human cloning, "designer babies" and embryonic stem-cell research are immoral.

The document defends life from conception to natural death and a Vatican statement issued after the meeting said the topics discussed included "the defense and promotion of life and the right to abide by one's conscience."

The pope's private secretary told reporters after the meeting: "This reading can help the president better understand the Church's position on these issues."

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Philosophy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abortion; bhoabortion; bhovatican; bhovisit; catholic; obama; pope; popebenedict
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To: listenhillary
"Mandatory sterilization? It’s to save the planet..."

Only for people of the wrong color...

21 posted on 07/10/2009 11:31:51 AM PDT by sniper63 (Silent and stealthy - one shot - one kill)
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To: NYer

Nice photo-op with the Holy Father, and by far the most pro-abortion American President in history.

So much for Benedict being an enforcer.....


22 posted on 07/10/2009 11:32:07 AM PDT by EyeGuy
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To: libs_kma

Exactly.

Obama always says what he belives the audience in front of him wants to hear.

He is never held accountable for this though.


23 posted on 07/10/2009 11:32:27 AM PDT by ltc8k6
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To: NYer

Sure. Obama will encourage wider use of RU-486, which he can rationalize as not abortion. After all, oral sex wasn’t sex to BJ Clinton.


24 posted on 07/10/2009 11:32:51 AM PDT by CASchack
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To: MrB

LIAR.

It was reported around the time that Obama was to visit Notre Dame that somebody in his administration admitted that one of their goals was NOT to reduce the number of abortions in the USA.


25 posted on 07/10/2009 11:33:00 AM PDT by techno
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To: NYer

wants to decrease abortions and yet gives more funding for it here and overseas.
Why does my tax money pay for it, why am I paying for this freeloading family to go to different countries, form the mother in law to the racist angry wife to some street trash who is with them

I hope the Pope turned around and called him on how he is funding this

Now off to Africa

WHY?????????????

so he can give more of our money to fund more abortions

wonder what he said about homosexuals too


26 posted on 07/10/2009 11:33:11 AM PDT by manc (Marriage is between a man and a woman no sick queer sham--- end racism end affirmative action)
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To: Bahbah
Not nice to lie to the Pope

My first thought as well.

27 posted on 07/10/2009 11:33:38 AM PDT by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to say it)
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To: Colonel_Flagg
I'm thinking it has to be some sort of sin to lie to the Pontiff's face, right?

It's a sin to lie to anyone, no matter how big or small his hat is.
28 posted on 07/10/2009 11:33:43 AM PDT by Sopater (I'm so sick of atheists shoving their religion in my face.)
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To: NYer

Oh, good going Obi — he LIES to the Pope. Very bad.... I bet he has convinced himself that he is anti-abortion, even as he works hand over fist FOR it. Such a scum. At LEAST Michelle dressed appropriately. No lampshade sundress, no cut-offs, no bedspread wrap. At the very least. And this would be one man Obama SHOULD apologize to, for something, but I bet he did not.


29 posted on 07/10/2009 11:34:25 AM PDT by bboop (obama, little o, not a Real God)
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To: NYer

The antiChrist lies. I’m sure Benedict is discerning enough to heavily suspect that.


30 posted on 07/10/2009 11:34:42 AM PDT by steve86 (Acerbic by nature, not nurture)
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To: NYer
"Don't want my daughters punished with a baby."

31 posted on 07/10/2009 11:35:06 AM PDT by evets (beer)
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To: techno

I’m not sure how a lib, even in their own mind, or even with a straight face, can say the goal is to reduce the numbers by making sure that everyone gets one that asks, and for “free”.


32 posted on 07/10/2009 11:35:06 AM PDT by MrB (Go Galt now, save Bowman for later)
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To: NYer

Someone needs to ask him how this jibes with his nomination of a Ginsburg-esque candidate for SCOTUS...


33 posted on 07/10/2009 11:35:20 AM PDT by BlueNgold (... Feed the tree!)
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To: NYer

We’ll just wait ‘til they’re born before we get rid of them. Presto - fewer abortions. We’ll dream up an Orwellian name for the process - Something like post-fetal interventional morbidity.


34 posted on 07/10/2009 11:35:28 AM PDT by calico_thompson
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To: ltc8k6

black man speaks with forked tongue.


35 posted on 07/10/2009 11:35:35 AM PDT by rovenstinez
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To: bboop

I’m betting he didn’t bow to the pope like he did to the Saudi King.


36 posted on 07/10/2009 11:36:15 AM PDT by MrB (Go Galt now, save Bowman for later)
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To: Jeff Head
But the Pope knows that already about the man and its why he gave him the gift he did today.

Bingo! Ratzinger is a brilliant theologian and an excellent judge of character. He is not fooled.

37 posted on 07/10/2009 11:37:26 AM PDT by NYer ("One Who Prays Is Not Afraid; One Who Prays Is Never Alone"- Benedict XVI)
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To: colorado tanker

And you’ve probably been fed the lies that have propagated since the English “Reformation.”


38 posted on 07/10/2009 11:37:31 AM PDT by Pyro7480 ("If you know how not to pray, take Joseph as your master, and you will not go astray." - St. Teresa)
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To: NYer
Lombardi said the pope was "very impressed" by Obama and that the pontiff was "extremely satisfied" with the talks.

I hope this is just diplo-speak.

39 posted on 07/10/2009 11:37:46 AM PDT by FourPeas (Why does Professor Presbury's wolfhound, Roy, endeavour to bite him?)
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To: Sopater

I was speaking rhetorically, of course. But you are quite right.


40 posted on 07/10/2009 11:38:17 AM PDT by Colonel_Flagg (You're either in or in the way.)
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