Bush Praised Pope Despite War Criticism ["one of the greatest moral leaders of our time"]

Newsmax ^ | 6-8-2003 | Mike Reilly

[Notwithstanding]

NewsMax.com's religion editor Fr. Mike Reilly notes that relations between President Bush and Pope John Paul II remain warm despite their disagreement over the war in Iraq.

While Pope John Paul II joined the chorus of European critics urging President Bush not to make war on Iraq, Bush had nothing but praise for the Pope during his recent visit to Poland.

Zenit news reported that on the eve of Secretary of State Colin Powell's meeting with the Pope, President Bush told cheering crowds that, "At Wawel Cathedral in 1978, a Polish cardinal began his journey to a conclave in Rome, and entered history as Pope John Paul II -- one of the greatest moral leaders of our time."

"A young seminarian, Karol Wojtyla, saw the swastika flag flying over the ramparts of Wawel Castle," Bush said. "He shared the suffering of his people and was put into forced labor. From this priest's experience and faith came a vision: that every person must be treated with dignity, because every person is known and loved by God."

Meanwhile, Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski took the opportunity to weigh in on the debate over the European Constitution.

While the Constitution acknowledges the contributions of the Greeks and the Romans, the framers ignore the influence of Christianity.

"I am an atheist and everybody knows it," he the London Telegraph this week. "But there are no excuses for making references to ancient Greece and Rome, and the Enlightenment, without making references to the Christian values which are so important to the development of Europe."

[DPB101]

The Catholic Church fought communism from the days of Karl Marx. If only other faiths had recognized the evil as clearly as a line of Popes did, millions of lives would have been saved.

[Bigg Red]

While Pope John Paul II joined the chorus of European critics urging President Bush not to make war on Iraq, Bush had nothing but praise for the Pope during his recent visit to Poland.
>>>
Our President has a lot of class.

[Bigg Red]

As a bad Catholic, I respectfully think JP totally blew it regarding Iraq.

*****
As a practicing Catholic, I agree with you.

And I'm still mad at him for granting Ix-42 a photo op after the impeachment.

[Bigg Red]

RedBloodedAmerican's real agenda -- Catholic bashing -- comes out in post #25:
"I also don't practice idolatry and false worship..."