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Jim Wallis, CEO of Sojourners/Call to Renewal and an outspoken opponent of the Iraq war, said he hoped the pope would emphasize the "multiple threats to human life" during his U.S. visit, such as the impact of war, poverty and disease. But the White House's adviser on Catholics, Deal Hudson, said he did not expect the pope to highlight his opposition to the war in Iraq. "If he overemphasizes that, he hands the Democrats a very significant tool to use in the next election, and Benedict XVI knows that most Democrats are not pro-life and would undo many of the measures passed in the last eight years."Hudson predicted that while Benedict may discuss the war during his visit, "[he'll] frame it in a way Catholics won't be fooled into equating it with the non-negotiable issues that he himself has so well defined in his writing."
Hudson, a Southern Baptist convert to Catholicism, said Benedict's commitment to the social priorities of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, and his deep grounding in Scripture and Christian truths, resonate with evangelicals.
"John Paul II fundamentally changed evangelicals' view of Catholics through the priority he gave to social issues and his pastoral emphasis on Scripture," said Hudson.
Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, said, "We have solidarity with the Catholic church in that we are pro-life, value traditional families, and uphold the doctrines of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and the substitutionary Atonement. In a culture where these beliefs are constantly challenged, we are grateful for all who strongly stand for shared beliefs."
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