Bush and the Pope?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
What's wrong with this picture?



Bush gives the Pope a medal calling him a devoted servant of God? Bush deciding who is a devoted servant of God? To the Pope? Isn't he overstepping the Pope's power? Shouldn't Catholics condemn his this patronizing act?



And as far as I know, many fundamentalist protestants, a large part of Bush's support, condemn Catholocism and the Pope. Shouldn't they see this as a stab at their faith too?



I just don't get it. It's not the worst thing Bush has ever done, but it's certainly the most bizarre.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28
    flipflip Posts: 17member
    Weird for sure, but it could be worse, the other way around \
  • Reply 2 of 28
    playmakerplaymaker Posts: 511member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by tonton

    What's wrong with this picture?



    Bush gives the Pope a medal calling him a devoted servant of God? Bush deciding who is a devoted servant of God? To the Pope? Isn't he overstepping the Pope's power? Shouldn't Catholics condemn his this patronizing act?



    And as far as I know, many fundamentalist protestants, a large part of Bush's support, condemn Catholocism and the Pope. Shouldn't they see this as a stab at their faith too?



    I just don't get it. It's not the worst thing Bush has ever done, but it's certainly the most bizarre.




    I dont see whats so wierd about it and I'm Catholic. It appears to be token of good will more than anything else. I
  • Reply 3 of 28
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    This is not the important point of this visit.



    The importants points are :



    Bush is in political campaign in a countrie where 60 millions of people are catholic. A visit to the pope may be something appreciated by these people.



    The pope criticized Bush for the crimes commited on the iraqi prisonners. He asked that the situation in Iraq will be normalised as soon as possible with the participation of the largest number possible, and especially UNO.



    He also congratulate Bush for his position for morale in american families, especially the respect of the family and the life.
  • Reply 4 of 28
    curiousuburbcuriousuburb Posts: 3,325member
  • Reply 5 of 28
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by curiousuburb







  • Reply 6 of 28
    playmakerplaymaker Posts: 511member
    The Popes not looking so hot these days I wonder if its the guy standing in the background who is doing the talking. Is looks like he's sleeping in that picture. \
  • Reply 7 of 28
    Somebody should off the two of them. Make the world a more better place.



    *and by 'off' I mean get-off (as in a release of sexual tension)
  • Reply 8 of 28
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    He was also quoted as saying something ingenious like:



    "We appreciate the symbol of freedom that you have stood for."



    Has anyone tipped George off to the fact that the Pope's message has always been one of Peace, not of paying lip service to the notion of Freedom (as George does so well)?



    Does he think the Pope is a General or something? What an ass. I'm not a practicing Catholic any longer but I am quite confident there are scores of practicing Catholics who were quite offended by such window-dressing.



    I repeat, what an ass. How anyone can't see through this guy is beyond me. Willfully obtuse I guess.
  • Reply 9 of 28
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Playmaker

    The Popes not looking so hot these days I wonder if its the guy standing in the background who is doing the talking. Is looks like he's sleeping in that picture. \



    Nah, the guy in the background is the Vatacin lawyer who protects the child molesters.

    He's just there to make sure the pope doesn't say anything stupid like "We reallylove ALL the children of the world".
  • Reply 10 of 28
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Up yours. There's no excuse for the scumbag priests who have shamed the entire Church and the vocation of priesthood, anymore than there is an excuse for making jokes that imply all Catholic officials are child molesters / don't mind child molesters.
  • Reply 11 of 28
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Moogs

    Up yours.



    You sound like a priest to me!



    [EDIT] And I certainly don't think *all* Catholic officials are child molesters. If I did, would I be *joking* about it? No, I'd be fighting the church tooth and nail. Joke dude, a joke. Calm down.
  • Reply 12 of 28
    naplesxnaplesx Posts: 3,743member
    In a day and age where no-one seems to recognizes anyone for the good thinks they do, you would think that giving a medal and to a guy that could die at any minute, for the good that he has done, would be an honorable thing to do.



    It was a goodwill gesture to a dying man. It was a nice thing to do. How you can construe it to be anything else is simply childish on your part.



    You guys are unbelievable.
  • Reply 13 of 28
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Much ado about nothing, eh?
  • Reply 14 of 28
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    He should have got down on his knees and kissed his ring



    imagine how that would play with his protestant constituency!





    now didn't the Pope rebuke Bush for this war and basically tell him to get ot of Iraq?
  • Reply 15 of 28
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by NaplesX

    In a day and age where no-one seems to recognizes anyone for the good thinks they do, you would think that giving a medal and to a guy that could die at any minute, for the good that he has done, would be an honorable thing to do.



    It was a goodwill gesture to a dying man. It was a nice thing to do. How you can construe it to be anything else is simply childish on your part.







    Do you honestly think, for one second, that Bush has *any* knowledge whatsoever, of the good works (specific things) or teachings that the Pope has accomplished during his long years of service? Do you think he has a sense of who the Pope is as a person beyond "the nice old guy in the funny hat"? Where he hails from? How he got where he is? Anything? Do you think that he is a genuine admirer... that he has said to himself and his peers "this man needs more recognition for what he has done over so many decades... let's present him with an award"?



    I don't. If I did, I would agree with you completely that it was a nice thing to do for a man in the twilight of his life, who has served admirably over many decades.



    Unfortunately though, I think his words to the Pope were what they almost always are: unknowing and hollow. Like I said... "symbol of freedom that you've stood for"? That doesn't even make any sense. As usual Bush has no grasp of context, and I'm not sure he cares (how many years does it take to get such a grasp if you genuinely want to?)



    Bush is grandstanding... following the protocols that someone else suggested to him.



    If I thought for a second this was a heart-felt gesture on President Bush's part, I would've have had nothing but positive things to say. This was phony, pure and simple. Seriously, even on a religious level, how much to do you think GWB has in common with the Pope, given his born-again roots? I wager his church probably stands at odds with many Catholic teachings (including acceptance of evolution and all the rest). Whether that's good or bad is immaterial.



    The point is that Bush is once again portraying himself as someone he isn't. It's just so blantaly obvious, I don't even know why you'd argue otherwise. I'm not saying it isn't part of his job to make a diplomatic showing with the Pope and be courteous and all the rest. That's all well and good. I'm saying the things he says and does beyond the basic diplomacy ring false...



    ...sorry, that's just the way I see it.
  • Reply 16 of 28
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    BUSH TAKES A TOUNGUE LASHING BY THE POPE



    Quote:

    The Pope yesterday subjected George Bush to a very public, relentlessly critical assessment of the US administration's performance in Iraq, attacking "deplorable" abuses of prisoners and calling for an international solution to the country's crisis.

    During the president's visit to the Vatican, which the administration had hoped would help him win Catholic votes in November's presidential election, the Pope warned Mr Bush he would never succeed in the war on terrorism if he failed to ensure respect for basic human rights.



    And he urged him to involve the United Nations in an oper ation for the swift return of sovereignty to Iraq.



    In a clear reference to the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib jail, the pontiff said: "In the past few weeks _ deplorable events have come to light which have troubled the civic and religious conscience of all and made more difficult a serene and resolute commitment to shared human values.



    "In the absence of such a commitment, neither war nor terrorism will ever be overcome."



  • Reply 17 of 28
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by NaplesX

    It was a goodwill gesture to a dying man. It was a nice thing to do. How you can construe it to be anything else is simply childish on your part.



    You're completely backwards. The President of the United States should be impeached for giving out a medal for religious acts.
  • Reply 18 of 28
    gilschgilsch Posts: 1,995member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Playmaker

    The Popes not looking so hot these days I wonder if its the guy standing in the background who is doing the talking. Is looks like he's sleeping in that picture. \



    And that has got to be Cheney in disguise right behind you know who.



    curiousuburb: you ****er. That has got to be one of the funniest things I have seen in a long while. Classic.



    Even though I am not a practicing catholic anymore(haven't been for years), I have always liked this Pope. I never met him, but I was once about 5 yards away from him and he had this special aura about and around him. I'll never forget the feeling. Pretty special. Good man IMHO.
  • Reply 19 of 28
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Very good man... I don't agree with his stance on birth control in third world countries, or on marriage within the priesthood, but I understand both in their historical contexts.
  • Reply 20 of 28
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by bunge

    You're completely backwards. The President of the United States should be impeached for giving out a medal for religious acts.



    That is an interesting point: to what degree would this medal be considered a religious award?
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