President George W. Bush and Pope Benedict XVI

President George W. Bush and Pope Benedict XVI
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Interview by EWTN’s anchor Raymond Arroyo with President George. W. Bush:

Bush is planning an all-out welcome for the Pope who arrives in the U.S. on Tuesday for a five day visit. (April 15 -20) Historically, Bush will go to the airport to receive the Holy Father, a courtesy he has never extended to any visiting leader.
Why? The president says he plans to do this “because {the Pope} is really an important figure in a lot of ways. One, he speaks for millions. Two, he doesn’t come as a politician; he comes as a man of faith. And, three, that I so subscribe to his notion that there’s right and wrong in life, that moral relativism has a danger of undermining the capacity to have more hopeful and free societies, that I want to honor his convictions, as well.”

The Holy Father, Bush said, “ represents and stands for some values that I think are important for the health of the country, and when he comes to America, millions of my fellow citizens will be hanging on his every word. And that’s why it’s important.”

“One of the tenets of my foreign policy is that there is an Almighty, and a gift of that Almighty to every man, woman and child is freedom. And, you know, His Holiness speaks with that kind of clarity.”

In 2001, President Bush met with then-Pope John Paul II who encouraged him not to endorse federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. President Bush was vindicated because adult stem cells have now produced 80 – cures for 80 different diseases.

There were questions about the Olympics, Iraq war and Iraq refugees who are now in neighboring countries and they number 40% Christians.

On Christian minority rights, Bush said that, “something we have doing all along, is urging the government to understand that minority religious rights are a vital part of any democratic society. And by the way, my concern isn’t just for minority rights in Iraq; it’s for minority rights throughout the Middle East.”

In closing, may I remind you about the relationship between President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II? How together directly and indirectly, they undermined and brought about the overthrow of the Russian Communist empire.
It happened. You can check it out because others have written about it.

In America, it is moral relativism that is the cancer. Pope Benedict has spoken about its effects in Europe. Also, that reason and common sense persuade that Moslem countries need to give other religions, minority rights. Finally, if you check out President Bush’s record on pro-life issues, you would give him a B+. Also, if the president sees God in the eyes of this pope, we would see a saint and we are called to be saints.

George H. Kubeck, Duplicate and or translate into Spanish or Vietnamese.