Bush Pressured on Iraq by Pope, Protests in Rome

[Dover]

ROME (Reuters) - Pope John Paul piled pressure on George W. Bush over Iraq when they met on Friday while beyond the walls of the Vatican City more rowdy anti-war protesters attempted to disrupt the U.S. president's visit to Rome

At various sites around the city, groups of people blocked traffic, set dustbins alight and daubed slogans against Bush on walls. One group carried a U.S. flag defaced with a swastika.

During a three-day trip to Italy and France, Bush will seek international support for his Iraq mission and commemorate the June 1944 liberation of Rome and the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

The pope, who strongly opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, spoke of his concern for the "grave unrest" in the Middle East, and called for the "speedy return of Iraq's sovereignty."

"It is the evident desire of everyone that this situation now be normalized as quickly as possible with the active participation of the international community and, in particular, the United Nations organization," the pope said......cont'd >

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5345562

[Don_G]

1. He Couldn't Put The Pope

In a first-amendment zone?

Or his holiness wouldn't go for the "cone of silence?"

[louis c]

2. The decline of the American Presidency

I know that it is long past the time that an American President is able to write his own speeches. However, is it asking to much in expecting a President that can at least read them?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

3. what the Pontif said to * about "Vatican's opposition to the war in Iraq..

and said the world has been troubled by recent ''deplorable events,'' an apparent reference to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops.

''It is the evident desire of everyone that this situation now be normalized as quickly as possible with the active participation of the international community and, in particular, the United Nations Organization, in order to ensure a speedy return of Iraq's sovereignty, in conditions of security for all its people,'' the pope said.

In an indirect reference to U.S. troops' abuse of Iraqi prisoners, the pope said, ''In the past few weeks, other deplorable events have come to light which have troubled the civic and religious conscience of all.'' He said those events ''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.''

''Mr. President, your visit to Rome takes place at a moment of great concern for the continuing situation of grave unrest in the Middle East, both in Iraq and in the Holy Land,'' said the pope

The president has aggressively chased Roman Catholic voters since he split the Catholic vote with Al Gore in 2000, and images of the pope greeting him could promote his standing among a group that represents about a quarter of the electorate.

:puke:

[comradebillyboy]

4. bush needs to lay the smack-down on the pope

and let the old fart know that bush is the one anointed by god to do god's will.

[sam sarrha]

5. I agree.. *ush started this war because in one of his conversations

with God, while face down spread eagled on the floor of the oval office, God told him to start a Utopia in the middle east and could achieve that by killing 10's of thousands of Arabs and bankrupting future generations in this country.

personally i think * needs his medication adjusted. :tinfoilhat:

[lil-petunia]

6. What's he gonna do, fire the pope?

Hey pope, I don't like anyone disagreeing with me. god talks to me, so you are outa there.

[sam sarrha]

8. no ..invade the Vatican. ...NO PRISONERS

[baby_bear]

7. News showing only the Bush part, not the Pope

The cable news shows are not playing any part of the Pope's words, just Bush's non-response to the Pope.

The non-cable channels are still showing the Mickey Mouse morning shows here on the west coast, so maybe later they will show a more thorough picture of what really happened (Bush's hand slapped), but I won't hold my breath.

If not for Reuters (and DU of course) I would have thought the Pope had been entirely silent.

s_m