Obama has made no
secret of his affection for the outspoken pope, calling him a
"transformative leader" whose influence has transcended the Roman
Catholic community. The pope has embraced many of the issues Obama has sought
to advance, including global warming, poverty and diplomacy with Iran and Cuba.
A “transformative leader” to help “fundamentally
transform” the country.
Vice President Joe
Biden, a Catholic, said the pope's Sept. 23 visit will mark an important moment
not only for Catholics but for all Americans.
"Pope Francis
has breathed new life into what I believe is the central mission of our faith:
Catholic social doctrine," Biden said in a statement to The Associated
Press. Invoking key elements of Obama's agenda, Biden added that Francis
"has become a moral rudder for the world on some of the most important
issues of our time, from inequality to climate change."
Our faith: Catholic social doctrine. Since Biden is a Catholic, this is the nation’s
faith.
Despite deep
differences on some social issues such as abortion, Obama and the pope are
expected to focus on areas of agreement. The White House said economic
opportunity, immigration and refugees, and protection of religious minorities
were high on the agenda.
Protection of religious minorities. I wonder how much Obama is going to alter
Obamacare based on that high agenda item.
For Obama, the visit
offers a chance to imbue his remaining goals with a sense of moral authority as
he approaches the end of his presidency.
Imbue his remaining goals with moral authority from the
Tyrant Theologian.
The White House has
praised Francis for involving himself in issues usually left to politicians. In
a rare move, Francis personally intervened to help the U.S. and Cuba restore
relations, writing leaders of both countries and hosting their delegations at
the Vatican for final talks. And on climate change, a cornerstone of Obama's
desired legacy, Francis added the weight of the pulpit by publishing a landmark
encyclical calling climate change real and man-made.
There you have it:
if the Tyrant Theologian says climate change is real and man-made, it
must be true.
Yet there are risks
for Obama if he glosses over other, stark differences in views.
When he visited
Francis early last year, Obama contradicted the official Vatican account of
their meeting by saying they hadn't discussed social issues in any detail.
Papal aides insisted the two leaders indeed discussed religious freedom, life
and conscientious objection — buzzwords for abortion, birth control and parts
of Obama's health care law.
"That's the
delicate dance," said Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at
Princeton University. "The idea is to point out common areas of concern,
rather than say, 'We are total allies.'"
In other words, don’t worry about Planned Parenthood
butchering babies. We will only concern
ourselves with our common areas of concern.
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