In the dimming twilight of his presidency, George W. Bush finds
himself with a 28 percent approval rating and few friends in high
places. Today, however, he will revisit one of the most fascinating
friendships of his term when he visits with Pope Benedict XVI at
the Vatican.
Unlike all other heads of state, Bush will meet with the pontiff
not in the library of the Apostolic Palace, but in the medieval St.
John’s Tower in the Vatican gardens. The media is portraying the
Pontiff’s unusual gesture as an act of reciprocation for Bush’s
warm reception of the Pope to Washington on the tarmac at Andrews
Air Force Base on April 16 — an effort Bush did not make for any
other visiting dignitary during his presidency.
Benedict’s greeting, though, seems to be more than a
businesslike repayment of kindness. A closer look at Bush’s
apparent admiration for the Pope and his appreciation of the Pope’s
convictions reveals a regard that runs deeper than ceremonial
cordiality.
Certainly Bill McGurn, the President’s former speechwriter,
believes so. “Benedict is a smart man. He would not do this for
someone he did not respect. And he doesn’t have to do any of it —
the President will be in office only a few more months,” he told
TAS.
Francis X. Rocca, Vatican correspondent for Religion News
Service, agrees: “[T]he Vatican is grateful for Bush’s gesture of
coming to the airport, but also they want to show their
appreciation for someone who upholds Catholic teaching in a number
of controversial areas.”
Indeed, Bush has stood for many of the principles espoused by
Pope and Church during his presidency. He has on many occasions
voiced his appreciation for the Catholic Church’s commitment to
human life. He has backed up those remarks with his own opposition
to embryonic stem cell research and appointment of staunchly
pro-life judges.
ONE DIFFERENCE THE Pope had with Bush came when the Vatican
disapproved of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. But John Paul II
biographer George Weigel called that a matter of prudential
judgment that does not seem to have strained their relationship too
much.
“The goal is a stable Iraq with a responsive and responsible
government, leading a society safe for pluralism, including
religious freedom. It would be a great help if Democratic
politicians would adopt this Vatican approach and stop acting as if
this were 2003 or 2006,” Weigel told TAS.
It was not shared convictions that led Bush out onto the runway
to greet Benedict XVI. Bush seems to have an almost mystical view
of the Pope. McGurn, who was present for the welcoming of the Pope
on the White House’s South Lawn, recalls it as “an extraordinary
day for America.”
McGurn described the “love bursting out from the crowd,” which
he said he could tell the President appreciated by watching his
“body language.” When they spoke later, McGurn said Bush “was just
full of praise for Benedict.”
Later on the evening of that White House visit, America laughed
with Jon Stewart of The Daily Show when he played a clip
of Bush thanking the Pope for his speech on the South Lawn in a
truly goofy fashion: “Awesome speech, your Holiness!” But that
response brought out a quality in Bush that perhaps not everyone
appreciates: his authentic excitement over the Pope’s message.
Although Bush is not especially articulate, sometimes he finds
poignancy in his lack of verbosity. He gave an interview to EWTN’s
Raymond Arroyo just prior to the Pope’s visit. Arroyo referred to
Bush’s quip that when he looked into Vladimir Putin’s eyes, he saw
his soul, and asked what the President saw when he looked into Pope
Benedict’s eyes.
Bush responded, simply, “God.”
WHAT DOES SUCH A striking statement say about the Bush and the
Church? Some, like Daniel Burke of the Washington Post,
believe that Bush’s disposition towards the Pope indicates that he
is likely to follow in the footsteps of another good friend, Tony
Blair, and seek confirmation in the Catholic Church once his term
is finished. His brother Jeb, the former Governor of Florida and a
convert to Catholicism, has also modeled that path for him.
If in fact Bush is leaning towards Rome, the Pope might be
inviting him to more than just a stroll around St. John’s
Tower.
Weigel thinks there’s no use for such speculation. He suggests
instead that their conversation will focus on their shared concern
for persecuted Christians in the Middle East, especially in Iraq,
which is still recovering from the murder of the Chaldean
archbishop Mosul Paulos Faraj Rahho.
George Neumayr, editor of Catholic World Report and a
columnist for TAS, suggests that their conversation will
follow up on Benedict’s book on Europe, Without Roots,
which Bush reportedly read and enjoyed.
Whatever the topic of their conversation, it is clear the
President and the Pope have established a rapport that extends
beyond matters of state. McGurn said that at the White House dinner
for Catholic Leaders, Bush described the Church as “a rock in a
raging sea.”
For a president known for verbal gaffes, that’s a surprisingly
strong image. For a besieged and worn-down Methodist President who
sees God in the eyes of the Pope, however, nothing too unusual.
