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The Spectacle Blog
I've confirmed with Nancy Pelosi's office that, at the Vatican's request, no photos of Pelosi's Wednesday yesterday with Pope Benedict XVI will be released.
So even if the pontiff had no choice but to meet with Pelosi, he wasn't going to allow her to turn it into a press op.
In fact, as George Neumayr related in today's Spectator, Benedict took the opportunity to chastise Pelosi and remind her that there is absolutely no place in the Catholic Church for a politician working hard to undermine core Church teachings. Of course, Pelosi released a report of her own, with a much more favorable interpretation of how the meeting unfolded. But a picture is worth a thousand words (or perhaps a million of Pelosi's tortured emissions), and the spin isn't going to work without a corroborating photo.
Perhaps someone in the Holy See warned the pope that Pelosi is not above playing cheap political games with her religion.
First was her abysmal foray into embryology during the Democratic National Convention, when, in a moment of acute imbecility, she cited St. Augustine in a justification for abortion premised on fetuses not being yet "ensouled." This unprovoked misrepresentation of black-and-white Church doctrine elicited a slew of letters of censure from bishops around the country. Archbishop Niederauer of San Francisco, Pelosi's district, publicly requested a meeting to review the Church's stance on abortion. Pelosi publicly accepted, hoping to recoup her Catholic credentials.
Needless to say, that promise to meet with Niederauer was simply a ruse. Although she takes credit for making frequent trips back to her district, Pelosi managed to avoid Niederauer until last week. Even then she only met him in the most furtive way possible, keeping the press from covering what was surely an unflattering moment for her.
This whole episode, which unfolded while she was pulling all the political strings to shepherd the disastrous bailout and stimulus congress, underscores the reality that there is no one Pelosi will not exploit for political gain. Not her Catholic constituents, not her bishop, not the pope, not the unborn.
Luckily the pope picked up on this trait. As the head of the papal state, on some level he is obligated to meet with political leaders. Pelosi is, after all, third in line for the presidency. While honoring this duty, Benedict did not leave Pelosi any room for tricks. He gave her only a 15-minute audience after his daily general audience. Note that when he met with Gordon Brown of the UK today, their talk lasted over 30 minutes. The Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano also carried a front-page article by the prime minister, an unprecedented gesture. All the major publications covering their meeting had pictures of them smiling, shaking hands, sitting together, etc. -- the kind of pictures Pelosi surely had in mind when she trekked to Vatican City. Unfortunately, I don’t think she'll ever learn her lesson.
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Peter Robinson| 2.19.09 @ 7:37PM
Pope Benedict’s descent in the moral landscape continues unchecked with disastrous consequences for the Catholic Church.
While the Pope may diplomatically insult the third in line for the presidency for holding views contrary to his own, the world continues to ask a more serious moral question – how can Benedict court the SSPX despite the documented anti-Semitism?
Every Papal move is tainted by this grotesque invitation.
And the smell isn’t dissipating - Rev. Gerhard Maria Wagner, who believes Hurricane Katrina was Divine retribution for New-Orlean lust, turned down his Papal promotion because of “fierce criticism”.
There has been nothing from him, or the Vatican, repudiating the notion of meteorology as divine feedback.
The Vatican continues to pitch for the credulous and nasty at the expense of the thoughtful and tolerant.
Kat| 2.19.09 @ 10:18PM
Nazi Pelosi personifies nasty and was just trying to use the Pope. Bravo, Benedict, for outsmarting this poor excuse for a Catholic!! God bless the Pontiff.
cmardh| 2.19.09 @ 11:01PM
Amen to that, sir! And I'm a Presbyterian. (I know.....so what?)
Jones| 2.20.09 @ 5:22AM
'the thoughtful and tolerant'
Translation: 'people who think as I do.'
Norman Plumb| 2.20.09 @ 7:04AM
Peter Robinson writes: "There has been nothing from him, or the Vatican, repudiating the notion of meteorology as divine feedback." I wonder if Mr Robinson has read the story of Noah and great flood and thinks the Vatican should also repudiate the 40 days and nights of rain.
John| 2.20.09 @ 7:19AM
So, Peter Robinson, lets use your logic and make another funny comment.
President Obama's decent in the moral landscape continues unchecked with disastrous consequences for the United States.
Every presidential move is tainted by his grotesque associations with Rev. Wright et al.
And the smell isn't dissipating - Tom Daschle, who believes he doesn't need to pay taxes, turned down his presidential promotion because of "fierce criticism."
The President continues to pitch a spending bill for the irresponsible and wasteful at the expense of the smart and responsible.
There now, that was quite fun :)
E.Patrick Mosman| 2.20.09 @ 7:27AM
Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Pelosi should begin to acquaint themselves with the scientific facts of life.
Perhaps Nancy Pelosi could invite some of the world's most prominent scientists and physicians who testified to a U.S. Senate committee that human life begins at conception to address the House:
http://www.epm.org/artman2/publish/prolife_human_rights/ScientistsAttest_To_Life_Beginning_At_Conception.shtml
Mr. Robinson should read the article also.
PhyCon| 2.20.09 @ 10:44AM
"Pope Benedict’s descent in the moral landscape continues unchecked with disastrous consequences for the Catholic Church."
Pope Benedict's first and foremost realm IS "the moral landscape". Two of the Pope's duties in that realm is to instruct and correct Catholics in Church belief and correct Catholics if their professed beliefs are in conflict. Pelosi claims she is a 'devout Catholic'. She has said her support for abortion is tied directly to Church teachings. She is wrong and the Pope let her know exactly why, gave her the instruction she required, and sent her on her way.
Will Pelosi change her stance of supporting abortion to not supporting it? We'll have to wait and see. If she doesn't, then she's going to have an interesting time claiming 'devout Catholic' status.
MTrent| 2.20.09 @ 11:31AM
How is it that "Pope Benedict’s descent in the moral landscape continues unchecked..." even constitutes a coherent English sentence, let alone a meritorious charge against Pope Benedict? I mean that, I have looked up the word "descent" on the Merriam-Webster website as a means of attempting to ferret-out just what Mr. Robinson might mean by his very first sentence, and the only one that avoid nonsensical pretensiveness, and grudgingly engages in any sort of factual correspondence is definition 5, to wit: " a sudden disconcerting appearance (as for a visit)." Now I am not aware of Mr. Robinson's religious affiliations, if any, but anyone with a reasonable amount of awareness of world events would know that the Pope's "moral sheparding" of the faithful is, very much, his essential job description, with all the rest being mere secondary side affectations. If Mr. Robinson is not Catholic, then his ignorance of the Pope's sheparding role may or may not be understandable, depending upon his education-level regarding standard points of information regarding Western culture. If Mr. Robinson is Catholic, then I am afraid that he has just inescapably-demonstrated that he was a Catechism-dropout.
PhyCon| 2.20.09 @ 12:28PM
MTrent:
You have hit the nail quite squarely on Mr. Robinson's head.
Reviewing his use of the word "descent", I believe he's is attempting to say the Pope is "going down" as in 'descending' (def #4) to the realm of morals. The fact Mr. Robinson has no apparent clue that morality IS the realm of the Pope shows just how well you hammered that particular nail.
John| 2.20.09 @ 3:52PM
CINO - Catholic In Name Only