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Pope, president, likely to challenge each other
Meeting July 10 set to illustrate how much can be done by the U.S., Vatican, working in concert
Jun. 30, 2009
Douglas W. Kmiec
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PDF versionOn July 10, President Obama and his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, will meet for the first time. They will like each other and find much in common. It is reasonable to suppose that their conversation will be framed as much by the Holy Father's recent encyclical writing as by the president’s policy initiatives.
Indeed, Veritas in Caritate (“Truth in Charity”) – the title and substance of Benedict XVI’s much awaited and soon to be released third encyclical will likely provide an ample agenda for the Rome meeting.
In Barack Obama, Pope Benedict will find a leader taking practical steps to fulfill our obligations and opportunities to the world community. While historians will differ, and at this early point promise is surely not yet fulfillment, it can be argued that Obama reflects a fuller understanding of church teaching than any American president in modern time, even as other presidents have captured and pursued portions of this teaching.
As Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame said in introducing President Obama at the University’s 2009 commencement:
Of course, President Obama is not at one with the church on the issue of abortion and stem cell research. This, too, was conscientiously observed by Jenkins in his introduction, wherein he stated, “but President Obama is not someone who stops talking to those who differ with him.”
This quality of the president I am privileged to know firsthand, and while I have not met His Holiness, certainly the public impression is that Benedict XVI is hardly someone reticent to insist upon the truth of the human person. The president has said in the past, too glibly for many Catholics, that on the issue of unborn life, he would “agree to disagree” with our church. The Holy Father should probingly ask “why?” -- after all, as Benedict has reflected in his draft: “if personal and social sensibility toward the welcoming of a new life is lost, even other forms of welcoming (life) useful to social life become fruitless.”
The president thrives on intellectual give and take. Indeed, since the president has admitted that there are some matters of human right and dignity that necessarily do lie beyond majority determination, why isn’t the legal protection of the child in the womb within the ambit of the law? Is it because Obama thinks there is no evenhanded or effective way to apply legal sanction, or is it merely because of political calculation?
If it is because the president believes that it is better to address the tragic causes that would prompt a mother to act against her unborn child, the president should direct his own question to the Holy Father – how welcoming – in real, tangible ways – are individual parishes to unwed mothers and in addressing their needs? The pope might inquire as to the specific steps being taken by the president’s faith office and outreach to reduce, as the Obama administration tends to say, “the need for abortion.”
For his part, Obama might inquire “Why isn’t it responsible for a president who governs people of many faiths, who differ on their conception of when personhood attaches, to favor embryonic stem cell research if the stem cells were produced in a petri dish and research of possible great assistance to the cure of chronic and fatal disease, when such cells were never intended for implantation anymore than other research cells containing DNA or RNA?”
There are Catholic answers to these questions – some better than others. It is not impertinent, or unhelpful, for each man to challenge the other. These are men of letters. They read; they study; they propose. Certainly, one can be entirely confident that the Holy Father in putting these queries would follow the pastoral constitution of the church and extend “Respect and love . . . to those who think or act differently than we do in social, political and even religious matters.”
As Gaudium et Spes reflects, notwithstanding the opposition supposition of a small minority of American bishops, it is true that “the more deeply we come to understand [an opponent’s] ways of thinking through such courtesy and love, the more easily will we be able to enter into dialogue with them.”
Of course, the point of the meeting is to illustrate how much can be done by the U.S. and the Vatican acting in concert – since, as the pope’s encyclical draft reveals, when the great powers of the earth – spiritual and temporal – work as one, the chances of equating “truth with trust and love” grows ever greater. Building that trust is very much the task of diplomacy.
As the world most assuredly by now grasps from Benedict’s recent travel to the Holy Land and Obama’s visit to Egypt, the world is fortunate to have these two diplomats engaged in the pursuit of peace and prosperity in its fullest and most just sense. Both men understand, as Dorothy Day did, that one never need wait for an institution to do good; you can simply go out and do some yourself.
Kmiec is Chair & Professor of Constitutional Law at Pepperdine University and author of "Can a Catholic Support Him? Asking the Big Question about Barack Obama" (Overlook Press/Penguin).
Good article. There are
Good article. There are areas where the Pope is out of synch. President Obama teaches us that some people simply have no rights. The clergy is too hide bound to accept modern progressive reasoning.
Actullay it is Obama who is
Actullay it is Obama who is out of synch. The modern progressive thinking that you propose has given us empty church's sex scandal, loss of faith and basically the complete collapse of the Church since Vatican II. I think you had your 40 year plus run of destruction with progressive reasoning
I hope the Holy Father
I hope the Holy Father decimates this Chicago thug politician who currently occupies the White House and who the media so happily serves
Amen! After the disgraces of
Amen! After the disgraces of the past 2 elections followed by the horrific Notre Dame scandal, I have been praying non-stop for the Pope to become involved in American politics as so many of our brave bishops are doing. July 10th will be the perfect opportunity for Benedict to speak out and publicly condemn the liberal media-darling pro-abort NObama of the cesspool known as Chicago. Also let the condemnation rain down on those so-called Catholics who elected this abortion-loving thug to the highest office in the land. I fear America is headed for a chastisement the likes of which we have never seen.
Archbishop Burke, pray for us!
Perhaps you should wait and
Perhaps you should wait and read the newest writing of Pope Benedict XVI. In it he states that Truth should be spoken with love and that love is a living sign of the presence of the Truth. He affirms that a people are to be judged not by what they oppose but by what they support with passion. How is chastisement and condemnation a part of that conversion message???
Our Lady of Peace, Pray for Us!
I think one needs at least
I think one needs at least ten individuals to decimate one of them. And as the vicar of Christ on earth, I think our Holy Father Benedict is more inclined to remind us of Jesus' words from the Cross, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they're doing", and leave the decimation of God's children to persons who don't see the image and likeness of God in each and every human being, even in Chicago thugs like Al Capone, Frank Nitti, Bugs Moran and Barack Obama.
To anonymous: How does your
To anonymous:
How does your statement contribute to affirming 'the value of all life'? Name-calling and a desire to "decimate" a person with whom you disagree would indicate that you do not whole-heartedly subscribe to Catholic teaching of the value of ALL human life.
Following Christ requires of us the difficult choice to respond charitably even when we are personally offended by another person's beliefs. There is no hope of persuading another to change their beliefs or behavior, while simultaneously calling for their destruction. Your words are more compatible with secular Machiavellian politics.
Jesus rebuked his disciples for wanting to call fire down from heaven on those who did not receive their message. He challenged them to re-think the "spirit" driving their angry response.
The two previous commentators
The two previous commentators will find that the 'Chicago thug' has much more in common with Benedict and vice versa than either of them have with these writers. What possible ground exists in reality (not in some Catholic ghetto mind) for saying that this president thinks 'some people have no rights.' Do I presume that the author thinks that Thumb-screws Cheney thought people had rights? Incredible.
Your hope will not be
Your hope will not be fulfilled, as it has not yet been fulfilled. The Vatican's thoughts are not necessarily those of the U.S. Republican party, just as 'man's thoughts are not necessarily God's thoughts.'
In speaking of "the tragic
In speaking of "the tragic causes that would prompt a mother to act against her unborn child", Mr. Kmiec is forgetting the fact that for many women it is a matter of convenience. And a factor that is repeatedly ignored whenever abortion is discussed -- by both secular and religious -- is the fact that for every pregnancy there is a father.
When am I going to see a healthy discussion of male responsibility regarding the abortion issue? When am I going to see a discussion that talks about the necessity for young men (and some not so young) to take charge of themselves and their actions?
We have let the "boys will be boys" mentality rule, and yes -- women do need support -- but young men need to be educated about their responsibilities as well.
And when will we see
And when will we see discussion of the complete lack of rights afforded to fathers? It is common for the courts to order fathers of children to be financially responsible for their children. Yet, when the mother wants to murder the child, all of a sudden if the father wants to keep the child alive he no longer has rights. If the mother has a "right" to kill her child for any reason at all in this country, and we want equal rights for men and women, then men should be able to relinquish responsibility for their children for whatever reason.
God Bless Pope Benedict XVI.
God Bless Pope Benedict XVI. Let us all pray that President Obama makes the decision that LIFE is the right choice.
Another very insightful
Another very insightful article by Prof. Kmiec. My compliments
Anonymous needs to examen his
Anonymous needs to examen his conscience concerning possible hate factors that may reside in him.
.
There is a an apparent seething disturbing hollow in you sir/madam. Shed some light on the discussion for once. You might be happier. I'll say a prayer for you.
Hate the sin,,,not the sinner. That's what Christ taught. Paz y Bien amigo.
The author (Kmiec) actually
The author (Kmiec) actually asks a good question...
"Indeed, since the president has admitted that there are some matters of human right and dignity that necessarily do lie beyond majority determination, why isn’t the legal protection of the child in the womb within the ambit of the law?"
...but the subsequent question...
"Is it because Obama thinks there is no evenhanded or effective way to apply legal sanction, or is it merely because of political calculation?"
...is rather "DUH", he's a Democrat. It's a Democratic ritual to proclaim how pro-choice (and therefore, anti-life) one is; Democrats wear their 100% NARAL voting records with pride, they literally have no shame!
And for the record, their is a very simple, evenhanded and effective way to apply legal sanction to abortion...make abortion illegal and replace it with adoption.
But Kmiec makes this statement as if it's a matter of fact...
"If it is because the president believes that it is better to address the tragic causes that would prompt a mother to act against her unborn child,"
...it is most certainly NOT a fact! There are NO causes, tragic or otherwise, that would prompt a mother to abort her unborn child. Even though more could be and would be done to support expectant mothers and adoption services for their babies if abortion was outlawed, already in this country every hospital has to by law, provide services for any pregnant woman and all 50 states have "safe haven" laws for newborns. The problem has been expressed by many, many pregnant women over the last 36 years of legalized abortion, they say they would rather abort (kill) their unborn child rather than have to give that same unborn child up for adoption.
"This, too, was
"This, too, was conscientiously observed by Jenkins in his introduction, wherein he stated, “but President Obama is not someone who stops talking to those who differ with him.”'
Jenkins may as well have just told Obama that he's a big fan and asked for his autograph. When will people cease to be starstruck and begin to actually listen to the words that he reads from the teleprompter?
"When will people cease to be
"When will people cease to be starstruck and begin to actually listen to the words that he reads from the teleprompter?" Apparently, many have indeed actually listened, and liked what they heard. I am one of them.
Dear Mr. Kmiec, It appears
Dear Mr. Kmiec,
It appears from the fawning article you have written that you too are a fabian socialist, much the same as Mr. Obama, who somehow thinks that Marxism equals social justice in spite of the fact that in every country and society where Leninist progressives have achieved power (Russia, Cuba, Venezuela China Vietnam etc.) the Catholic Church is the first to be persecuted and driven underground. Yes, and the country where your name originated, Poland, also suffered immensely under the communist regimen. Please be aware of this and plan to defend your church from the coming persecution.
Our Holy Father will both
Our Holy Father will both represent us exsteemly well and also
garnish the "office" of the persn he will be meeting with with
ardent respect.The Pope will do so i am confident not in any
cowardly or false manner when it comes to President Obama's unacceptable
disregard for the youngest and most vulnerable of his constituents who are
also "equal" Americans and so deserving of our constitutional protections
and "Rite To Life........
And dont anyone bother with giving me that stale pitiful but low contention
that when we are in our mother's wombs we are ("Legilatively") trash
as that is just as bogus and injust as it was when our innocent African American brothers and sisters wher given the exact same "SHAFTING" untill
America came to its sences and once again returned "SLAVERY" to its much deserved Legal position of being "ILLEGAL"-
It will be sooner than some people think (and much to the dismay and horror of all those greedy individuals who profit from the "Legal Abortion Racket,the profiting of babies "parts" both legal and illegal etc)
that as was the disgrace of Legalized Slavery in America ended-so to will America's current disgrace and unconscionable Hollocast of Legalized Murder of our innocewnts be returned to its "Illegal" status....
Oh and do forgive me for appearing to "stray" from the specifics or the matter at hand
--**another smokescreen reason that "Legal" murder has managed to remain "Legal" this long in America is as Mr.Obama utilizes so efficiently when he offers for his shocking and total disregard for human life in its most vulnerable and deserving stages his pitiful and so deceiving smokescreen of "Dialogue"......omg.....
Im sure President Obama has no intention of pulling that immature contention on the intellince and integrity of Our Holy Father July 10th....
PRAY THAT THE POPE AND
PRAY THAT THE POPE AND PRESIDENT DON'T CHALLENGE EACH OTHER
Christan gentlemen and scholars are more likely to agree to disagree than challenge each other on faith issues. Pope Benedict XVI. and President Obama are dedicated to reasonable resolution respecting opponents' dignity. Pray that Fighting Irish embarras neither His Holiness nor their President elected by an overwhelming majority.
Archbishop Josef Ratzinger's hometown-paper Sueddeutsche Zeitung subjects readers' comments to "Nettiquette". So do all responsible German publications. There is no doubt in my mind that NCR will remove personal invective like "thug politian from Chicago". Routine warnings remind the general public that the editors don't tolerate grossly abusive language.
As usual, NCR is enamoured re
As usual, NCR is enamoured re power (external vs. internal)like most of the worldly press. Making meeting of Obama and Benedict XVI a super big deal. Perhaps the Catholic version of the latest media hype. It is just celebrity nonsense. And who cares? Except people who, not realizing their worth as God's children, project their worth onto celebrities. NCR is a superb newspaper, better than any other Catholic paper, but it is shallow, shallow re constant emphasis on issues of worldly power.
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