US President George W. Bush had quite a birthday present for Pope Benedict XVI yesterday: at least 9,000 excited guests gathered on the White House’s South Lawn for a 21-gun salute, a famed soprano’s rendition of The Lord’s Prayer and an emotional presidential welcome.
The pontiff turned 81 yesterday, the first full day of his trip to the US as leader of the world’s Roman Catholics. He was to spend most of the day at the White House, only the second pope to do so and the first in 29 years.
In remarks during pomp-filled festivities that had Washington aflutter for days, Bush was to tell the pontiff and the crowd how glad the US was to have him visit — and to tell Americans they should listen to his words.
“He will hear from the president that America and the world need to hear his message that God is love, that human life is sacred, that we all must be guided by common moral law and that we have responsibilities to care for our brothers and sisters in need, at home and across the world,” White House press secretary Dana Perino said.
thorny topics
Benedict was expected to raise thorny topics such as the Iraq war and Hispanic immigration in talks with Bush.
On the flight from Rome to Washington on Tuesday, Benedict had broached the most sensitive issue surrounding his trip when he told reporters he felt “deeply ashamed” at the child abuse scandal that has rocked the US Catholic Church, and would “do everything possible to heal this wound.”
He also vowed to raise the issue of immigration, saying the US must do “everything possible to fight ... all forms of violence so that immigrants may lead dignified lives.”
Hispanics make up nearly 40 percent of the 70 million Catholics in the US and are increasingly targeted in efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants.
Benedict was also expected to raise US involvement in Iraq, where more than 4,000 US soldiers have died in a war that was strongly opposed by his predecessor, John Paul II.
“There was a difference of opinion back in 2003, when the war began, and beyond,” Perino said.
“But I do think that they share an agreement that in order to stabilize the region and promote human rights and justice, having our troops there has been helpful,” she said.
sound of arms
Benedict said in his Easter message last year that “nothing good comes out of Iraq” and more recently lamented the “grim sound of arms” in the world’s conflict zones, in particular “Iraq, Lebanon and the Holy Land.”
Perino said a “shared desire to work together to combat terrorism” was also likely to be a topic of discussion between the two leaders.
While Benedict XVI condemns terrorism, he does not approve some means used by Washington to combat it, including hardline CIA interrogation methods such as waterboarding, which Bush has defended as necessary to effectively interrogate terrorists.
Another issue the pope and the president were likely to discuss, and not see eye to eye on, was the death penalty.
The Vatican wants capital punishment to be banned, while the US president believes “the death penalty, when carried out through a system of justice, can help protect innocent life and can punish the most grievous of crimes,” Perino said.
“There’s a divergence, but I would caution you that there is much more agreement between these two leaders than there is disagreement,” she said.
The pope is holding a mass for 48,000 people in Washington today before going to New York to visit the scene of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and hold another huge mass at Yankee Stadium.
He will also address the UN General Assembly, where he is expected to make a plea for world peace.
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