Letters to the Editor
-
There's a simple reason
The pope does not eat with other people in public. This is apparently a long-standing tradition.
I heard a story where Imelda Marcos invited J-P II to come to the Presidential Palace in Manila. She suprised him with a lavish dinner with 500 people. He ate soup, then left. His staff went to the kitchen to ensure that no more food would be brought out while the Pope was there.
I can sort of understand this. He requires distance from others to be effective.
-
The Pope Doesn't Eat with other people?
I guess that kind of makes sense...
You probably don't want to be seen engaging in a deadly sin (gluttony) if you are the pope, and most of these state dinners are quite lavish affairs.
In the age of media it just presents too easy of an example to highlight the wealth of the elite vs. the suffering of the hungry.
I can see the Pope prefering privat functions to meet with national leaders interested in his counsel rather than ornate coordinated affairs for others benefit.
The fact that Mr. Bush's party successor has been endorsed by a rabid anti-catholic bigot probably has nothing to do with it...but it might be a good thing to remember for Democrats looking to woo Catholic votes.
-
The real reason
He's got tickets to The Alter Boys.
-
Why the Pope Cannot Eat in Public
Think of how fallible the Pope would look in gravy-stained vestments. "Just another slob, like one of us," to borrow a Joan Osbourne .
-
As much as I like to think the Pope is snubbing Bush...
...I also heard on NPR that he rarely attends festivities that are directed at him. Someone is wrong here. If it is Salon.com, someone should "fess up."
-
you are wrong
As others mentioned, the pope not attending the white house dinner is not a snub-- rather, its a longstanding church ritual/custom of not having pope's meals done in public.
Administration bashing is often deserved, but not in this case. Be accurate, correct the story.
If you want some background please listen to the D. Rhem show from yesterday: http://wamu.org/programs/dr/08/04/14.php#19500
-
Out of touch
This shows how utterly and completely arrogant and out of touch this administration is. It seems like, before planning a lavish state dinner for a visiting Pope, the White House would check protocol with the Vatican -- and they would then have known that such an event was inappropriate and that the Pope would not attend.
Common sense would tell one that the Pope is a holy figure in the church, not a head of state who socializes with other heads of states. But even without common sense, which we know this administration is short of, one would think there are people in the administration whose job it is to know stuff like this.
-
Benedict is eating with Cheney that night
Because he wants to meet with the person who really wields the power, rather than wasting time with the ceremonial figurehead.
-
Regarding papal protocol,
it allegedly may also be true that the pope always wears boxer shorts in the shower, with the explanation that his holiness does not wish to look down upon the unemployed.
-
What will the Pope do and not do here?
Perhaps the Pope will say something about opposing the death penalty and wars for profit. It'd be really great if he'd call out hypocrites like Antonin Scalia who support the death penalty with such enthusiasm but oppose abortion.
Maybe he'll even say something about how important it is to be true to ones faith instead of a political party. After all, selectively refusing communion to Democratic Presidential nominees who support abortion rights while ignoring the death penalty and the significant amount of suffering caused world wide by GOP policies is the height of hypocrisy.
However, as others have said, whatever else the Pope does he definitely won't be eating dinner in a public gathering.
-
@wysiwyg
"After all, selectively refusing communion to Democratic Presidential nominees who support abortion rights while ignoring the death penalty and the significant amount of suffering caused world wide by GOP policies is the height of hypocrisy."
Not even close. If you actually follow church teachings, supporting abortion rights is exactly the same as supporting the right for parents to shoot infants in the head. Death penalty is also prohibited, but the prohibition is less robust, since the victims of the killings aren't innocent.
-
Someone should tell Bush
That not everyone on the planet wants to scarf greasy ribs and pretend to be a cowboy. Maybe he got confused by that red cowboy looking hat the Pope prefers.
-
jc miller
As far as I know.
-
The Hitler Youth...
...to meet the war criminal.
How inspiring.
-
Just a point on refusing communion
Just to be clear Pope Benedict (when he was a Cardinal) has been quite clear that the refusal of communion on political grounds is a laughable idea, pointing out that popes in the past have given communion to communist, homosexuals, and pro-choice politicians attending papal events in the past.
The message in both these items is that the the Church is loath to use either it's stature or its sacraments for political theater.
A strange notion to our political theater obsessed American Culture.
-
Is it because the White House doesn't serve kosher?
God I'm confused.
-
White House not the only one...
The Italian Embassy is also holding a big birthday bash for the pope which His Holiness will not be attending. These large dinners sans papal attendance are, as I understand it, standard operating procedure for a papal visit.
-
Oh well
It's the Pope's loss. I understand meals in the White House are outstanding!
-
NOT HALF AS AWKWARD AS...
the Pope descending from his airplane before Bush, Laura, and annoying daughter Bush made it to the end of the steps to officially greet them. The camera showed them hustling along the tarmac, but the Pope decided to come on out the door before they were firmly planted at the end of the plane steps.
At first I thought it was a gross misstep on the part of the Pope's staff to time the event properly - something that is relatively easy to do, by the way. Then, because I know how relatively easy it is to time such things, came to the conclusion the Pope simply didn't care whether Bush was there and ready or not! lol
I guess they haven't told Bush yet that no one is interested in a damn thing he has to say anymore.
-
Bush and Parkinson's
An early symptom of Parkinson's disease is inability to swing the arms when walking, a normal action on the part of those without the disease (my wife has it.) I was struck, as I watched Bush walk with the Pope after leaving the plane that his right arm was unnaturally stiff while his left arm moved in a more regular fashion. I was wondering whether perhaps he has early Parkinson's.