I think that George Bush has been an awsome President. I had only wished his Catholic brother Jeb Bush would have ran for President in 2008. Despite the constant verbal onslaught of personal insults, George Bush has never called out any of his critics by name. He has been an ardent defender of life and an advocate of the family. George Bush understands the difference between good and evil, he is even willing to defend good even when the poll numbers will drop. If George Bush becomes a Catholic it will be a great day, if not then I will have lived under a President who prays to Jesus Christ and does his best to live his life as a Christian first and politician second. Deacon Greg Kandra at the Deacons Bench explores the Republican George Bush and his warm embrace of the Catholic Church. I think that the Deacon is really telling a story of a political shift that is happening in America, Catholics are starting to become more and more Republican and the voting record supports it. The Democratic Party will no longer be able to hold back the Catholic throngs leaving the Party. Let me be more clear, a party cannot advocate, pay for and encourage the destruction of innocent human life and expect reasonable men and woman to buy the line, " I am against abortion, but I am for woman's rights!".
Deacon Greg writes
George W. Bush, "closet Catholic"
A pal sent this my way: a fascinating piece on George Bush and Catholicism from the Religion News Service, reprinted in tomorrow's edition of the Washington Post:
Shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's election in 2005, President Bush met with a small circle of advisers in the Oval Office. As some mentioned their own religious backgrounds, the president remarked that he had read one of the new pontiff's books about faith and culture in Western Europe.
George W. Bush, "closet Catholic"
A pal sent this my way: a fascinating piece on George Bush and Catholicism from the Religion News Service, reprinted in tomorrow's edition of the Washington Post:
Shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's election in 2005, President Bush met with a small circle of advisers in the Oval Office. As some mentioned their own religious backgrounds, the president remarked that he had read one of the new pontiff's books about faith and culture in Western Europe.
Save for one other soul, Bush was the only non-Catholic in the room. But his interest in the pope's writings was no surprise to those around him. As the White House prepares to welcome Benedict on Tuesday, many in Bush's inner circle expect the pontiff to find a kindred spirit in the president. Because if Bill Clinton can be called America's first black president, some say, then George W. Bush could well be the nation's first Catholic president.This isn't as strange a notion as it sounds. Yes, there was John F. Kennedy. But where Kennedy sought to divorce his religion from his office, Bush has welcomed Roman Catholic doctrine and teachings into the White House and based many important domestic policy decisions on them.
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Read the Deacon's full post (here)
12 comments:
Certainly Bush places the spiritual first, unlike the blatant materialist Obama. See: "Christianity is Far From Government Socialism."
http://acimmessages.blogspot.com/
To all the progressive Catholic out there. Watch how you favorite allies in the main stream media and blogoshere will be perplexed, confused and prone to criticize our President and our Pope.
I can't believe what I'm reading here. Is this an example of 'American Catholicism'? I thought that was something the so-called 'liberals' advocated.
The longer I live, the more I am grateful that my beloved Church is governed from Rome!
Dear Semper,
Please be specific.
George W. Bush is an advocate for
religous freedom,
the family,
the unborn,
the near born,
marriage,
he started and implimented faith based initiatives,
school choice,
he allocates and supports relief and aid in the billions of dollars overseas,
and administers billions of dollars in social welfare spending in the US.
Click Here for an interview with Bush on EWTN's The World Over which I found interesting!
If you dont want the video, at least read this.
Jesuit John,
You out did yourself!
As a catholic I have good memory and I remember the arrogant treatment The Vatican under JPII received from this administration when it opossed this horrible agression (based on lies) and called for peace.
We have a president who would be a war criminal if he held an office in a different country , not mentioning that he is the worst educated president in US history.
As a naturalized citizen I'm appalled at the "moral" deficiencies of this administation.It is hipocricy to be pro- life -as catholics should be- and support brutal war that destroyed tens of thousends of innocent lives.
Who can show me one country where people want to occupied?
Dear Vlodek,
The United States has been involved in war through out the world for the past 100 years.
Was America wrong to fight in WWI? How much territory did we take?
Was America wrong to fight in WWII?
How much territory did we take?
Was America wrong in defending Korea?
How much territory did we take?
Was America wrong in defending the free people of Vietnam?
How much territory did we take?
Was America wrong in in defending Kuwait?
How much territory did we take?
Was America wrong to liberate Afganistan from the Taliban?
How much territory have we taken?
Was America wrong in liberating Iraq from a ruthless facist murdering despot?
How much territory have we taken?
Was America wrong in fighting a fifty year cold war with the Soviet Union?
How much territory have we taken?
We have been fighting a soft war with Islomo-facists since Iran took American hostages in 1979, is it wrong to defend ourselves from such wonton evil?
How much territory have we taken?
Now, I ask you to imagine a world were the idea of America is not in existance? Think of the horrors that would have be wrought upon world.
The only land The United States of America has ever asked for in return, for this multi-generational defence of liberty. Is a small patch of land about six feet long and three feet wide to bury our hero's of liberty and justice.
Joseph, is the above "my country, right or wrong" rant for real?
Do you honestly believe that 20th/21st century wars are still about 'taking territory'?
Are you totally blind to the influence of powerful, and growing, corporate interests on politics in the U.S. and elsewhere, especially since the early 20th century?
Do you honestly believe that the horrific toll of innocent war victims in so many parts of the world can be justified?
Does the fact of being a member of the Roman Catholic Church help you view such event through the eyes of Christ, rather than through star-and-stripes tinted spectacles?
Do you honestly believe that George W. Bush has warmly embraced the Catholic Church (or, even more incredible, that he is a 'closet Catholic')?
Do you reject John Paul II's and Benedict XVI's critiques of the current war on Iraq?
Does your Catholic faith provide you with any kind of critical perspective on current political realities in the U.S. and elsewhere?
To quote this blog's sub-heading: "At any moment we can be Judas or Peter, a Christian life can be a fine line."
Indeed.
Dear Semper,
What is the difference between the fighting Nazism, Communism and Islamo-Facisism? Is their not good and bad in the world? Is not good worth fight for? If you ask general what he hates most, he will typical say, "war". My Great Grandmother was pulled out of her hospital bed as the Russian Communists went through our village in eastern Poland and put a bullet in her head. Their are things worth fighting for,Semper. Saddam Hussein started a war with Iran, Kuwait and Isreal(Americian allies). He had butchered hundreds of thousands of Kurds and political enemies. Forty plus countries were involved in Iraq II, Both American parties voted to support the war of liberation in Iraq. I would hope that the Holy
Fathers would condemn war. Once again imagine what would happen in this world without The US defending freedom though out the world? They would be speaking German in Great Britian and Isreal would be gone. The Vatican would be surounded by a facist Italian state, if it even existed. Now, immoral freaks are blowing good people up all over the world, are they not worth fighting for?
Joseph,
Of course there are causes worth fighting for. The main problem with the war in Iraq is that it has succeeded mainly in killing tens of thousands of innocent people.
The notion that Al Qaida and other extremist organizations are foolish enough to move, en masse, to Iraq in order to confront a well-equipped, technologically superior U.S. army is, of course, laughable. They are quite happy to keep the U.S. army distracted in Iraq, but you can be sure that their main attention is directed elsewhere. You can be sure, also, that their strategy is long term, and they can afford to wait. Sooner or later, unfortunately, we will all learn that such has been the case.
Meanwhile, the war in Iraq, coupled with the abject failure to address legitimate sources of grievance on the part of Muslims (e.g. the pitiable situation of the Pelestinians) continues to anger and radicalize young Muslims in all parts of the world. In recent days, there have been reports of the growing terrorist threat in Britain, and this threat comes from British-born Muslims. The same trend can be seen in other countries with significant Muslim populations. In other words, the so-called 'war on terror', far from being won in Iraq, is actually being lost both in and beyond the Middle East.
As for Mr. Bush's attempts to justify this war (repeatedly condemned as UNjust by the Catholic Church), at first it was on the grounds that there were hidden WMDs. Then, when that proved false, on the grounds that it was right to remove Saddam Hussein. Recently, I have heard him argue that it is justified on the grounds that fighting the war in Iraq keeps the U.S. safe.
This latter argument is, of course totally repugnant, since it amounts to saying that it's o.k. for innocent Iraqi citizens to die in order to protect innocent U.S. citizens in the 'homeland'. Well, it is NOT o.k. It is an abomination, and sinful in the extreme. Iraq is being used, cynically, as a proxy battle ground. Innocent Iraqi people are caught in the middle. And, I believe, it is all for nothing, since the real war is being fought on another, invisible front, on housing estates in England, Paris, berlin and, undoubtedly, U.S. cities also.
So, I place my trust in the Church's message of peace and justice. In order to eliminate anger and murderous extremism, their causes must be addressed.
In my own country, Ireland, we learned this lesson the hard way, after decades of intolerance, bigotry and bloodshed. Once the underlying grievances began to be addressed, people on all sides wer willing to stop bombing and start talking.
Semper,
You are correct that lessons were learned In Northern Ireland. But lessons were learned in Ireland proper at the turn of the century, the same force that liberated Ireland, was the force that wished to liberate Northern Ireland.
Great Britian lacks the religous freedom that will not allow the Monarchy to enjoy its Catholic spiritual heritage. War is a horror. War has two sides ,injustice can and will endure unless through the eyes of Christ, men of good will are willing to stand up. Even the Apostle Peter carried a sword.
We all pray for no war.
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