From CNA
Pope sends greetings to President Barack Obama
Vatican City, Jan 20, 2009 / 10:31 am (CNA).- This morning Pope Benedict sent a telegram welcoming Barack Obama as the new President of the United States and assuring him of his prayers.
The text of the telegram is below:
On the occasion of your inauguration as the forty-fourth President of the United States of America I offer cordial good wishes, together with the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you unfailing wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high responsibilities.
Under your leadership may the American people continue to find in their impressive religious and political heritage the spiritual values and ethical principles needed to cooperate in the building of a truly just and free society, marked by respect for the dignity, equality and rights of each of its members, especially the poor, the outcast and those who have no voice.
At a time when so many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world yearn for liberation from the scourge of poverty, hunger and violence, I pray that you will be confirmed in your resolve to promote understanding, cooperation and peace among the nations, so that all may share in the banquet of life which God wills to set for the whole human family (cf. Isaiah 25:6-7).
Upon you and your family, and upon all the American people, I willingly invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace.
Benedictus PP. XVI
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“I pray that you will be confirmed in your resolve to promote understanding, cooperation and peace among the nations, so that all may share in the banquet of life which God wills to set for the whole human family (cf. Isaiah 25:6-7). Upon you and your family, and upon all the American people, I willingly invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace.”
Amen
Innocent X took a vastly superior approach:
http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/glossary/confederation-kilkenny.htm
After the poor and the outcast, those who are truly without a voice are the unborn and those who are terminally ill. I’m not sure if Obama can figure that out, but that’s not the Holy Father’s fault.
A failed approach?
Consider this: The Holy Father knows that Obama and team will be looking for something referring to abortion, not find it, smile, but then be troubled about the “no voice” thing as opposed to the other two. That will bother Obama, work on him, annoy him, make him think, in his heart, in his mind, in his soul…
Good approach, Holy Father!
Let’s just believe that the Holy Spirit is helping our Pope when he writes these messages to world leaders. We should pray for the President and hope that he will realize how much danger his soul is in.
I would have gone with an exorcism.. but the Holy Father is a far better diplomat than I.
“Ab illo benedicaris in cujus honore cremabiris”
That’s the reason he’s the Pope and I’m not, I would of came out with the RR 62 with my message…
A class act! Vivat! Vivat Pastor Bonus!
Gone are the days of frigid silence from the Holy See towards its worldly adversaries followed months later by an acerbic papal letter!
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
I tell you naught for your comfort,
Yea, naught for your desire,
Save that the sky grows darker yet,
And the sea rises higher.
~ Our Lady to King Alfred,
GK Chesterton, The Ballad of the White Horse
A very cordial message, replete with meaning. Tom
Graciousness, understanding, a broad rather than a narrow outlook, a feeling for history, a personal blessing…
Such a class act! Thank you, Pope Benedict…
How different than what I have read from many of the bloggers of this site.
I really wish he’d mention Jesus by name. There’s a power there of which we’re not availing ourselves. It might be awkward at first, but that could just become his thing. “Oh yeah, that pope, he always brings Jesus into it.”
I am somewhat disappointed that he did not specify abortion and euthanasia, but this is a judgement call by the Holy Father. (However, he is not necessarily protected from error here.) I can see Biden, who received both a Holy Communion and a standing ovation at Mass on Sunday, hiding happily behind these words.
I imagine their first private meeting and conversation will be much different than this.
Kyrie eleison. Christe Eleison. Kyrie Eleison.
How different than what I have read from many of the bloggers of this site.
Oh well, not even Benedict XVI is perfect. . . . ;-) But it’s good that the Pope has offered his blessing. Mr. Obama will need it even more than usual. It would be too much to hope for a miraculous conversion – I’m just hoping he doesn’t cause even more damage than we know he will.
If the Holy Father had mentioned abortion or any part of the pro-death agenda explicitly, he probably would have been accused of trying to mettle or to pick a fight. I’m sure that when the time comes his response will be clear and powerful, and thankfully it seems our bishops will not sit this one out. If FOCA actually comes to a vote, I can’t imagine there won’t be talk of excommunications for Catholic members of Congress who vote for it.
I hope and pray Obama becomes pro-life, or else that his pro-death agenda utterly fails.
God bless Pope Benedict!
Note: It was NOT an Apostolic blessing, but a persoanl one. In other words, ‘I am being my usual kind and polite self. I mean what I say as a person, but I am not calling upon the powers invested in me to condone all that you are reported to stand for’.
Catholics, who are beginning to learn how our Pope works, are sensitive to the wording. Obama, Biden et al, probably not?
I think the pope’s letter is excellent. It is from one perspective we ALL must have. We must pray for our politicians. Someone like Obama, is not going to change his mind because we yell at him or the pope chastizes him, it will only come through the intercession of Almighty God (though a little guilt never hurt anyone)
for all the crticisms now being made about mr bush he showed incedible kindness and respect to the holy father , mrs bush also very graciously wore black and a mantilla when received by the pope