Pope a No-Show at White House Dinner

[sabra]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Guess who's not coming to dinner?

Pope Benedict XVI — he's not attending a White House dinner in his honor on Wednesday.

President Bush will go out to Andrews Air Force Base on Tuesday to welcome the pope on his first visit to the United States since he was elected pontiff in 2005. On Wednesday there will be a formal welcoming ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House with up to 12,000 guests.

...

Wednesday night's dinner, hosted by the president, will be in the East Room, which normally contains little furniture and traditionally is used for large gatherings such as news conferences, bill-signing ceremonies, awards presentations and after-dinner entertainment.

"It's in honor of his visit," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said. "There will be leaders from the Catholic community from all over the country who are in town for that visit."

He said he did not know why the pope would not attend.

Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-BMdyBE1OTgcAGkicARRoO_-kSQD8VVS2O00

[poppysgal]

1. I may consider

converting.:beer:

[MaineDem]

2. I love it!

Thank you, Your Holiness!

[onehandle]

3. Denied! Not my favorite Pope, but he has his moments. nt

[OKthatsIT]

26. Maybe he isn't eating out anymore...

Could be embarrassing having a 'taste tester' sitting next to him.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

4. Peace be with you.

[poppysgal]

5. and

unto you :bounce:

[5thGenDemocrat]

32. Go in peace

The photo op has ended.
John
Good move, Papa.

[Turbineguy]

6. Decisions, decisions....

Dinner with George W Bush

or....

????

He probably picked the one that has a lower penance level. Like the mortal sin.

[poppysgal]

7. now that is funny

:yourock:

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. They have no idea why the World's hatred of the USA is increasing either

.
.
.

Maybe stop killing people?

Invasions?

Genocide?

Torture?

Maybe stop some of that stuff and the USA might get some global respect

All they got now going for them in the World is FEAR

And watching how much they are fumbling around and dying in Iraq with their "superpower" shit (5 YEARS!!)

I think the USA just lost their edge.

Long overdue

[Jackpine Radical]

14. Naaaaah.

People wouldn't hold little things like that against us, would they?

[truthisfreedom]

9. As Father Guido Sarducci used to say...

"He's too pooped to pope."

[htuttle]

21. "...who says-a you can't be a monsignor if you got-a tattos!"

[dreyer]

10. Gee the Pope doesn't want to show up at the mass murderer's dinner table, makes sense to me.

The monkey won't get it of course. Will probable just chuckle to itself like a moron.

[KansDem]

11. Does he get his deposit back? (nt)

[matcom]

12. the Pope doesn't LIKE to sit in little furniture

if George were a REAL man he would have REAL MAN furniture in there.

[Jackpine Radical]

15. I'm ashamed of myself that I didn't notice that.

[nichomachus]

20. The little furniture in the East Room under the chimp

[jazzjunkysue]

13. OK. I'm starting to like this pope. A little. n/t.

[Wizard777]

16. Because the Pope just doesn't like Bush. You think they would have figured that out with the Rice

snub. You just can't tell the Pope to go pound sand you don't care what he thinks. Then expect him to play nice with you. The Bush arrogance has hit a new high in low.

[CatholicEdHead]

19. JPII did not like Bush either

It is a continuing fallout from launching the Iraq war.

[Wizard777]

24. They made Bush stand out in St. Peters Square with all the other commoners for JP II's Funeral.

I'll never forget that. Him standing out there looking up into the sky with this look on his face like he's expecting God to strike him dead with a lightning bolt.

:rofl:

[bdamomma]

63. yea, Pope Paul did not like * at all.

too bad there were no lighting bolts that day.

[Kolesar]

30. & he spent all of 4% of his sermons denouncing the Iraq War

Meanwhile, there was plenty of prolifer/hate-Kerry literature produced by the conservative Catholics.

[happyslug]

38. Who do you think will be at the White house dinner? Liberal Catholics?

Thus the pope is giving up a chance to meet Conservative Catholics to give a speech to US Bishops. The real question what will the pope say in the Speech?

[trotsky]

48. Yet the Catholic church spoke out against Kerry in 2004.

So let's not go praising the guy, shall we? Ratzinger was in the position of being the driving force behind the hatred of Kerry.

[Beer Snob-50]

53. it was not the catholic church that spoke out vs kerry

but a conservative branch of it. they did not speak for all catholics nor for that matter all bishops and cardinals either. ratzinger tried to stay out of american politics from what i can tell.

[trotsky]

54. You are severely mistaken about Ratzinger.

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0403722.htm

In the case of abortion or euthanasia, Cardinal Ratzinger said a Catholic politician manifests "formal cooperation" in those grave sins by "consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws."

In that case, the cardinal said, the politician's pastor should "meet with him, instructing him about the church's teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist."

This "conservative branch" was led by the guy who is now pope.

[Beer Snob-50]

55. i do not believe ratzinger was inserting himself into politics with his statements

he was reciting church teachings on the subject (which was his job) from what i just read in your link, it should be a private matter between the one distributing communion and the receiver. by making the comments public, these bishops were making it political.

[trotsky]

56. But the bishops' statement came BEFORE this announcement from Ratzinger.

The bishops spoke out in April 2004, Ratzinger made this statement in July. Ratz was just clarifying (and reinforcing) the position of the church - and agreeing with the bishops.

[Beer Snob-50]

57. but from the statements made by ratzinger said that

it should not have been a public condemation but a private one. the bishops went even further than ratzinger wanted by saying anyone who supports a pro-choice democrat should not receive communion.

this was made polictical by these bishops very public condemnation of kerry (and i believe that their condemnation named kerry personally). the vatican wrote that it should have been a very private condemnation.

[trotsky]

58. And Ratzinger continued...

"When 'these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible,' and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the holy Eucharist, 'the minister of holy Communion must refuse to distribute it,'" he said, quoting from a 2002 ruling on divorced-and-remarried Catholics issued by the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

In other words, it becomes public and Ratzinger is A-OK with that.

[Beer Snob-50]

59. it is private in that it is done in the confines of the church

and not done via tv or newspapers

[saigon68]

64. He is an asswipe for that

[Wizard777]

17. If Bush approaches the Pope. Benedict XVI should begin the rite of exorcism.

:evilfrown: :dilemma: O8)

[meow2u3]

41. Wouldn't Bush become a Democrat after an exorcism?

Repunks don't want decent liberals in their ranks; it would spoil their quest for world domination. So if the Pope kicks out the demons, Bush would no longer qualify as a good Republican.

BTA, the exorcism wouldn't be very successful, now would it? :evilgrin:

[quiet.american]

18. Interesting. nt

[DeSwiss]

22. So whaddaya think?

He lost his Wednesday underwear? The dinner falls on the same day as a sacred Nazi holiday? He's boycotting because Haggee gave $6M to the Jews?

Oh, oh, oh, I know. He refuses to submit himself to a Homeland Security Department body cavity search.

- K&R!!!
========================================================================
DeSwiss


http://atheisttoolbox.com/">The Atheist Toolbox

on edit: Underwear day correction

[Voice for Peace]

23. Yay Pope! Why would he want to attend, anyway.

(postscript: not in favor of popes in general, but anybody who brushes off Bush is ok with me.)

[mac2]

25. Guess he flew American Airlines

[Canuckistanian]

27. What? And after Bush rolled out the red carpet. Well, the old, stained one.

The dinner will be held in "the East Room, which normally contains little furniture and traditionally is used for large gatherings such as news conferences, bill-signing ceremonies, awards presentations and after-dinner entertainment."

[struggle4progress]

28. Sneak preview of the prayers during Benedict’s U.S. visit

... The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has the full itinerary here ...
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/04/10/sneak-preview-of-the-prayers-during-benedicts-us-visit/

[krkaufman]

29. Bush is too vile even for a former Hitler Youth. n/t

[Kolesar]

31. Not much of an article. Nobody says why, so I would not assume much

If Ratz/Bene had the "stones" to really oppose war criminal bush, he would put it in writing. I'll be waiting for it.

[alfredo]

33. He's got tickets to see "Rent" at the Nederlander Theatre in NY that night.

He had to kiss a lot of ass to get those ticket.

[SoCalDem]

34. Beans & Franks n/t

[burrowowl]

35. The invited clergy who accepted

should also not attend. What assholes!

[Demeter]

36. Bush Is Too Toxic For the Pope

and that's saying something.

[BeHereNow]

44. You gotta admit...

Dining with the 1st beast of Revelation 13 is not exactly an appetizing thought.
BHN

[happyslug]

37. Here is the Pope's Visitation.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/travels/2008/documents/trav_ben-xvi_usa-program_20080415_en.html

Basically, he plans to make a speech to US bishops instead.

[rcsl1998]

39. Kick

[GoddessOfGuinness]

40. The Popinjay meets the Popeinjay n/t

[dixiegrrrrl]

42. 2 reasons I like the Pope

( I am not Catholic)

1. He brushed off Bush

2. He wears real cute red shoes.

(check out one of the Pope arrival pics)

[BeHereNow]

43. What? The Pope does not enjoy dining on infant carcasses?

Hey Popey!
When in Rome....
BHN

[CADEMOCRAT7]

45. I thought it was protocol

The Pope does not eat in public.

[The Icon Painter]

46. That is the reason.

And the protocol experts in this administration either did not know that or did not dare tell Little Boots.

[Thepricebreaker]

50. They knew.... They are simply throwing it in his honor...

[sabra]

60. if they knew why didn't they give an answer?

[tabasco]

47. My BIL's brother is a pro-war Catholic monsignor and my BIL made a big deal

about "going to see the Pope at the White House" (with his priest brother).

I'm LMAO about this.

When we sat drinking beer (me) and scotch (the monsignor), I was astounded that I was an anti-war soldier speaking with a pro-war priest.

[Thepricebreaker]

49. ,,,again.. THE POPE DOESNT EAT IN PUBLIC.. for the 1000th fucking time!

How many fucking threads? The pope does not eat in public - its just protocol.

Nor has any pope ever attended any state dinner.

Lets get our facts straight.

[MaineDem]

52. Wow

This is the only thread in LBN. I wouldn't get so worked up.

But thanks for your input and welcome to DU.

[bdamomma]

62. well again the WH does not do their homework even when

the Pope is concerned.

[davidthegnome]

51. Woof, woof

God's attack dog isn't barking right now, this is just a matter of policy. When he does start to bark, it will be about those nasty Catholics who (according to him) "pick and choose" what to believe, as if they had the right to make such decisions. The nerve of some people, tsk tsk. Oh wait... he already did that.

There is little to be expected from this one - very, very little. Let him do what he does best and go back to being a part of the scenery in Rome. He's not good for much else. It's a damn shame they chose this rodent to replace JP.

[bdamomma]

61. if they did some research first they would know that the Pope

dines alone.

[Name removed]

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