Media outlets in the U.S. have had virtually no coverage of a major incident that took place in late summer. U.S. Secretary of State made a request to the Vatican to meet personally with Pope Benedict XVI. She claimed to have an urgent need to speak with him prior to her meeting with officials regarding the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The Vatican replied to her request with a resounding NO. Secretary Rice did have the chance to speak with Cardinal Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State.
Several European media outlets have given extensive coverage of the Vatican's refusal to arrange a meeting between Secretary Rice and Pope Benedict. Most of the coverage portrays the refusal as a flat out snub. The reports insinuate that the Vatican remains furious with the U.S. for ignoring pleas to not invade Iraq and to reassess it's strong support for Israel in the Middle East conflicts.
Make no mistake - this is a big deal. Given the reach of the Roman Catholic Church throughout most of the world, the Vatican may very well be the most influential entity in the world when it comes to diplomacy. Strong speculation was that Pope Benedict spent about 30 minutes chiding President Bush for U.S. policies in Iraq and the Middle East when the two met at the Vatican earlier in the summer.
No means no!
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