Several weeks ago, President Bush paid a visit to Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City. The meeting did not receive much publicity or press. I read where some people were a bit miffed that President Bush referred to Pope Benedict as "Sir" and that he presented the Pope with a walking stick inscribed with the "Protestant" version of the 10 Commandments.
Most of the discussion between the two leaders took place in private - with no assistants in the room. Since neither the Pope nor the President have commented much on the discussion, it may be safe to assume that the discussion was very blunt and to the point.
Some insiders have speculated that the discussion centered on the war in Iraq. One doesn't have to be an "insider" or "speculate". The two leaders discussed Iraq. Vatican officials strongly opposed the U.S. military invasion of Iraq in the months leading up to the attack. The Vatican argued that countless military and civilian deaths and casualties would result.
My guess is that the Pope got right to the point with the President and relayed the message that, thanks to the U.S. invasion, Christians are now daily targets in Iraq. Prior to the invasion, Christians represented a tiny minority in Iraq. While they had to deal with obstacles, they were, for the most part, left alone to worship and live according to their beliefs. Now, only a fraction of the Christian minority remains in Iraq. Thousands have fled to other countries like Jordan. Priests have been killed. Should this continue, Iraq will become, by force and terror, a Christian free zone. President Bush is getting the exact opposite of what he had hoped for.
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