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Pope tells bush to go to hell { June 5 2004 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wobush0605,0,6727479.story?coll=ny-top-headlineshttp://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wobush0605,0,6727479.story?coll=ny-top-headlines
Pope chides Bush over Iraq
BY KEN FIREMAN
WASHINGTON BUREAU
June 5, 2004
ROME -- A frail Pope John Paul II on Friday chided President George W. Bush about the conflict in Iraq, reminding the president of his opposition to the war and indirectly criticizing the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.
The pontiff also called for a speedy return of sovereignty to the Iraqi people under United Nations auspices, but praised the recent naming of an interim government and head of state as an "encouraging step" in that direction.
Shortly after Bush's audience with the pope in the richly appointed halls of the Vatican, tens of thousands of chanting anti-Bush demonstrators paraded through the streets of Rome to protest his visit and register opposition to the Iraq war.
Some 10,000 security officers -- some heavily armed and in full riot gear -- were mobilized to keep the marchers away from Bush as he traveled around Rome. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, although the marchers left a trail of angry graffiti, empty beer bottles and other debris in their wake.
In addition to meeting with John Paul, the president commemorated the 60th anniversary of the city's liberation from the Germans by laying a wreath at the site of a notorious Nazi massacre. He also met with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, an ally on Iraq.
Bush's activities kicked off a weeklong excursion in international diplomacy that is to take him to the Elysee Palace in Paris on Saturday, to Normandy for D-Day ceremonies on Sunday and to the annual G-8 summit of industrialized nations in Georgia next week.
At the Vatican, after a 15-minute private meeting with Bush, the pope -- who has Parkinson's disease -- read a statement in a slow, halting voice. His hands trembled as he held the pages of his text.
John Paul told Bush that his visit to Rome "takes place at a moment of great concern for the continuing situation of grave unrest in the Middle East, both in Iraq and in the Holy Land." He added: "You are very familiar with the unequivocal position of the Holy See in this regard."
In an apparent reference to the prisoner abuse, the pope said: "In the past few weeks other deplorable events have come to light which have troubled the civic and religious conscience of all, and made more difficult a serene and resolute commitment to shared human values. In the absence of such a commitment neither war nor terrorism will ever be overcome."
A Vatican spokesman later did not dispute that the pontiff's words referred to the scandal at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad.
The pope went on to praise Bush for his "commitment to the promotion of moral values in American society, particularly with regard to respect for life and the family," and his administration's support for humanitarian relief in Africa.
Bush sat somberly next to John Paul as the pope read his statement. The president did not respond directly to the pontiff's comments about Iraq, but said the United States would "work for human liberty and human dignity in order to spread peace and compassion." Bush praised the pope's moral leadership and presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
"God bless America," John Paul said in reply.
White House officials said they took no umbrage at the pope's statement. "Nothing we'd disagree with," said Communications Director Dan Bartlett.
Despite their long-standing differences on Iraq, Bush eagerly sought the audience, even advancing his departure from Washington to accommodate the pope's schedule.
Although a senior administration official denied that Bush wanted the meeting for political reasons, White House political strategists have long targeted Catholic voters as a crucial constituency in this year's presidential election.
They are especially numerous in swing states such as Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Most recent polls indicate they are closely divided between Bush and Democratic candidate John Kerry, who is Catholic but has drawn criticism from some church officials over his support for abortion rights.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.
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