Alaco@aol.com
(Unedited)
Edited version published in the Star Banner, February 8, 2002
Editor,
President Bush and his staff say he won't do anything to jeopardize "the Catholic vote." Bush
has shown he will support what is in the best interest of the pope though it may be counter to our
laws and what the American people said we want. This despite the fact the pope declared Bush's
religion is deficient and inferior to Roman Catholicism. Maybe Bush will convert.
Early on, Bush invited the Catholic bishops to meet with him. They presented their agenda with
special attention to abortion and stem cell research., The bishop vowed to increase their
education of their parishioners to vote the Bush way.
Bush paid homage to Pope John II. Following the meeting, Bush addressed several concerns of
the pope.
Bush assigned former Senator Danforth to go to southern Sudan to assess what the US should do
to help the victimized Christians, Bush sent more than $3 million to the rebels there and said
more aid was forthcoming. The rebels want their independence from Sudan, just as Catholic East
Timor wanted independence from Indonesia.
President Putin had leaders of Russia's Greek Orthodox religion negotiate a possible papal visit.
The leaders want a guarantee that, if the pope visited Russia, he would praise the Greek
Orthodox Church and not proselytize--unacceptable to the pope.
Bush reportedly will urge China's rulers to permit the independent Catholic Church in China to
affiliate with the Vatican. Chinese leaders claim if the pope were to visit China, violence would
follow. Bush is to visit China soon.
The Vatican wants Bush to support laws making it a crime to destroy embryos in a petri dish and
making it legal for religious groups to support candidates for public office without losing their
tax exemptions. Bush likely will do so.
Thus far, Bush hasn't jeopardized "the Catholic vote"--if there is such a thing!
James M. O'Hara