Bush Disses the Pope to His Face – Twice
Papal bull: Hard to find the good guy in this one. During his visit with Pope Benedict XVI Saturday, Pres. George W. Bush twice addressed the pope disrespectfully by using an improperly casual honorific:
“Good to be with you, sir,” Bush said. (Italian journalists immediately noted the breach in protocol: The pope is formally to be addressed as “Your Holiness.”)…
The two leaders also exchanged gifts; Bush’s presents included a walking stick engraved by a formerly homeless man with words and images of the Ten Commandments.
“The Ten Commandments?” Benedict asked.
Bush replied: “The Ten Commandments, yes, sir.”
Imagine the brouhaha if a normal president — especially a Democrat — had made a similar faux pas. I’ve seen nothing about it on TV today, and don’t expect to. Besides, in the unlikely event a controversy brews, Bush-lovers and their running dogs in the media will write it off as just his usual muddling.
And yet it is unfathomable, or should be, that a thorough briefing on papal protocol was not fresh in his mind when he entered the room.
Why would Bush deliberately insult the pope? During the president’s European trip three years ago this month, Benedict’s predecessor and ally, Pope John Paul II, called Bush to Rome, forcing an unprecedented change in the presidential schedule, in order to deliver a public scolding over the war in Iraq and, particularly, the torture of prisoners by U.S. forces at the Abu Grahib prison. Adding sting to the slap was the fact it came a few months after Bush had bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, his highest honor, on John Paul. (The nerve.)
It’s also possible Bush heard the rumors that John Paul was said to believe he is the Antichrist.
Update: Trish spotted this via WTF – Bush in holy gaffe”
US President George W Bush drew gasps at the Vatican on Saturday by referring to Pope Benedict XVI as “sir” instead of the expected “His Holiness”, pool reporters said…
On his way to see the 80-year-old pontiff, the US leader apparently recognised someone he knew, and could be heard greeting the person with a casual “How ya doin’?”
The pool reporters also noted Bush’s relaxed posture, crossing his legs “Texan style” while facing the pope across his desk in the private study of the apostolic palace.
