...even of that horn that had eyes,
and a mouth that spake very great things,
whose look was more stout than his fellows.
Daniel 7:20
"When Pope Francis meets Barack Obama at the White House on Wednesday,
the president will bask in his guest’s moral authority and iconic
popularity. But the first pontiff from Latin America is likely to
exploit those assets to pressure his host on U.S. global economic
leadership.On Francis’s first full day in the country, Obama and as many as 15,000 guests will welcome him on the South Lawn of the White House. For the president, it’s an opportunity to showcase the pope’s support for his initiatives on income inequality, immigration and climate change.
“These are issues that are going to define our
future, and the pope I think is providing an incredible sense of
motivation that they can and must be addressed,” Deputy National
Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said in a conference call with reporters. “The pope’s voice could not be more timely and important.”Contentious issues involving Church doctrine on the family -- such as abortion rights and contraception coverage -- will be swept under the carpet of the Oval Office. But the pope, who called for “a poor Church for the poor” on his election, is expected to elevate his concern for the downtrodden and the excluded for a global audience.
“There are points of tension, and the role of the U.S. as a world leader in economic justice is certainly going to be an issue -- how much the U.S. is doing will be on the pope’s mind,” said veteran Vatican watcher John Thavis, author of The Vatican Prophecies. “The U.S. is in a position to drive some of these discussions, and the pope would like to see some leadership.” EconomicJustice
