The Pope and the President

By WILLIAM MCGURN

He came. He spoke. He confounded.

In the run-up to Pope Benedict XVI's visit to America, the assurance was that the Bishop of Rome would take the president of the United States to the papal woodshed. One of the more wishful versions appeared in the Washington Post, whose author confidently asserted that "Pope Benedict XVI will show how much his worldview differs from President Bush's when he denounces the continuing U.S. occupation of Iraq before the U.N. General Assembly."

Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd, Wednesday, April 16.

As it happened, Benedict said nothing remotely close to denouncing the "occupation of Iraq." One reason, perhaps, is his knowledge that a U.S. withdrawal before there is an Iraqi government in place that can defend its people is a prescription for a bloodbath.

That doesn't mean that Pope Benedict doesn't have his disagreements with President Bush. As a cardinal, Benedict was on record as opposing America's entry into Iraq, and on this trip he alluded to his belief that the proper way to resolve conflicts is via international organizations such as the United Nations. The differences are real. But they do not override the great respect these two leaders have for each other, on full display this past week.

We saw a bit of this at the arrival ceremony at the White House.

It was a glorious spring morning. The affection of the crowd was palpable. And for those who listened, the pope's remarks, invoking George Washington and lauding the timeless truths embodied in the American founding, dovetailed beautifully with the president's words about the common law written on every human heart, and the threat to human dignity posed by the "dictatorship of relativism."

There was a lot to parse in those speeches. That, alas, proved too much of a reach for the White House press corps. Some read the choice of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" as a militaristic affront to Benedict. (Later we learned the Vatican had selected that song.) Others suggested that Benedict was snubbing the president by not attending the White House dinner that night. (The pope considers it inappropriate to attend celebratory dinners in his honor.) And one newsperson cattily used her broadcast to complain that Laura Bush had violated papal protocol by wearing a light-colored suit. (Apparently white is a privilege reserved for Catholic queens and the wives of Catholic monarchs!) If ever there was a group intent on pursuing the ephemeral at the expense of the eternal, this was it.

For another segment of America's population, there was something else driving the hope for a papal dis to the president. These are the folks who desperately want to stop the political exodus of Catholics disaffected by the Democratic Party absolutism on social issues. But they continue to have a big problem: abortion.

The contrast with George W. Bush could not be sharper. Over the past seven years, he has signed legislation banning partial-birth abortion, signed another bill protecting babies who are born alive despite an abortion attempt, and banned the use of taxpayer money to fund groups that promote abortion overseas. On the issue of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, he drew the line at the deliberate destruction of human life. Throughout his presidency, he has used his voice to promote an America that protects the weakest among us and offers women with an unwanted pregnancy something better than the abortionist's door.

The president's Catholic opponents know they have nothing to match this. Indeed, last week we saw that Democrats could not even pass a mild resolution honoring the pope until language about "the value of each and every life" was expunged. We also saw something no one who cheered Gov. Bob Casey as he challenged his party's orthodoxy on abortion ever expected. This was the sight of his son and namesake, Sen. Bob Casey, lending his imprimatur to Barack Obama – a candidate who opposes every restriction Gov. Casey fought for, and who explains his pro-choice views by saying he would never want his daughters being "punished with a baby" in the event of an unplanned pregnancy.

At the White House dinner Thursday night with Catholic leaders, we heard a much different voice. "On the fundamental questions of life," the president told an appreciative audience, "the Catholic church has been a rock in a raging sea. And my prayer is that this will never change."

It's hard to think of anyone in this race – John McCain included – who would speak as this president has spoken, and stick to it over so many years. That doesn't make George W. Bush perfect. It does help explain why so many who share his prayer were so moved by the sight of this Texas Methodist standing on the White House lawn alongside his gentle Bavarian visitor.