Vatican and Obama admin: rocky relationship ahead?
by: Pam Spaulding
Sun Jan 04, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM EST
http://pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8911 (http://pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8911)
Papa Ratzi's boyz and the Obama admin are likely to lock horns on a few issues. This article in the NYT, "Forging a New Relationship," reminds folks of the fact when we talk about religious freedom, that the Pope is a head of state and therefore it's not simply a matter of religious disagreement over LGBT rights that we can ignore.
The bottom line is that Vatican City is a city-state monarchy with Papa Ratzi on the throne, a recognized territory under international law with immense influence around the world. It is realized as a diplomatic state via The Holy See. The Prada-loving Pope exercises supreme legislative, executive, and judicial power over the Holy See and the State of the Vatican City.
And the Obama administration comes in following an administration that saw eye-to-eye on social issues with the Pope. What will the future relationship look like? Well, on the day after the election, the president-elect received a telegram from Benedict.