Here is a mindblowing story in Sunday's
New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/13/politics/13george.html
Money quotes:
On his recent trip to Rome, President Bush asked a top Vatican official to push American bishops to speak out more about political issues, including same-sex marriage, according to a report in the National Catholic Reporter, an independent newspaper.
In a column posted Friday evening on the paper's Web site, John L. Allen Jr., its correspondent in Rome and the dean of Vatican journalists, wrote that Mr. Bush had made the request in a June 4 meeting with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state. Citing an unnamed Vatican official, Mr. Allen wrote: "Bush said, 'Not all the American bishops are with me' on the cultural issues. The implication was that he hoped the Vatican would nudge them toward more explicit activism."
Mr. Allen wrote that others in the meeting confirmed that the president had pledged aggressive efforts "on the cultural front, especially the battle against gay marriage, and asked for the Vatican's help in encouraging the U.S. bishops to be more outspoken." Cardinal Sodano did not respond, Mr. Allen reported, citing the same unnamed sources.
What disturbs me even more than the violation of the seperation of church and state is that the Vatican was in no way taken aback by the request. In no way did they think it crass. In fact, they seemed to welcome it.
Of course, any effort to deride Bush's actions will be spun as an attack against Christianity, possibly even anti-Catholic. Rove has decided that if they can't make headway in portraying Kerry as unpatriotic, they are going to question the depth of his faith.
My jaw is scrapping the floor at the moment.