Author: Thomas H. Naylor

“He came, he saw, and he conquered the hearts and minds of the American people,” is not an inappropriate description of the six-day visit and PR, media blitz of Pope Benedict XVI, brilliantly orchestrated by the Bush administration and the Roman Catholic Church.

In an attempt to regain some of the moral authority which it has lost over the past seven years as a result of the lies and culture of deceit associated with its contrived war on terrorism, the Bush administration wrapped itself in the vestments of the conservative, anti-Muslim Pope. The Andrews Air Force Base welcoming, the garish, militaristic, White House lawn ceremony, and the private audience with the Pope all contributed to the image of President Bush as a deeply devoted man of great faith. And the American people loved it.

Although the Pope is ostensibly opposed to the war in Iraq, the war was never mentioned publicly by the Pope during his visit. By agreeing to hold a prayer service at Ground Zero in New York City, the Pope provided much needed legitimacy for the Bush administration’s militaristic approach to terrorism. Everyone knows, particularly Muslims, that 9/11 is the defining metaphor for Bush’s war on terrorism. The pious, angelic-looking Pope seen kneeling at Ground Zero and blessing the site of the enormous tragedy is the same Pope who criticized Islam two years ago during a lecture at a German university and recently baptized the most high-profile Muslim in Italy on Easter Sunday. The symbolism of all of this could not possibly have gone unnoticed by the Muslim world.

Not only did Benedict XVI bestow upon Bush an increased sense of moral authority but he also provided him with a very strong moral argument which can be used to justify attacking Iran or any other country with whom our government happens not to agree.

In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, the Pope stressed the importance of defending human rights. He said that if states are unable to guarantee the protection of human rights, “the international community must intervene with the juridical means provided in the U.N. charter and in other international instruments.” He further warned that, “failure to intervene” in other nations’ human-rights violations could give rise to “real damage.” This is surely a license to steal. It provides the United States with the rationale for attacking any nation which it claims is engaged in human-rights violations. It fits the Bush administration’s policy of full spectrum dominance, including pre-emptive military strikes, like a glove.

But Bush was not the only beneficiary of the Pope’s visit. The other was the Catholic Church itself. By confronting the Church’s sexual abuse scandal and meeting with five of its American victims, the Pope effectively diffused the impact of the scandal thus restoring some of the Church’s lost moral authority.

Each of the six major national television news networks had its own Catholic priest serving as a consultant during the six-day extravaganza. The role of the priests was to spin the Pope’s visit in such a way as to maximize the PR benefits which might accrue to the Church. My favorite priest was the Fox News, Vatican based, smaltzy consultant Father Jonathan Morris.

With his message of hope and reconciliation Benedict XVI ruffled no feathers during his entire stay. He had something for everyone. But the big winners were the Bush administration, the Israeli lobby, which wants to invade Iran, and the Catholic Church itself.

And how did the Pope’s visit to America end? With a farewell ceremony at Kennedy Airport organized by America’s very own Prince of Peace, Dick Cheney.

Rebél
Thomas H. Naylor
May 1, 2008

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