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Pope Benedict XVI yesterday urged President Bush to do more to protect Christians from violence in Iraq and to promote humane solutions to the problem of illegal immigration and then chided America's Catholic bishops for their bad handling of the sexual abuse crisis.
He also was sharply critical of American culture, saying its strongly individualist streak tempts Catholics "to pick and choose" among church teachings. Although at the White House, Benedict praised U.S. political arrangements in separating church and state without driving religion from society, as he says has happened in Europe, he last night warned the church's U.S. leaders that the American way has its own downside.
The private midday meeting in the Oval Office between the pontiff and the president also involved discussions of the Israel-Palestinian peace process at length, but little else was made public about the meeting.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said that the two men discussed the Iraq war, but that the conversation was mostly about protecting Christians from violence. The White House said the topic of the Iraq war was raised by Mr. Bush, not the pope.
Benedict has been critical of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but Mrs. Perino said she was "reluctant to get any more detail ... because [the two leaders] had an understanding that it would be private."
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On immigration, a joint statement released after the meeting spoke of the need for a "coordinated" policy that results in "humane treatment" of immigrants and considers "the well-being of their families."
Before their meeting, Mr. Bush and first lady Laura Bush received the pope on the White House South Lawn for a ceremony in front of an estimated crowd of 13,500, nearly twice the 7,000 that gathered here one year ago for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain.
The throngs at the White House, and along the two motorcade routes traveled by the pope in his famous Mercedes popemobile, deluged the religious leader with praise and adulation, shouting well wishes for his 81st birthday and breaking into a spontaneous rendition on the South Lawn of "Happy Birthday."
The formal welcoming ceremonies also included a 21-gun salute, a singing of "The Lord's Prayer" by soprano Kathleen Battle, and a performance by a Colonial-era drum and fife unit. Other U.S. dignitaries present included Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the latter being the highest-ranking Catholic in U.S. elective office.
Benedict took pains to show his gratitude for the outpouring of affection, rising several times to stand — smiling — and wave with both arms.
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