POPE / Magister: Obama has the right cards to start a new course

Ethical issues such as abortion and stem cell research and the fight against poverty were the focus of the meeting between Benedict XVI and Barack Obama, who met in Rome on Friday after the G8 Meeting. The points of disagreement are well known, with the U.S. president's pro-choice position; on the other hand, the hierarchy appreciates the willingness of the president to dialogue, and he has pledged to reduce the number of abortions in the United States. Sandro Magister, the Vatican reporter for L'Espresso, comments on the historic visit of the U.S. President, which came after a week of events of great importance.

Magister, on Friday there was the long-awaited meeting between Obama and Benedict XVI. At the beginning of the week there was the letter to Berlusconi on the occasion of the G8, with an invitation to seek solutions to help poor countries, and during the summit the meeting of his Holiness with the First Ladies the pontiff asked them "not to forget Africa." Will the 20 billion dollars in three years allocated by the summit be enough?

Certainly the Pope will have appreciated this. In any case, no financial contribution from the rich countries will be enough to solve the problem of development. What remains is an essential fact: Africa is an absolute priority in the geopolitics of the Holy See. It is the only continent where Catholicism, and Christianity in general, is growing. We can now say that half of the African population is Christian and in large part Catholic. This explains the concern of the Pope for Africa, at a time when the continent is at the heart of the G8. And it is no coincidence that the first words between Obama and the Pope were on the summit.

Off the program, the Pope gave to Obama a copy of Dignitas Personae, a document dedicated to the most controversial topic of bioethics; additionally, he gave him an autographed copy of Caritas in Veritate. This seems to be a very clear message ...

The two texts are not unrelated to each other. In this encyclical, there are passages of crucial importance regarding the anthropological issue which shows the very strong link that exists between fertility and economic development. We know that the view of the Church, which is shared by esteemed economists, is opposed to the Malthusian one which correlates economic development with a decrease in birth rates.

In the interview granted to Avvenire (the newspaper of the Italian Catholic Bishops Conference), Obama cites "the fight against poverty, children's welfare, the death penalty" and says that "this part of the Catholic tradition ... continually inspires" him. But something, by his own admission, has changed in the United States.

It is true, something has certainly changed in the Catholic world and in its hierarchy in the U.S.: almost one third of the episcopate, about eighty bishops out of over two hundred, recently have spoken very clearly on the issue of respect for life and at the same time critically of the administration. Now, this was unthinkable until recently. But there is an understanding that ethical issues are not unrelated to these commonly and hastily invoked as "social" issues. We are beginning a new phase.

But there is also a certain element that looks at the new Obama presidency with admiration. What should we think of that?

At the top of the Church there are different emphases in the relations with the Obama administration. There is one critic that I cited, shared by the chairman of the U.S. Bishops Conference, Cardinal George, who, it should not be forgotten, knows the president because he is the bishop of the diocese of Chicago, but he is not the only one. There is also a much more comprehensive position, which I would call a "European" type, with a different approach particularly sensitive to political power, for which a more complex logic prevails, which appeals more to mediation than conflict. And the cardinal who became a spokesman for a more "friendly" interpretation of the Obama presidency was Cardinal Georges Cottier, former theologian of the Pontifical House.

To return to the events of the week, the encyclical came out on the eve of the G8. What is your opinion as a Vatican observer?

Certainly the document is not an easy read. But the substantial passages, found in a compilation which is perhaps too long and not particularly clear, are very effective, and they are those in which the hand of Professor Ratzinger is seen more, starting from the title, which emphasizes the link between charity and truth. From a strong theological base, the other elements spring forth, some of which are certainly of current interest, such as the point about the strong link between fertility and development and the principle of subsidiarity and even the usefulness of the presence of a "global political authority" (No. 67, ed.). Without reaching this level of a quasi-utopia, what remains strong and essential is the call for governance based on moral principles.

In your opinion, did the meeting between Obama and Benedict XVI launch a new course with respect to the relationship between the Catholic Church and the American administration from what we have seen so far?

I would say that the element of continuity is much stronger than that of conflict, even if some of these points are critical. The continuity is the fact that the Church's leaders are fully aware of having to work with a political power carrying the weight of the world and at the same time with a country in which democracy, freedom and the aspiration to happiness are the first order and where there is a fruitful relationship between religion and politics. These are factors which a Pope like Joseph Ratzinger cannot fail to appreciate.

And the points of disagreement?

Benedict XVI is well aware of them and so is Obama. There is at the same time, however, an awareness that a common way is possible and above all that it is worth a try. This is not a small thing, and this is something that the Holy See in particular appreciates. Obama himself has sent very clear signals.

What are you referring to ?

In recent decades, every time a U.S. president has come to Italy, the visit was preceded by an interview with a major Italian newspaper, usually chosen from among the Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, Sole 24 Ore or La Stampa. This time he broke the rule, granting interviews to Vatican Radio and Avvenire, sending an unmistakable message: the meeting with the Pope was, and is, a priority.