Vatican: Obama seeks "common ground" on abortion

Source: Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- The Vatican said Monday that President Barack Obama was clearly looking for some common ground with his speech at the University of Notre Dame about abortion.

The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano said Obama's speech at the leading Catholic university on Sunday confirmed what he had said at a recent news conference - that signing the so-called Freedom of Choice Act in the U.S. Congress wasn't his highest legislative priority. The bill would protect a woman's right to have a child or end a pregnancy.

Obama's stance on the issue is that he supports abortion rights but says the procedure should be rare.

-snip
Instead, it simply quoted Obama as inviting all Americans to work together to reduce the number of abortions and unwanted pregnancies, and concluded he was searching for common ground on the "delicate question of abortion."
The Vatican has been open to Obama ever since his election, despite his record on abortion and support for embryonic stem-cell research, which the Vatican also opposes.

Pope Benedict XVI broke Vatican protocol the day after Obama was elected, sending a personal note of congratulations rather than wait to send an official telegram on inauguration day.
In addition, L'Osservatore Romano gave Obama a positive review after his first 100 days in office, saying in a front-page editorial that even on ethical questions Obama hadn't confirmed the "radical" new direction he had discussed during the campaign.



Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VATICAN_OBAMA_ABORTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

over the past few weeks. The far right lay groups and a few bishops (who got their plugs in for internal promotions) did what they needed to do. That set the stage for Rome to come in with a more compromising approach.

Also, Rome is part of Europe and they have many problems that go worldwide and are not narrowly focused on abortion and gay marriage like we are in the states. :crazy:

they watch Godfather III. It showed much of the inner-workings at the Vatican, would make our CEOs look like Boy Scouts.... The politics within the Church are mind-boggling and the Vatican is the template.

Obviously, the first step to "common ground" is birth control and education in

normal human sexuality and contraception.

enamored of Obama -- so encouraged . . . ???

Echoes of Bush?

they mentioned another time in Italy the Vatican gave a big award to some politician who was pro-choice and accommodated him pretty well but the local bishops blew a few fuses.

or slavery? What is the common ground on the Holocaust, or legalization of marijuana?

Also, I haven't seen it mentioned here, but it looks like President Obama seems to be in favor of allowing people to not participate in abortions, if their conscience is in conflict with the procedure. Will that apply to pharmacists who don't want to sell or stock Plan B?

A lot of questions here...

NT!

NT!

a great President raises the level of discourse over those policies.

with the people who actually worked and donated to put him in office -- instead of with people who will turn on him like a junkyard dog if he stops pandering to them.

Repuke heads explode, tee hee hee!

birth control. No condoms, no pill, no diaphragm, no abortion, no nuttin', just rhythm and abstinence.

If Obama believes that a compromise with the Church is possible on abortion...well then he is delusional!