VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI stressed the church’s opposition to abortion and stem-cell research in his first meeting with President Barack Obama on Friday, pressing the Vatican’s case with the U.S. leader, who is under fire on those issues from some conservative Catholics and bishops back home.
The 30-minute Vatican audience was described by both sides as positive — constructive talks between two men who agree on helping the poor and pushing for Middle East peace but disagree on what the Vatican considers prime ethical issues.
“It’s a great honor,” Obama said, greeting the pope and thanking him for the meeting.
Afterward, the Vatican said the leaders discussed immigration, the Middle East peace process and aid to developing nations.
The Vatican’s statement also underscored the pair’s deep disagreement on abortion.
“In the course of their cordial exchanges, the conversation turned first of all to questions, which are in the interest of all and which constitute a great challenge . . . such as the defense and promotion of life and the right to abide by one’s conscience,” the statement said.
Even in his gift to the president, the pope sought to underscore his beliefs. Benedict gave Obama a copy of a Vatican document on bioethics that hardened the church’s opposition to using embryos for stem-cell research, cloning and in-vitro fertilization. Obama supports stem-cell research.
“Yes, this is what we had talked about,” Obama said, telling the pope he would read it on the flight to his next stop, Ghana.
Benedict’s spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, insisted the talks between the two leaders were not “polemical” and that the issues in the 2008 document were known to be of special interest to the church in America.
He said Benedict told him after the meeting that Obama pledged to seek to reduce abortions, a promise the president made publicly during a visit to Notre Dame University that was contested by conservatives.
Denis McDonough, a deputy White House national security aide, said of the pope and Obama, “They discussed a range of those issues, and I think the president was eager to listen to the Holy Father.”
He said Obama was “eager to find common ground on these issues and to work aggressively to do that.” But he said there may be some issues on which they can’t agree.
McDonough said the topics discussed included interfaith dialogue, a shared desire for Middle East peace, the president’s effort to reach out to Muslims, a mutual desire to fight militarism and extremism and a shared interest in overhauling immigration rules and practices.
Some Catholic activists and American bishops have been outspoken in their criticism of Obama, though polls have shown he received a majority of Catholic votes.
Obama’s wife, Michelle, joined him at the end of the meeting with Benedict, and gifts were exchanged.
Daughters Malia and Sasha, who accompanied their parents on the trip, also met the pope.
Obama arrives in Ghana
President Barack Obama landed in Ghana soon after 9 p.m. local time Friday and met a long line of dignitaries, led by Ghanaian President John Atta Mills. A group danced and banged drums for his arrival.
Obama will make a speech to lawmakers there and tour an oceanfront fort once used to ship slaves to the Americas. Obama, joined by his wife and two daughters, will be in Ghana less than 24 hours.
The Associated Press
