Bush Greets, Praises Newly Elected Pope
Posted on: Tuesday, 19 April 2005, 15:00 CDT
WASHINGTON - President Bush on Tuesday called newly elected pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, a "man of great wisdom and knowledge." He's "a man who serves the Lord," Bush said of Ratzinger, the Roman Catholic Church's leading hard-liner, who was elected pope Tuesday at the Vatican.
Bush, standing next to his wife, Laura Bush, remembered how they listened to Ratzinger's homily at Pope John Paul II's funeral 11 days earlier.
"We remember well his sermon at the pope's funeral in Rome, how his words touched our hearts and the hearts of millions," Bush said. "We join with our fellow citizens and millions around the world who pray for continued strength and wisdom as his holiness leads the Catholic church."
Bush spoke to reporters on the South Lawn after returning from Springfield, Ill., where he attended the dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Bush was informed that a new pope had been elected just before he took the stage. The president learned that it was Ratzinger as he was leaving the library event.
Earlier this month, Bush became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a papal funeral. He called Pope John Paul II a man he said faced down totalitarianism and showed communist rulers that "moral truth had legions of its own."
Ratzinger, who turned 78 on Saturday, chose the name Benedict XVI . His age clearly was a factor among cardinals who favored a transitional pope who could lead the church as it absorbs John Paul II's legacy, rather than a younger cardinal who could wind up with another long pontificate.
At the State Department, spokesman Adam Ereli said the United States welcomed the announcement of the new pope.
"We look forward to working with His Holiness and the Holy See to build upon our already excellent bilateral relationship and to promote human dignity across the world," Ereli said.
Source: Associated Press/AP Online
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