The Muslim Times’ Editor’s Comment:
I hope President Obama openly acknowledges his middle name ‘Husain’ and some of his Islamic background, to the Pope and presents him a new book by Prof. Bart Ehrman, which came out day before yesterday, How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee.
This should bring two billion Christians and one and a half billion Muslims and fifteen million Jews, so much closer, to a shared view of our Transcendent God, who is beyond time, space and matter and cares for humanity more than a father and a mother.
President Barack Husain Obama and Pope Francis
Source: ABC News
President Obama meets for the first time with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday amidst high expectations on both sides.
The two men could find common ground on issues of social justice, but the meeting could also entail an admonishment for the ongoing conflict between the Obama administration and the Catholic Church over a contraception mandate in Obama’s signature health care law.
This is Obama’s second visit to the Vatican as president but his first with this pope, making this visit, like his last, a chance to make a good first impression.
In addition to the high expectations for their conversations, the ceremony involved in a meeting between the head of the Catholic Church and a U.S. President is not to be missed.
Here’s what to expect from this papal visit:
1. Pomp and circumstance
During President Obama’s first visit to the Vatican in 2009, he could be seen marveling at the masterpieces that adorned the walls and ceilings as he was escorted through Apostolic Palace accompanied by brightly dressed Swiss guards.
US President Barack Obama (L) and First Lady Michelle Obama meet with Pope Benedict XVI in his library at the Vatican, July 10, 2009 in Vatican City, Vatican. Obama was meeting with The Pope for the first time as President following the G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy.
“You can tell exactly who is coming by the number of Swiss Guards and Cardinals present,” said Father Gerald P. Fogarty, professor of Catholic History and Vatican Diplomacy at the University of Virginia.
Additional Reading
Jesus and Mary are loved by Muslims too
Categories: Americas, Europe and Australia
I am surprised, why sometimes, some of the Christians take exception to Hijab and modest dressing of Muslim women, when they themselves do the same in religious settings.
See the Hijab of the First Lady, Michelle Obama in the picture above.
Quoting CNN
(CNN) — U.S. President Barack Obama and Pope Francis met for the first time Thursday at Vatican City.
The two world leaders greeted each other with a smile and a handshake, and posed for pictures before sitting down across a table from each other.
The tete-a-tete was an opportunity for a reset of sorts between the Obama administration and Catholic leadership following several years of strained relations.
The goal: focus on areas where two of the world’s most influential men agree and gently tread ground where they differ.
That means the President and the Pontiff will, as the White House said in a statement, focus on “shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing (income) inequality” and gingerly navigate such thornier topics as same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion.
“In general, they’ll be looking for areas of conversation where there is great agreement between the Vatican and the administration,” said Steve Schneck, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/26/politics/obama-pope-meeting-politics/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
Anyway, it is nice of President Barak Hussain Obama, that he never tried to delete his middle name. He did sort of ‘ignore’ it, mentioning it openly the first time during his Cairo address. I wonder if it is mentioned on his passport? (Or do President’s not need one?)