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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Pope Benedict and Catholic America

    President Bush is giving the full head-of-state treatment to Pope Benedict XVI , a powerful critic of the war in Iraq, not to mention capital punishment and the boycott of Cuba. But today on the White House lawn, both leaders spoke warmly of their relationship and the importance of religion in America's public life.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    President Bush is giving the full head-of-state treatment to Pope Benedict XVI, a powerful critic of the war in Iraq, not to mention capital punishment and the boycott of Cuba. But today on the White House lawn, both leaders spoke warmly of their relationship and the importance of religion in America's public life. Before a crowd of thousands, the Pope quoted the Declaration of Independence and said he had "great respect for this vast pluralistic society." He emphasized the importance both of religious faith and reason in public debate. He also called for global solidarity and "the patient efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts." We hear what the Pope's visit means to almost 25% of the US population, about half of them Latinos. Why are so many Catholics becoming Pentecostal Protestants? What's the role of the continuing scandal over pedophile priests?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Pope Benedict XVI Visits America
    1. 1:38Supreme Court Upholds Lethal Injection
    2. 7:23Pope Benedict and Catholic AmericaYou’re reading this
    3. 42:48Al Qaeda's Bureaucrats
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Dan Konecky

      Producer, To the Point

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Julie Rafferty

      Volunteer, Voice of the Faithful

    • KCRW placeholder

      Bill Donohue

      President, Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michael Sean Winters

      National Catholic Reporter

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Pope Benedict XVI Visits America
    1. 1:38Supreme Court Upholds Lethal Injection
    2. 7:23Pope Benedict and Catholic AmericaYou’re reading this
    3. 42:48Al Qaeda's Bureaucrats
    Back to To the Point