Reuters
The Pope tries to educate Obama on bioethics
President Barack Obama promised Pope Benedict on Friday that he would do everything possible to reduce the number of abortions in the United States,the Vatican said.
Obama and Benedict held private talks for about 40 minutes in the pope’s frescoed study in the Vatican’s apostolic palace and the Vatican said bioethics and life issues were a central part of the discussion.
In a surprise move,the pontiff gave Obama a booklet explaining Vatican opposition to practices such as abortion and embryonic stem cell research,which Obama supports.
“Obama told the pope of his commitment to reduce the number of abortions and of his attention and respect for the positions of the Catholic Church,”Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters after he was briefed by the pope.
Obama supports abortion rights and says his policy is to change economic and social conditions so as to put more women in situations where they do not feel they have to have an abortion.