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| Pope and President Seek Common Cause Amid Prickly Issues | Pope and President Seek Common Cause Amid Prickly Issues |
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| VATICAN CITY — They are an unlikely pair with seemingly much in common: an Argentine pope and an American president who each burst onto the global scene as a history-making change agent, each promising to promote a new post-partisan ethos, each having made the cover of Rolling Stone. | VATICAN CITY — They are an unlikely pair with seemingly much in common: an Argentine pope and an American president who each burst onto the global scene as a history-making change agent, each promising to promote a new post-partisan ethos, each having made the cover of Rolling Stone. |
| But when President Obama and Pope Francis meet on Thursday, the question is whether the common arcs of their political biographies also amount to true political common ground. | But when President Obama and Pope Francis meet on Thursday, the question is whether the common arcs of their political biographies also amount to true political common ground. |
| Having spent the first leg of his European tour consumed by the Ukraine crisis, Mr. Obama arrives at the Vatican hoping to change the subject to income inequality and America’s struggling middle class, a topic in which his aides see similarities to the antipoverty economic themes embraced by the pope in his first year. | |
| Francis’s plain-spoken and humble style has quickly made him one of the world’s most recognizable and popular figures — so popular that the pope recently criticized his own celebrity status. White House aides see significant political upsides in the meeting at a time when the president is hoping his economic initiatives, such as a push to raise the minimum wage, will minimize losses in midterm elections this fall. | Francis’s plain-spoken and humble style has quickly made him one of the world’s most recognizable and popular figures — so popular that the pope recently criticized his own celebrity status. White House aides see significant political upsides in the meeting at a time when the president is hoping his economic initiatives, such as a push to raise the minimum wage, will minimize losses in midterm elections this fall. |
| Yet the meeting also bears risks for the president: Francis’s economic message, if still not fully defined, has focused on the abject poor, not the middle class. As the first pope from the developing world, Francis has expressed a more biting skepticism about the impact of American-style capitalism than any American president ever could. | Yet the meeting also bears risks for the president: Francis’s economic message, if still not fully defined, has focused on the abject poor, not the middle class. As the first pope from the developing world, Francis has expressed a more biting skepticism about the impact of American-style capitalism than any American president ever could. |
| And even as Francis has sought to steer the Roman Catholic Church away from the culture wars, he is still expected to raise the strong opposition by American bishops to provisions in the Affordable Care Act that require most employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception. A senior Vatican official, speaking on condition of anonymity, predicted a smooth and successful meeting but noted that Francis “will be well prepared on Obamacare.” | And even as Francis has sought to steer the Roman Catholic Church away from the culture wars, he is still expected to raise the strong opposition by American bishops to provisions in the Affordable Care Act that require most employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception. A senior Vatican official, speaking on condition of anonymity, predicted a smooth and successful meeting but noted that Francis “will be well prepared on Obamacare.” |
| Popes and presidents have been meeting since President Woodrow Wilson came to the Vatican in 1919. President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II made common cause against communism, but often what resonates are the gestures and the personal chemistry between the two men — or the lack of it. | Popes and presidents have been meeting since President Woodrow Wilson came to the Vatican in 1919. President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II made common cause against communism, but often what resonates are the gestures and the personal chemistry between the two men — or the lack of it. |
| When Mr. Obama met Pope Benedict XVI in July 2009, the meeting was described as very cordial, with broad discussions over foreign policy. Yet the tone-setting gesture was a gift from Benedict to the president: a copy of a Vatican book on bioethics that condemned embryonic stem cell research and abortion rights. The president, who supports both issues, joked that it would provide him with reading material for his outbound flight. | When Mr. Obama met Pope Benedict XVI in July 2009, the meeting was described as very cordial, with broad discussions over foreign policy. Yet the tone-setting gesture was a gift from Benedict to the president: a copy of a Vatican book on bioethics that condemned embryonic stem cell research and abortion rights. The president, who supports both issues, joked that it would provide him with reading material for his outbound flight. |
| “I don’t expect Francis will be handing out books,” said John Thavis, a longtime Vatican analyst and author of “The Vatican Diaries.” | “I don’t expect Francis will be handing out books,” said John Thavis, a longtime Vatican analyst and author of “The Vatican Diaries.” |
| He said differences on abortion and the Affordable Care Act would most likely arise in the private conversation between the two men, but predicted that the agenda would focus more on issues of shared concern like inequality, human trafficking, food security and conflict-torn regions in the Middle East and Africa. | |
| “Everyone knows they disagree about this issue already,” Mr. Thavis said. “It isn’t a surprise. The meeting will remind people that there are issues that go beyond the health care and contraception issues.” | “Everyone knows they disagree about this issue already,” Mr. Thavis said. “It isn’t a surprise. The meeting will remind people that there are issues that go beyond the health care and contraception issues.” |
| Changing the tone of the papacy has been central to Francis’s first year, and his distaste for the confrontational emphasis on issues like abortion and homosexuality has given hope to some Democrats that the political emphasis of the hierarchy of the American church might also gradually shift. But Francis has been more critical and outspoken than most establishment Democrats, repeatedly addressing the plight of the global poor, condemning the “idolatry of money” and warning about unchecked capitalism. | Changing the tone of the papacy has been central to Francis’s first year, and his distaste for the confrontational emphasis on issues like abortion and homosexuality has given hope to some Democrats that the political emphasis of the hierarchy of the American church might also gradually shift. But Francis has been more critical and outspoken than most establishment Democrats, repeatedly addressing the plight of the global poor, condemning the “idolatry of money” and warning about unchecked capitalism. |
| “Pope Francis is challenging the capitalist system to deal with the common good,” said Sister Simone Campbell, the executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobby founded by nuns. | “Pope Francis is challenging the capitalist system to deal with the common good,” said Sister Simone Campbell, the executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobby founded by nuns. |
| “While President Obama talked about the need to build up the middle class, I don’t see any politician here changing the economic structures.” | “While President Obama talked about the need to build up the middle class, I don’t see any politician here changing the economic structures.” |
| Even so, White House aides welcome the pope’s broader anti-poverty message at a time when Mr. Obama has been talking about income inequality in the United States. They say the president is eager to discuss these issues with the pope. | Even so, White House aides welcome the pope’s broader anti-poverty message at a time when Mr. Obama has been talking about income inequality in the United States. They say the president is eager to discuss these issues with the pope. |
| “He has very much admired the leadership he has provided in his first year as pope, his commitment to address issues like income inequality, and his leadership of the church more broadly,” said Benjamin J. Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser. | “He has very much admired the leadership he has provided in his first year as pope, his commitment to address issues like income inequality, and his leadership of the church more broadly,” said Benjamin J. Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser. |
| After a brief public appearance at the Vatican, the pope and the president will meet privately on Thursday morning, and analysts expect the agenda will closely follow talks held in January between Secretary of State John Kerry, himself a Roman Catholic, and his Vatican counterpart, Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. | After a brief public appearance at the Vatican, the pope and the president will meet privately on Thursday morning, and analysts expect the agenda will closely follow talks held in January between Secretary of State John Kerry, himself a Roman Catholic, and his Vatican counterpart, Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. |
| In that meeting, Archbishop Parolin raised the Affordable Care Act, but the bulk of the time was spent discussing Syria, the Middle East, South Sudan, religious freedom and global poverty. | In that meeting, Archbishop Parolin raised the Affordable Care Act, but the bulk of the time was spent discussing Syria, the Middle East, South Sudan, religious freedom and global poverty. |
| Last September, as the Obama administration was contemplating military strikes against Syria, Francis condemned any escalation of the violence and held a prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter’s Square. | Last September, as the Obama administration was contemplating military strikes against Syria, Francis condemned any escalation of the violence and held a prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter’s Square. |
| Mr. Obama ultimately turned away from military action, and while it is difficult to gauge the pope’s influence, if any, the moment signaled that Francis, like other popes, intends to press his agenda on global peace and also on the persecution of Christians in countries that prevent freedom of worship. | Mr. Obama ultimately turned away from military action, and while it is difficult to gauge the pope’s influence, if any, the moment signaled that Francis, like other popes, intends to press his agenda on global peace and also on the persecution of Christians in countries that prevent freedom of worship. |
| “Popes have been dealing with world leaders since the time of Charlemagne,” said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large of America, the national Catholic magazine. “This is part of their role.” | “Popes have been dealing with world leaders since the time of Charlemagne,” said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large of America, the national Catholic magazine. “This is part of their role.” |
| Father Martin also noted that for all the political and social issues likely to be discussed between the pope and the president, he expected that one “overlooked” topic would also be on the agenda: Christianity. | Father Martin also noted that for all the political and social issues likely to be discussed between the pope and the president, he expected that one “overlooked” topic would also be on the agenda: Christianity. |
| “This is a meeting between two Christians who take their faiths seriously, and who are both public Christian intellectuals,” he said. “I would imagine that some of the meeting would probably focus on the Gospel.” | “This is a meeting between two Christians who take their faiths seriously, and who are both public Christian intellectuals,” he said. “I would imagine that some of the meeting would probably focus on the Gospel.” |