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Leaning on his chair for support, the frail pontiff motioned for Bush to sit on the opposite side of the desk and the president did, perching expectantly on the edge of his armchair. The pope then took his seat, adjusted his desk mat and began their private talks. At a NATO-Russian summit before the meeting, Bush described the pope as "a man of enormous dignity and compassion, " and expressed a desire to discuss alleged sexual improprieties committed by priests in the United States. "I'm going to listen closely to what the Pope has to say, " Bush said. "I will tell him that I am concerned about the Catholic Church in America, I'm concerned about its standing. "I say that because the Catholic Church is an incredibly important institution in our country, " Bush said. "I'm also going to mention the fact that I appreciate the Pope's leadership. " Advertisement PAPAL SUMMONS Last month, the pope summoned U. S.
cardinals to the Vatican to discuss the sex scandals. He condemned sexual abuse by priests as criminal, and said there is no room in the priesthood for those who engage in such behavior. Bush's comments were his first on the matter since March, when he said he was confident the church would "clean up its business. " He backed embattled Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston, who has become a lightning rod for criticism since. Bush in Europe o Latest from the visit o NATO-Russia agreement o NBC: A Berliner's search o Newsweek: Europe's bite o NBC: Scrapping missiles o Opinion: Russia's role o Greens losing support o WP: Putin still hungry "I respect him a lot, " Bush said in March shortly after Law had given prosecutors the names of at least 80 priests accused of sexually abusing children. Roman Catholic voters are highly sought after, because they tend to switch party allegiances from election to election according to the candidate they prefer, and often can tip the balance at the ballot box.
Polls show Americans are disappointed by the church's handling of the sex abuse situation. CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES Bush last had an audience with the pope in July 2001. When the two met last July at the pope's summer residence, the top issue was stem cell research. The pope urged Bush to reject research on human embryos - one of many voices he heard before announcing support for federal funding for limited medical research on existing lines of embryonic cells. John Paul went into Tuesday's meeting after a trying five-day trip to Azerbaijan and Bulgaria, which concluded Sunday with the Vatican suggesting the pope may have to cut back on future trips.
Throughout his 24 -year papacy, the only trips postponed because of John Paul's health were a 1994 visit to New York after the pontiff broke his leg and a trip to Armenia in 1999 after he came down with the flu. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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