Pope Breaks Diplomatic Protocol to Bless Barack Obama

APPA NEWS, EDINBURGH-UK - The Holy See, known for its rigid diplomatic protocol, has opened an exception and protocol went straight out of the window as fast as Barack Obama was confirmed as the President elect of the United States.

The Vatican normally sends formal congratulatory blessings and felicitations messages to politicians around the world, but usually only on the day of Inauguration of Office and never before.

Obama’s historic victory however seemed to have moved the Holy See off its usual diplomatic rumblings as the Pope’s spokesman, Fr. Lombardy confirmed today a “private message” of congratulations has been sent off, signed by His Holiness, the contents of which are yet to be known in full [if ever!], but the Vatican confirmed Pope Benedict XVI sent Barack Obama His blessing of God wishing it “will support Obama and the American people so that with all people of good will, “a world of peace, solidarity and justice can be built”.

On Obama’s Inauguration Day - 20th January 2009 - a formal message will be sent, said Fr. Lombardi who took the opportunity to confirm the Holy See is keen to cooperate with the new US Administration, including sensitive issues concerning Christian communities in the Middle East, as well as other troubled areas of the world.

The Vatican approach could have not been more at odds with that of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi,

who preferred to congratulate Barack Obama, by offering him “some good advice” on the first meeting together somewhere in the very near future. Berlusconi’s message has already sparked some “smiles” and raised eyebrows, amid public criticism of his patronising message to Barack Obama, in the light of his long lasting ally stance with George W. Bush.

EU Commission President Durao Barroso Hails Barack Obama

APPA NEWS, LONDON - UK - European Union Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso has been quick, in fact one of the very first to salute President elect of the United States of America, Barack Obama, on what is being estimated in political circles around the World, as a huge landslide victory!

According to British newswires, Mr Durão Barroso has sent messages of congratulations to the newly elected President of the United States saying that “Senator Obama will be taking office at a critical juncture. There are many pressing challenges facing the international community, including the global financial crisis and global warming.”

However politically correct, the move is nonetheless a surprising 360 degrees twist, as it is historically well known that Mr Barroso played host at the Azores Summit, which he proposed himself, to Toni Blair and President George W. Bush, days before America and

 the UK embarked on the War against Iraq.

Mr Durão Barroso, who was at the time the Portuguese Prime Minister, became the nominee of choice for the presidency of the European Commission, shortly after.

Popular memory may be short, but journalism must remain independent and recall the record of that day, 16 of March 2003, when José Manuel Durão Barroso, Toni Blair, José Maria Aznar and George W. Bush met to come up with a declarative statement on the issue of Iraq, which, we may agree, presented some Peace rhetoric, courtesy of Mr Barroso, together with enough jargon about weapons of mass destruction which never

existed, based upon intelligence, which was wrong, despite United Nations resolutions that condemned Iraq but did not convey a licence to invade or go to war and ultimately, against scores and scores in Public Opinion, strongly opposed to war in Iraq, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Doubtless, five years later, Mr Barroso is right about the new USA President elect taking office “at a critical juncture”.

We are wondering and keen to find out indeed, whose “juncture” ?… Barack Obama’s?… Or Mr Barroso’s himself?

For a full transcript of the Azores Summit, 16 March 2003, click here.