Oh goodness!! It is shocking that some ignorant people do not know that Catholics are even Christians yet. Stuff like that gives little hope that their will be any religious harmony in the more conservative parts of America very soon, doesn't it?
I usually weigh motive as being much more important than anything else when an event occurs. If Clinton took Communion in a hypocritical manner, for publicity, or to whitewash his tarnished image, then I do not think it was proper. His spinmeisters are notorious slime, in my personal opinion. I try to disregard them completely, though that is difficult to do. Certainly, they don't speak well for Clinton's character.
On the other hand, advance people on presidential trips are also charged with evaluating what experiences the president will have, what ceremonies he will participate in, etc. One of their primary jobs is protocol, and making sure no one is offended. All points like how to participate in a religious ceremony would be worked out beforehand, so that fact in itself does not cause me to conclude that there was a crass political motive.
If Clinton truly believed that his actions were respectful, appropriate, and ecumenical--bringing people together--then in my opinion he was not offensive. But I am not Catholic, and I am sure there would be disagreement on that. |
