The President and the Pope

[Volokh, Eugene]

	Hmm -- I haven't gotten the same sense; might I ask which
particular presidential initiative (as opposed to broad policy goals
related to abortion, gay marriage, etc.) the President was asking the
Pope to support?

	More broadly, would there be a *constitutionally significant*
difference there?  Is it that LBJ would have been entitled to say "tell
your congregations to take seriously Christ's teachings of dignity, and
renounce racism and support civil rights," but would have violated the
Constitution by saying "tell your congregations to take seriously
Christ's teachings of dignity, and renounce racism and support civil
rights by supporting laws that ban discrimination and an end to
segregated schools"?

	Eugene

> -----Original Message-----
> From: religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu 
> [mailto:religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu] On Behalf Of 
> Newsom Michael
> Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 1:57 PM
> To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
> Subject: RE: The President and the Pope
> 
> 
> There is a difference between asking the Pope to support 
> broad policy goals and asking the Pope to support a 
> particular presidential initiative.  My sense of the reports 
> is that Bush's remarks tended toward the second position, not 
> the first.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Volokh, Eugene [mailto:VOLOKH at law.ucla.edu] 
> Sent: Monday, June 14, 2004 11:32 AM
> To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
> Subject: RE: The President and the Pope
> 
> A question:  Say that in the 1960s, the President told a 
> group of white Protestant leaders that they needed to tell 
> their congregations to take seriously Christ's teachings of 
> human dignity, and to renounce racism and support civil 
> rights.  Or say that in 2004 in an alternate universe, 
> President Gore told religious groups that they should tell 
> their congregations about the importance of protecting God's 
> creationagainst environmental disaster.  Constitutional problem?
> 
> Eugene
> 
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