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Article: The American-Vatican divide: abuse crisis, war on Iraq revive historical distance between divergent cultures. (Analysis).(International)
- Article from:
- National Catholic Reporter
- Article date:
- May 30, 2003
- Author:
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Although the shooting in Iraq may be over, the war of words between Rome and Washington continues, as the Vatican has once again criticized American policy in remarkably strong terms. As things turn out, the "clash of culture" most exacerbated by the Iraq war may not be between Christianity and Islam, but between the Holy See and the United States.
If so, it would mark not a new chapter in relations between the United States and the Vatican, but a return to the ambiguity that has long characterized attitudes in Rome toward the superpower across the Atlantic. This reserve has been rekindled in recent months not only by the war, but also by the American sex abuse ...