CNS STORY: Book by Vatican Radio editor looks at Obama and religion

OBAMA-GISOTTI Mar-9-2010 (370 words) xxxi

Book by Vatican Radio editor looks at Obama and religion

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To understand President Barack Obama, one must be aware of his personal experience of faith and the continuing importance of religion in U.S. political life, according to a new book written by a Vatican Radio editor.

"God and Obama: Faith and Politics at the White House" by Alessandro Gisotti takes a detailed look at the president's faith history and his efforts -- not always successful -- to construct a "common ground" with the Catholic Church.

While the book steers clear of political judgments, it portrays Obama as a complex figure who understands the weight of religion in forming political alliances.

"In the book, I note the merit of Obama in having brought faith back to the center of the agenda of the Democratic Party and having invested a lot of energy in dialogue with religious voters," Gisotti said in an interview with Catholic News Service in early March.

"But on abortion and the 'nonnegotiable values,' Obama does not seem to have differentiated himself from the policies of Democrats of the past, even though he has tried to seek a 'common ground' with the religious electorate," he said.

Two of the book's six chapters treat the question of abortion. It's an extremely important issue in the United States, Gisotti said, one that U.S. bishops have engaged with "courage and passion" -- something not widely known in Italy.

Gisotti said that in a more general sense, his book illustrates what historian Alexis de Tocqueville said about the United States in the 1800s: that religion must be regarded as "the foremost of (its) political institutions."

Despite the inroads of secularism, today more than 90 percent of Americans say they believe in God, he said. These religious beliefs remain an integral part of the political discourse, he said.

"This call to faith, to God, that's so visible in every area of public life has fascinated me since the first time I visited the United States," Gisotti said.

"The difference with Europe is obvious. On the old continent, there are increasingly strong pressures that would 'privatize' the faith, thus denying its identity. Faith is, in fact, always a personal matter but is never only a private one," he said.

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