Edmund Stoiber Holds Another Private Audience With Pope

Former prime minister of Bavaria Edmund Stoiber met with Pope Benedict xvi April 9 at the pope’s summer home in Castel Gandolfo.

While heads of state may have to settle with only a brief meeting with the pope, this apparent political has-been and EU bureaucrat meets regularly with the pope. The two know each other from their time working at the University of Regensburg.

This time, Stoiber was there to present Benedict with a book in which several famous people, mainly from Bavaria, share their thoughts on the pope.

But the meeting was more than a book presentation. Stoiber’s spokesman said the main discussion revolved around the pope’s visit to Latin America and the state of the European Union.

Stoiber and Benedict are two men the Trumpet has closely watched for several years. Benedict has made it no secret that he wants to revive Catholicism’s influence in Europe, while Stoiber has made it quite clear he is a staunch supporter of the Vatican. Stoiber currently has no portfolio in the German government, although he serves as the anti-bureaucracy chairman within the European Commission. Yet he is one of only a few men to be granted an extended private audience with the most powerful man in the world’s largest single religion.

Stoiber could still prove to be a useful ally for the Vatican, as the pope strives to turn Europe back to its Catholic roots.