Socialist Prime Minister of Spain Attends National Prayer Breakfast
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Spain's Prime Minister, socialist Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Spain’s Prime Minister, socialist Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is in Washington this week for a series of meetings with political and economic leaders.
The centerpiece of his visit is the “National Prayer Breakfast” on Thursday, where he is an invited speaker along with President Barack Obama.
More than 3,000 invited guests from 120 countries will take part in today´s event at the Washington Hilton. By tradition, the sitting U.S. president is the principal speaker.
Spain currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union and Zapatero’s Feb. 3-4 stay in Washington was initially intended to prepare for May’s U.S.-EU summit.
Zapatero’s role in the breakfast, hosted by Congress and organized by conservative religious-based group The Fellowship Foundation, is a source of scrutiny in his home country.
The minister originally announced that he was invited by Obama to attend the breakfast. After reviewing the invitation, the Moncloa realized he was invited by the host organization and not by the White House. It may be assumed that the White House sought an invitation for the visiting PM.
Stickier still is the religious nature of the event. Spain, traditionally Catholic, has seen in Zapatero´s socialist policies one of the most anti-Catholic administrations in the history of Spanish democracy.
Zapatero’s six years in office include sweeping social laws promoting abortion, same-sex marriage and other controversial legislation in the areas of education and social affairs.
Zapatero’s Socialist Party is largely agnostic, though the minister has never made his religious beliefs known. Questions have arisen what exactly Zapatero will say at the breakfast and how he will say them.
In addition to being the first foreign leader in office to attend the breakfast (British PM Tony Blair was last year’s speaker, but he had had since left office), Zapatero does not speak a word of English.
He would become the first speaker to address the breakfast in Spanish. It’s a mildly complicated situation. When the Moncloa reportedly asked the White House for an interpreter, the White House replied they had nothing to do with the event.
Regardless what is said, it can be assumed that Zapatero will use the event to plea with Obama to reverse a decision not to attend the next European Union summit in April in Madrid.
In fact, it was the Spanish PM who assumed Obama would attend the meeting even though the summit never appeared in the White House’s agenda.
Zapatero, coming up for re-election in the midst of a devastating financial crisis, was hoping for a photo op with the American president on home soil.
The Americano / Agencies
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Here’s the Bible quote that the agnostic Prime Minister of Spain read at the National Prayer Breakfast:
“Do not exploit the poor and humble worker, be he one of your fellow countrymen or a foreigner who lives in the cities of your country. Pay him his daily wages the same day, before the sun sets, because he is needy and his life depends on his wages.” Deuteronomy 24:14-15.