The 28 March 2014 edition of CBS Evening News featured a previously unaired portion of Scott Pelley's interview of President Obama about his recent meeting with Pope Francis. The Vatican press office noted on Thursday that "there was a discussion on questions of particular relevance for the Church...such as the exercise of the rights to religious freedom, life and conscientious objection," a reference to the Catholic Church's objection to ObamaCare's abortifacient/contraception mandate.
But instead of asking about this discussion, Pelley gave the President the kid glove treatment:
SCOTT PELLEY: What did the Pope say to you in that meeting that inspired you?
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Well, we spent a bulk of our conversation around issues of poverty and inequality – themes that he's been talking about quite a bit – and, obviously, issues that I care about deeply. Those of us who do well in this global economy are doing better than ever, but big chunks of the middle class [are] feeling like their position is slipping. The very poor are finding fewer and fewer ladders to get into the middle class. What the Pope is able to do, in a way that no politician to (sic) do, is to shake people's conscience, and to shine a light on the problem.
