Papal no to politicians

In another interesting twist, Pope Benedict is restricting the number of political audiences he grants. From now on, the pope will receive only heads of state and heads of government, clearly a move to prevent politicians from claiming the papal stamp of approval. Of course, B16 has shown no compunction about getting into politics himself, but at least no one else will be able to use his office for political purposes.

We'll see if the U.S. bishops follow his lead as the 2006 mid-term election season heats up.