What does the pope know? John Boehner's interaction with the pope...does he know more than he says

Interesting article outlining a reporters unusual interaction with the pope...

[link to www.washingtonpost.com]

Finally, Boehner appeared, walking toward the House’s exit and his waiting caravan of SUVs. In a dark suit and the same grass-colored tie he had worn all day, he grinned and shook his head playfully as he spotted us. But then he did something unusual, a move out of character. Instead of rushing past and ignoring our peppered questions — the Boehner response familiar to lingering reporters — he slowed and moved closer, extending his hands.

“Look at you! Where have you been?” Boehner asked me. He then leaned in, put his hands on our shoulders, and nodded toward a small circular area on the first floor near a bust of Winston Churchill. “Come over here, let me show you something,” he said.

Boehner moved a few steps over and closed his eyes for a moment, seeming to recall what it was like for him as Pope Francis entered the Capitol. His blue eyes grew moist and his voice shaky. He asked me to stand inches from him, in essence standing in for Pope Francis as he recreated the scene, perhaps hoping to savor the rush of it all again while the memory was fresh.

Sherman and I looked at each other, both a little uncomfortable. But Boehner’s unprompted interest in telling us the details about his own experience was too compelling to leave. We listened.

“The pope, he comes up the steps right there. He comes right here,” Boehner said, pointing down at my feet. “Right here? I asked. “Right here!” Boehner said, smiling. “Right here. When he gets here, there are all of these kids he is going to bless. And you know how I get.”

“You start crying?” I asked.

Boehner shot me a look as if that is obvious.

“So. So, the pope puts his arm around my left arm,” Boehner said as he pulls my arm up to his shoulder. Boehner was now fully committed to acting it out. “Hold on, hold on,” he said as I pulled my arm away. “Let me finish. The pope says to me, ‘Please pray for me.”

"Please pray for me,” Boehner said as he dipped his head. “He said, ‘Please pray for me.’ ”

Boehner stood there for another 10 seconds, not saying a word, his hands at his sides, and then turned sharply toward his security detail, the now open doors and a shimmering sunset on Capitol Hill

Last Edited by FreedomFries on 09/25/2015 02:23 PM