Jeb Bush, Catholic Convert. Will His Brother Convert?

Jeb Bush indicated he doesn't think his older brother, former President George W. Bush, will convert to Catholicism.

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NEW YORK, NY (The Deacons Bench) - After gobbling up tons of bandwidth over the Kennedys, let's now turn to the other side of the aisle, and another political dynasty, okay?

Rumblings about George W. Bush converting to Catholicism have been heard since before he left office.

And the other day, his brother had something to say about that:

"At Communion and Liberation's annual Rimini Meeting last week, Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, spoke about why he decided to become a Catholic and of his opposition to those elected officials who think they should keep their faith "in a safety deposit box."

"Bush also indicated he doesn't think it's likely his older brother, former President George W. Bush, will convert to Catholicism.

"Answering a question put to him after he had delivered a talk strongly critical of big government, Bush said what primarily attracted him to the faith were the "sacraments of the Catholic Church, the timeless nature of the message of the Catholic Church, and the fact that the Catholic Church believes in and acts on absolute truth as its foundational principles and doesn't move with modern times as my former religion did."

"A former Episcopalian who was received into the Church in 1995, Bush said, "In the United States many people think that to keep your faith, you need to put it into a safety deposit box if you're an elected official until you finish your service as a public servant, and then you can go and get it back. I never thought that was appropriate."

"Bush added, "As it relates to making decisions as a public leader, one's faith should guide you. That's not to say that every decision I made would be completely in keeping with the teachings of the Catholic Church, but it was a guide post that kept me out of trouble."

He said there were "some instances" of controversy during his tenure as governor, which ran from 1998 to 2006, but he said he "tried to act on my faith as best as I could."

"Asked whether his brother, former President George W. Bush, might appear at a future meeting, and perhaps as a Catholic, he replied, "That would be a great thing, but you won't see him here as a Catholic -- he's pretty comfortable with his Methodist faith. I'd like him to come here though. It would be fun."

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The ever insightful, enjoyable and inspiring place for news about deacons, the Catholic Church, and various thoughts on the art of preaching by Deacon Greg Kandra. Used with permission.