You would think with ALL the assistants and aides at his disposal whose job is to basically spoon feed President Bush that he would know the correct manner to address the Pope of all people, especially if he made a similar gaffe when meeting the Pope previously.
Even so, an eyebrow or two arched today at the way Mr. Bush addressed Pope Benedict XVI on meeting him in Rome: “Your eminence, you’re looking good,” Mr. Bush said, the A.P. reported.We’re not talking about the Fernando-esque second clause, which was unobjectionably friendly if perhaps a tad over-familiar in tone. It was the “your eminence” part. That’s supposed to be how you address Catholic cardinals. Popes are “your holiness.”
You may think this isn't such a big deal, but imagine the knee-jerk reaction everyone would have, especially those at Fox News and Co., if someone addressed Bush, as this item points out, as "Governor."
Bush is just lucky the Pope didn't smite him right there on the spot with a "↓↘→P"!
Read more here.