Subject: Papal visit
From: Brent Budowsky <[email-masked]>
To: John Podesta <[email-masked]>, Roy Spence <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:54:22 -0400

This is a version of a note I wrote today to John Kerry suggesting that tied to the
Pope's visit next week, the U.S. propose to convene or offer to support an
international summit meeting of ecumenical religious leaders to devise a U.S.
and global response to the human tragedy of the refugee crisis.  It would be one
of the largest humanitarian exercises of faith-based diplomacy in modern history,
and a summit could be in person or through an international teleconference as a
prelude to urgent action....

At this moment there is nothing confidential about this, it is just my idea and I
have no indication about Secretary Kerry's reaction which I probably won't be
able to discuss if I do hear back.  My column in The Hill newspaper runs next
Thursday hours before the pope addresses the joint session and I want to make
it highly elevated in style and substantial in content for the extraordinary occasion.

I mention this to you, because as a former Secretary of State this might a concept
Secretary Clinton might consider suggesting herself in some form as a nonpartisan
multi-faith initiative to address a compelling moral and humanitarian crisis.....

Sent from my iPad