Obama's prayer: private no more

The blogosphere is abuzz over the ethics of the yeshiva student who removed Barack Obama's note from the Western Wall and the newspaper, Maariv, that published it:

"Lord -- Protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins, and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will."

I remember visiting the wall as a teenager, and I certainly recall a presumption of privacy that attaches to the scribbled prayers crammed into the crevices between the stones, which reportedly are periodically removed and buried. But Obama is as public as public gets, and I must say that, to me, his prayer reads like, if it was not constructed for public consumption, it certainly posed no risk to the candidate if it did become public.

And, as some people seem to argue that the prayers at the wall are always top-secret, I also can't help but recall Pope John Paul II's dramatic visit to the Western Wall in 2000. The pontiff, too, had a private moment, in full public view, at the wall, and wrote a note that he placed between the stones. His note, apparently at his request, was removed and given to Yad Vashem for preservation; its text immediately became public:

"God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your Name to the Nations: we are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant. We ask this through Christ our Lord."

But I'm eager to know your thoughts; send them along, and if enough of you speak up, I'll post them.