Benedict in America

"Pope Benedict XVI: Essays and Reflections on his Papacy"

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 18:06:00 +0000

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), with Sheed & Ward, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, has published Benedict XVI: Essays and Reflections on His Papacy -- "an unprecedented look into the first five years of Benedict’s reign":

Edited by Mercy Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the USCCB, it features forewords by King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Shimon Peres of Israel, and articles by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Cardinal Francis George, OMI, USCCB president, and John Thavis, Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service. ...
Elegantly designed and produced in the style of the USCCB’s award-winning tribute to Benedict’s predecessor, John Paul II: A Light for the World, the new book features more than 100 full-color photographs. Images range from formal public appearances and meetings with world leaders and lay Catholics around the globe, to quiet moments of personal study or contemplation. [...]
Essays by USCCB staff illuminate the pope’s life and work as Pilgrim, Pastor, and Prophet and include topics such as his response to the sex abuse crisis; support of Africa, China, and Latin America; relations with Jews and Muslims; papal travels; liturgical reform; human rights, justice, war and peace, bioethics, the environment, and immigration; and his use of social media.
Personal reflections by friends and church leaders Cardinal Edward Egan, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM Cap., Cardinal Justin Rigali, Sister Eileen McCann, CSJ, Ambassador Johnny Young and many more, provide a glimpse into the warm, human aspect of Benedict, including his sense of humor. The book also includes excerpts from Pope Benedict’s writings and an extensive resource section.

Source: USCCB Press Release. * * *

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a personal copy for review. This is a beautiful tribute, with a full-color photographic retrospective on the pontificate of Benedict XVI to date, accompanied by reflections and brief personal anecdotes. Not only is this a good item for the library of any "Benedict fan", I imagine it would be a fitting gift for somebody not very well acquainted with, and wanting to learn about, the Holy Father.

I can only imagine the time and effort taken to assemble and edit something of this size -- Sister Mary Ann Walsh (and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) are to be commended for a job well done.

"Pope Benedict In America: The Full Texts of Papal Talks Given During His Apostolic Visit to the United States"

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 05:58:00 +0000

Pope Benedict In America: The Full Texts of Papal Talks Given During His Apostolic Visit to the United States
with introduction by Fr. James V. Schall. Ignatius Press (May 2008).

During his six-day apostolic visit to Washington and New York, Pope Benedict addressed millions of people--in person or via the media. He gave some fifteen major addresses, ranging from his remarks to the President of the United States, to his address to ecumenical leaders at St. Joseph Parish in New York, from his speech to the General Assembly of the United Nations, to his message to the Jewish community celebrating the feast of Passover. In all of his addresses, Benedict spoke as the Vicar of Christ, with the message of divine truth and love, of genuine faith and a well-founded, Christ-centered hope.

This book contains all of Benedict's major addresses in a handy slim size deluxe hardcover edition perfect for use to study and reflect on the Pope's profound and insightful words on a variety of important spiritual, moral and social issues.

Readers will readily see the truth of Jesuit Father James Schall's statement, from his introduction to this volume: "Benedict XVI is an amazingly learned man . . . There is no one else in any public office in the world that has ... his breadth of knowledge and scholarship. Though he speaks the learned German academic tongue with the best of them, his writings are strikingly straightforward and clear . . . One sensed that the media understood this somehow, that this man was on top of every subject and operated at a depth few could match. The papacy does have the duty of teaching and Benedict does teach. He also thinks and ponders. What is characteristic of him is that he not only speaks authoritatively when he must, but that he mostly offers what he says on the grounds of common sense and reason. He goes directly to the minds and hearts of his readers or listeners."

What Did Pope Benedict Say to America?

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:08:00 +0000

On June 18, the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer hosted a public forum entitled “What Did Pope Benedict Say to America?” Over 100 people gathered to hear three presenters reflect on the speeches and homilies delivered by the Holy Father during his recent visit to the United States.
First, Fr. John Farren, OP, the Advancement Director for the Province of St. Joseph, focused on Pope Benedict’s words to American Catholics. Then, Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, editor of First Things, covered his exchanges with American non-Catholics. Finally, Angelo Matera, editor of Godspy.com, highlighted the Pope’s counsel for American culture.

Click here for a video of the forum.

"Christ our Hope" - Communion and Liberation assesses the 2008 Papal Visit to the U.S.

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:36:00 +0000

The May 2008 issue of Traces, published by Communion and Liberation, is devoted to the U.S. 2008 Papal Visit.

The Pope Showed America the Face of Christ, edited by Davide Perillo. "The heart and the person. Legality and justice. Religious freedom and the role of the Church. On the Pontiff’s return from the United States, we asked Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Holy See’s “Foreign Minister,” to provide an assessment of the visit. He accepted, explaining why the Successor of Peter “embodies the message that he brings: Christ is our hope”.
Human rights, “the fruit of unchanging justice”, by Stefano Alberto. In his address to the UN, the Pope returned to an issue which is widely discussed. And he went to the heart of it, continuing the journey begun at Regensburg.
An Extraordinary Lesson of Method, by Lorenzo Albacete. From the bishops in search of answers about evangelization to the more skeptical and distant non-Catholics, everyone was surprised by a fact: a human encounter.
In Service of the Truth, the Pope Educates the Heart of Man, edited by Santiago Ramos. The University of Notre Dame Law Professor (and President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights) Paolo Carozza gets to the root of the Pontiff’s UN speech.
The Holy Father Speaks at the United Nations: There Are No Human Rights Without Christ When Pope Benedict XVI addressed the United Nations General Assembly on April 18th, he was continuing a tradition that began in 1965. Mario Ramos-Reyes, Professor of Philosophy at Kansas City Community College, writes about Pope Benedict’s contribution to this tradition.
A Choir of Friends Singing for the Pope, by Santiago Ramos. On April 19th the CL Choir was invited to perform for the Pope during the Youth Rally at St. Joseph’s Seminary Yonkers, New York.

Archbishop Sambi: Benedict's U.S. visit "still bearing fruit in local church"

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:59:00 +0000

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, representative of the Pope to the United States, has explained in an interview that Benedict XVI’s successful visit is bearing fruit in the local Church and in has opened the eyes of the secular world (Catholic.org June 12, 2008):

In an interview with Gianluca Biccini, that will be published in Wednesday's edition of L'Osservatore Romano, Archbishop Sambi said that during the April 15-20 papal trip, the theme of the visit, “Christ Our Hope,” permeated all the addresses of Pope Benedict XVI.
Hope filled more than the Pope’s speeches, the archbishop said as he recalled a brief message that Benedict gave to New York Catholic Radio. Speaking to the radio audience the Holy Father said “he had come ‘to confirm you in the faith, but in truth it has also been you who have confirmed me, with your response, your enthusiasm and affection’.”
The Nuncio said that the Pope was impressed by the fact that Americans “always in difficult moments, have always turned to their churches and temples, finding in the presence of God faith, unity and courage. This people has never been separated from the Word of God: the Bible remains the book that mostly accompanies the American citizen... which continues to illuminate the most significant moments of the personal, family and national life.”
“Therefore, speaking on hope, the Pope has touched an issue deeply rooted in the history and the culture of this people, and has stricken a particularly sensitive cord in these times,” the Nuncio added.
The Archbishop also highlighted the issue of evangelization, telling L'Osservatore that, “The United States, as every country in the world, is in need of a new evangelization. It must begin at home, that is to say, at the core of the Church itself, so that Christians may rediscover the joy and the strength of being Christians.”
“The Pope,” Sambi said, “has opened the way, has given the launch signal in his speeches to the bishops, the priests and religious, the educators, the lay people, the youth: all the sectors of the Church have been called to this commitment, to be instruments of the Spirit to a new Pentecost.” ... (Read More)

Details on Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Cardinal Avery Dulles

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Sat, 17 May 2008 03:30:00 +0000

America magazine reports on Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the ailing Cardinal Avery Dulles ("In All Things" May 16, 2008). The meeting took place in Cardinal Egan's suite in St. Joseph's Seminary, after the Pope's meeting with disabled children. The following account is taken from the New York Jesuits' newsletter, written by Anne Marie Kirmse, O.P., Cardinal Dulles's longtime assistant:

"The Pope literally bounded into the room with a big smile on his face. He went directly to where Avery was sitting, saying, 'Eminenza, Eminenza, I recall the work you did for the International Theological Committee in the 1990's.' Avery kissed the papal ring and smiled back at the Pope. Then the Pope looked at the people in the room who had accompanied Avery to the Seminary: Fr. Tom Marciniak, who served as Cardinal Dulles's priest-chaplain for the meeting; Sr. Anne-Marie Kirmse, O.P.; and Francine Messiah and Oslyn Fergus of the [Jesuit infirmary's] medical staff. After this warm and friendly exchange of greetings, the Pope sat down next to Avery to hear the remarks that Avery had prepared and which were read for him by Fr. Tom Marciniak. During the presentation, Fr. Tom handed the Pope a copy of Avery's latest book, Church and Society: The Laurence J. McGinley Lectures, 1988-2007, which was published earlier this month by Fordham University Press. The Pope expressed great interest in the book, and even interrupted the reading of the remarks to ask again when the book had been published. He eagerly looked through it, and was touched by Avery's inscription to him. Before leaving, the Pope blessed Avery, assuring him of his prayers, and encouraging him in his sufferings. He then said good-bye in turn to each of the four persons who accompanied Avery."

George Neumayr: Benedict's visit "A New Pentacost"

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:32:00 +0000

A New Pentecost: The Holy Father’s inspiring visit to the United States, by George Neumayr. Catholic World Report May 2008:

Speaking to the US bishops on April 16, Pope Benedict XVI made the arresting comment that an “almost complete eclipse of an eschatological sense” marks “many of our traditionally Christian societies.” America, he didn’t need to add, is one of them, but the very warmth of the welcome the Holy Father received in the US and the intensity of attention during his visit suggested a growing exhaustion with the eclipse of religion under secularism and a hunger for God’s revelation of man’s ultimate purpose.
Burdened by the yoke of an ideology that treats God as irrelevant to the ordering of society—an ideology which has at once destabilized public life, eroded the foundations of culture, and corrupted US Catholicism—Americans were ready for the Holy Father’s theme of “Christ Our Hope,” open to his arguments about the harmony of reason and revelation, and moved by his humility and piety.
Media pundits, stunned by this reaction, speculated on the papacy’s enduring significance. They offered various superficial reasons for it without arriving at the real one: it remains Christ’s way of staying present throughout history.
Into the darkness of godless voids—whether comforting the victims of priestly abuse near the beginning of the trip or kneeling in prayer at the pit of Ground Zero near the end of it—Christ’s vicar brought forth his light. In a false age, Pope Benedict offers truth; to the weary and enslaved, he represents grace. As the eye naturally turns to light, so people of good will turn toward holiness.

Pope Benedict XVI reflects on his Apostolic Visit to the United States

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:07:00 +0000

VATICAN CITY, 30 APR 2008 (VIS) - In today's general audience, which was held in St. Peter's Square, the Pope dedicated his remarks to his recent apostolic trip to the U.S.A. and the headquarters of the United Nations, from 15 to 21 April.
After recalling how the motive for his U.S. visit was the bi-centenary of the elevation of the country's first diocese, Baltimore, to the status of metropolitan archdiocese, and the foundation of the sees of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville, the Holy Father affirmed that his aim had been "to announce to everyone the message that 'Christ is our Hope', the phrase which was the theme of my visit".
During the meeting with President George Bush in the White House, said the Pope, "I had the opportunity to pay homage to that great country, which from its beginnings was built on the foundation of a harmonious union between religious, ethical and political principles, and which still constitutes a valid example of healthy laicism, where the religious dimension, in the diversity of its expressions, is not only tolerated but turned to advantage as the 'soul' of the nation and the fundamental guarantee of the rights and duties of human beings".
The Holy Father then went on to explain that he had supported his "brother bishops in their difficult task of spreading the Gospel in a society marked by no small number of contradictions, which also threaten the coherence of Catholics and even of the clergy. I encouraged them to make their voices heard on the moral and social questions of the day, and to form the lay faithful so they become good 'leavening' in the civil community on the base of that fundamental cell which is the family. In this context, I exhorted them to re-present the Sacrament of Marriage as a gift and an indissoluble commitment between a man and a woman, the natural environment in which to welcome and educate children.
"The Church and the family, as well as schools", the Pope added, "must co-operate in offering young people a solid moral education. ... Reflecting upon the painful question of sexual abuse of minors by ordained ministers, I told the bishops of my closeness, and encouraged them in the task of binding wounds and strengthening their relationships with their priests".
During the Eucharistic celebration held in the Nationals Stadium in Washington, said Pope Benedict, "we evoked the Holy Spirit" upon the Church in America that she "may face current and future challenges with courage and hope". And when meeting with representatives of other religions "in what may be considered as the homeland of religious freedom, I recalled how such freedom must be defended with congruous efforts to avoid all forms of discrimination and prejudice. I also highlighted the great responsibility religious leaders have, both in teaching respect and non-violence and in upholding the deepest questions of the human conscience".
On the subject of his visit to U.N. headquarters in New York, the Pope pointed out that "providence gave me the opportunity to confirm" - on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - "the importance of that Charter, recalling its universal foundation, in other words the dignity of the person who was created by God in His image and likeness in order to co-operate in ... His great plan of life and peace".
In St. Patrick's Cathedral the Pope had celebrated Mass for priests and consecrated people. "I will never forget", he said, "with how much warmth they congratulated me for the third anniversary of my election to the See of Peter. It was a moving moment, in which I particularly felt the support of all the Church for my ministry. And I could say the same about my meeting with young people and seminarians".
At Ground Zero "I lit a candle and prayed for all the victims of the terrible tragedy" of 11 September 2001, said the Pope. And he concluded his reminiscences of his U.S. visit with the Eucharistic celebration in New York's Yankee Stadium which he described as "a feast of faith and of brotherhood. ... To that Church which now faces the challenges of the present time, I had the joy of announcing "Christ our Hope', yesterday, today and forever".
Prior to the audience, the Pope blessed a statue of St. John Leonardi (1541-1609), founder of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God, which has been placed in a niche on the exterior wall of the Vatican Basilica. On 8 august 2006, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, by virtue of the powers granted by Benedict XVI, proclaimed him patron saint of pharmacists.

9/11 Survivor reflects on Benedict's visit to Ground Zero

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:36:00 +0000

Meeting pope at ground zero brings tears to Sept. 11 survivor, by Dennis Sadowski. Catholic News Service April 29, 2008:

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Looking into Pope Benedict XVI's eyes as she genuflected in front of him during his visit to the former World Trade Center site, Julie Malik knew the pope understood what she had experienced on a disastrous September morning more than six years ago.
"I remember thinking, 'You're here. You're here to help us. You took your time to understand,'" Malik said of the April 20 meeting.
Malik, 57, was one of four survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack in lower Manhattan who met the pontiff during his visit to ground zero. Four rescue workers and 16 people who lost family members in the disaster also met the pope at the site.
"There's one word I can think of to describe (the meeting) and that is 'amazing,'" Malik told Catholic News Service. "His eyes are so penetrating. He just stares in your eyes." ... (Read More).

Pastor John Hagee on Pope Benedict XVI's U.S. Visit

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:37:00 +0000

Pastor John Hagee of Cornerstone Baptist Church in San Atonio, Texas, thanks the Holy Father for his visit (Washington Post April 28, 2008):

During his recent visit to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI not only conducted mass and met with the Catholic faithful, but he made a series of public statements about the role that our Judeo-Christian faith can play during these challenging times. As an evangelical Protestant I happen to disagree with Pope Benedict on many issues of Christian doctrine and ritual. But when it comes to his moral vision for America and the world I have one thing to say in response to the Pope's visit: Amen.
I and many other evangelical leaders believe that our faith must not be confined to our churches on Sunday mornings. We maintain that our Christian values and compassion can be powerful tools for helping build a more just and humane nation. Pope Benedict thus spoke for all of us when he said that "Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted" and called for Christian participation "in the exchange of ideas in the public square."
The pope was recalling the history we all cherish when he cited George Washington's Farewell Address to note that, "religion and morality represent 'indispensable supports' of political prosperity." The pope likewise voiced all of our concerns when he recognized the threats posed by secularism and materialism not only to our morality but to our happiness. ...

"Teacher and Witness" - John F. Cullinan on Benedict's visit to the U.N.

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:35:00 +0000

"Benedict’s remarks to the U.N. General Assembly belong to an entirely different genre [than his other addresses during the visit]" says John F. Cullinan on Benedict's visit to the United Nations. "His purpose was to explore and develop the first principles that underlie state sovereignty and the international system as a whole." (National Review April 28, 2008):

In a nutshell, Benedict sketches a familiar natural-law argument that unexpectedly points to some novel and potentiallycontroversial conclusions.
He begins with the basic and familiar premise that state sovereignty and international order do not exist for their own sake, but rather for that of human dignity. In other words, the state exists for the person, not the other way round; and the same applies to international institutions and laws. This has been established Catholic teaching in one form or another since St. Thomas Aquinas; and it is the philosophical basis of liberal democracy and liberal internationalism.
The second step of his argument is that “natural reason shared by all nations” can discern universal principles needed to shape the political order — both national and international. The natural law is by no means a one-size-fits-all template, but rather basic moral rules of thumb, accessible to reason, that statesmen struggle to discern, approximate, and apply in varying circumstances. And these same principles, “based on the natural law inscribed on human hearts and present in all cultures and civilization,” and therefore “valid at all times and for all peoples,” are best captured by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).
It is the third step of Benedict’s argument that will provoke controversy. He maintains that that the two greatest threats to the universality of the same human rights for every personare authoritarian secular ideologies, on the one hand, and “majority religious positions of an exclusive nature,” on the other. This is a politely diplomatic but unmistakable reference to Russia and China (and their authoritarian imitators) and to some (but not all) Muslim-majority states.
In their own distinct ways, these “authoritarian” or “exclusive” regimes deny the “universality … indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights” expressed in the Universal Declaration. “Removing human rights from this context,” Benedict maintains, “would mean restricting their range and yielding to a relativistic conception, according to which the meaning and interpretation of rights could vary and their universality would be denied in the name of different cultural, political, social and even religious outlooks” (emphasis added).

(See also Pope's New Name for Sovereignty: Interview With UN Permanent Observer Archbishop Migliore Zenit News Service. April 27).

"Do I love Him?"

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:36:00 +0000

Robert P. Imbelli (Commonweal) cuts to the heart of Benedict's words, a testimony and a challenge to every Catholic:

One cannot read a homily or a pastoral address of the Holy Father without sensing that the proclamation of Jesus as “Lord and Messiah” is the very heart of his message.
But Benedict does not merely bear witness to this. He, in season and out of season, invites Christians to enter into ever-deeper relation with their Savior.
We can argue ceaselessly about why there is something rather than nothing or about the ultimate foundation for human rights. We can passionately debate structural reform in the Church. But in the quiet hours of early morning or late night do we not ultimately wrestle with the question: do I love him?

"Tsunami" of vocational interest following papal visit

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:33:00 +0000

New York Daily News reports that Pope Benedict's U.S. visit has resulted in "a tsunami of New York seminary applications:

A clergy-starved Archdiocese of New York was facing a crisis - until Pope Benedict arrived.
For the first time in 108 years, St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers was preparing for a year with no new students.
But, after the Holy Father's whirlwind city tour, dozens have heard the call.
"It's been like a tsunami, a good tsunami of interest," said the archdiocese's vocations director, the Rev. Luke Sweeney.
"I've been meeting people all week and have a lot of e-mails I haven't had the chance yet to respond to. It has been incredible."

For a city whose ratio of priests-to-congregation members is among the worst in the country, Benedict's presence and inspiration has been a blessing to Reverend Sweeney:

"We were hoping the Pope would convince many who were considering the priesthood to make the next step. It looks like he did."
In only three days since the Pope left New York after a visit that included speaking to 25,000 young people on the seminary's grounds, dozens of prospective priests have contacted Sweeney.
"One said he came, saw the crowd, heard what the Pope said and then called us," said Sweeney. "He said his questions and concerns were answered when he heard him speak."

Related

Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for the 45th Day of Prayer for Vocations April 13, 2008.
Saint Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) (Homepage)

"Fishers of Men" USCCB vocations video produced by Grassroots Films - Part I embedded | "Fishers of Men - Part II

Iraq Veterans reflect on meeting Pope Benedict XVI

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:28:00 +0000

Military.com interviews several U.S. marines and Iraqi veterans, attending the Papal Mass at Nationals Park in Washington:

Cpl. Matthew Bridges, who is an outpatient - injured from an improvised explosive device in Iraq - at the National Naval Medical Center, said he felt his faith in God renew as he attended the mass, even though he is not Catholic. He said when he became injured, he thought of God.
Bridges said he didn't know what to think when the pope reached out and shook his hand. It was a feeling he can't describe, he said, because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"I don't know how to explain it," Bridges said. "I have friends who are Catholic that say it's a great blessing to be touched by the pope."
Sgt. James Bane, an administrative assistant in the National Naval Medical Center's Marine Corps Liaison office, said he was honored and privileged to be a part of something so big with a figure that has such a world-wide influence. He said it was uplifting to see so many people from all walks of life taking part in the ceremony.
"I was sitting next to a senator from New Mexico and across the aisle was a group of nuns," Bane said. "Here on one side you have straight politics and on the other side, straight religious. It was neat to have that many people from many different cultures there for the same thing."

Cardinal Mahoney: "I return to Los Angeles a different disciple of Jesus than when I left"

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:26:00 +0000

Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles found Benedict XVI's visit "quiet healing grace":

For me personally, the two most memorable moments of grace with our Holy Father were ones shrouded in quiet prayer, silence and few public words: his meeting with victims of sexual abuse in Washington, D.C., and his visit to Ground Zero in New York. Both of these events had the dignity of silence, the depth of sadness, and the promise of hope-filled prayer - and both captured deeply the most wounded parts of our Church and of our country.
Yes, the great outdoor Masses were inspiring, the meetings with ecumenical and interfaith leaders were moving, and the gathering with young people and seminarians was memorable. But the power of those times of quiet healing moved me more deeply than all the rest of the Holy Father's many public appearances.
At first, I didn't know why. After all, concelebrating Mass with the Pope and tens of thousands of people was surely uplifting and a source of joy for us all. Slowly the realization became real: those times of quiet healing grace were exactly what I needed at this time in my own journey of faith. My own mistakes and failures over the years had continued to burden me - a weight that I failed to realize was holding me down.
The gentle and quiet manner of Pope Benedict touched me in the most vulnerable depths of my soul. I felt uplifted by our Shepherd and my heavy burdens somehow seemed lighter. How did our Holy Father accomplish this? Through his consistent call to faithful discipleship in Jesus Christ, and his reassurance that we are truly saved by hope in our loving God! His recent Encyclical Letter, Spe Salvi [Saved by Hope], continues to point us forward and upward on our journeys. He does not allow us to remain mired in our sins and faults, but instead, kept repeating the call to "true freedom" in Jesus who has come as "the way, the truth, and the life" for each one of us.
I return to Los Angeles a different disciple of Jesus than when I left a week ago. Thank you, Lord, for sending us not only the Vicar of Christ and the Successor of Peter, but also a brother and friend who knows Jesus personally and gave us six extraordinary days of grace and hope!

Thomas Peters gives voice to the impressions of many a Catholic -- within Los Angeles and across the nation:

[Cardinal Mahoney] has a long history of doctrinal selectivism, allows and and promotes liturgical abuse, by many accounts has been deeply involved in abuses related to clergy sexual misconduct (during which he has often thrown the interests of the Church under the treads of civil law to protect himself), and is guilty of such deeply imprudent things as the construction of an ugly, vacant, $200 million cathedral in an archdiocese which could ill-afford such expenditures.
Has Mahony learned that it's never too late to begin acting for the best interest of the Church? Has he internalized the full range of Pope Benedict's teachings and exhortations? I hope so, on both counts.

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:24:00 +0000

Pope Benedict XVI arrives to celebrate mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York April 19, 2008.

Joseph Verner Reed: Benedict had a "magisterial" presence

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:23:00 +0000

U.S. diplomat Joseph Verner Reed recalled his personal audience with the pontiff (Neil Vigdor, Greenwich Time April 23, 2008):

Reed, 70, an undersecretary general at the U.N., was part of a group of about 30 senior officials of the international organization who met with the pontiff Friday after his General Assembly address.
"There's an aura, almost magisterial in his robes, in his presence, in how he greets people and the crowds," Reed said. "He's got a wonderful smile and riveting blue eyes."
A chief of protocol in former President George H.W. Bush's cabinet and U.S. ambassador to Morocco under President Reagan, Reed said he lowered his head in deference to the pope and congratulated him on his speech.
"He said, 'Thank you for your words,'" Reed said. "I'll remember it for the rest of my life. It was a highlight. What a privilege and honor it was to be presented to him."
Reed's audience with the pope, who concluded his six-day U.S. visit with a Mass at Yankee Stadium Sunday, is the second time he has met the head of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1990, as Bush's chief of protocol, Reed met Pope John Paul II during a visit to the Vatican. The late pope later tapped Reed as a knight commander in the Order of Pius IX, an honor bestowed by the Vatican.
Reed said he wore the rosette pin on his left lapel during Benedict's visit. He also asked the pope to bless 10 papal medals that he brought along to give friends and family, which Benedict did.

Assessing the cost (and benefits) of hosting a Pope

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:22:00 +0000

Long after the Pope has left, New York city tallies up the financial costs (and benefits) of his visit - Michael Frazier of Newsday reports:

Hours after Benedict's departure, city officials continued to measure the economic benefits of his stay. They also are tallying how much it cost the city to host his holiness.
The city expected to pay significant overtime for police officers.
"This is one of those things were the expenses are relatively negligible, virtually impossible to measure, but the benefits will go on for a long time," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, pointing to the global exposure the city gained by welcoming Benedict.
While he didn't provide the cost of overtime, the mayor said the city's Police Department has a yearly budget of $5.5 billion, with funding set aside for special events.
Police officials said Monday that overtime cost hadn't been figured. ...
The Greater New York Chamber of Commerce had no figures on how much the city took in during Benedict's trip, though the group's executive director, Helana Natt, said hotels, restaurants and even street vendors profited.
The street closures may have hurt some businesses, but the impact was dampened because the visit occurred over the weekend, Natt said.

According to New York City officials, Pope John Paul II's visit in 1995 totaled "$65 million in spending in the city, including food, hotels and shopping."

"Little acts of love" illuminate Papal Visit

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:20:00 +0000

"Little Acts Of Love Illuminate Pope’s Visit", says Lorraine V. Murray, reminiscing in the Atlanta Georgia Bulletin:

These were so many big shining moments in his first papal visit to the United States, but one small incident brought me to tears.
It was during the offertory at the huge Mass in Nationals Park, when streams of people came forth to bring the gifts to the pope. There were religious brothers and sisters, a mother and father of nine children, a couple married 69 years and a group of disabled adults.
And quietly sitting at the bottom of the steps leading to the altar was a girl in a wheelchair, wearing a pink dress and with her hair neatly braided. She could not get up the steps, so the pope walked down, leaned over gently, blessed her and gave her a papal rosary.
The cameras didn’t show the expression on her face, but we could see her carefully studying the beads that were intertwined in her hands.
Pope Benedict’s gentle gesture seems exactly in keeping with the man who came to the United States to spread a message of hope.

But one of many "small acts of kindness" as accounted in the article.

Archbishop Soroka on Pope's recognition of Ukranian Eastern Catholics

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:16:00 +0000

Catholic News Service interviews Ukrainian Archbishop Stefan Soroka regarding Pope Benedict XVI's special acknowledgment of the Eastern Catholic churches in the United States, which was received with great appreciation:

During his meeting with Catholic bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington April 16, Pope Benedict recognized the presence of bishops from "all the venerable Eastern churches in communion with the successor of Peter."
"Your presence here is a reminder of the courageous witness to Christ of so many members of your communities, often amid suffering in their respective homelands," the pope said during his address to the U.S. bishops, which followed a vespers service.
The Ukrainian Catholic Church is one of 22 Eastern Catholic churches. It is fully in union with Rome but has maintained the liturgical and spiritual heritage shared with the Orthodox churches.
Some of the other Eastern Catholic churches in the U.S. are Armenian, Chaldean, Maronite, Romanian and Syrian. They all have their own distinctive liturgical and legal systems, but are considered equal in dignity, rights and obligations to the Latin tradition within the Catholic Church.
"The Holy Father's comments reflect his knowledge and sensitivity to the sufferings and persecutions endured by many of the hierarchy, clergy, religious and faithful of the Eastern Catholic churches in their homeland," Archbishop Soroka said in a statement issued April 23. "Escaping persecutions and hardships and the search for religious freedoms were often the motivator for the immigration of many to the United States of America."

Read the full statement by Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Ukranian Greek Catholic Church.

3,000 volunteers assisted in New York's papal events

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:14:00 +0000

Catholic News Service Angelo Stagnaro reports on the 3,000 volunteers who assisted in New York's papal events, "coordinated under the watchful and loving scrutiny of Sisters Joan Curtin, 63, and Deanna Sabetta, 67, of the Congregation of Notre Dame" (April 24, 2008):

"Cardinal Egan appointed us because of our experience working with volunteers," explained Sister Joan.
She is in charge of the New York Archdiocese's Catechetical Office and oversees 10,000 volunteer catechists in the 10 counties that make up the archdiocese. Sister Deanna is the director of the archdiocesan Office of Vocations and the teacher volunteer program, which places teachers in inner-city Catholic schools.
"The papal volunteers were the most gracious, generous people I've ever come across," Sister Joan said in an interview with Catholic News Service. "The hours didn't matter to them."
Duties for the volunteers included standing outside St. Patrick's Cathedral April 19 to guide cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests and women religious attending the papal Mass there and helping move people from chartered buses, city buses and the subway into Yankee Stadium April 20.
"Each volunteer worked six- to seven-hour shifts. In the case of the youth rally in Yonkers, (many) didn't leave the site until 11 p.m.," said Sister Deanna, referring to the rally for seminarians and young people at St. Joseph's Seminary. [...]
Sister Deanna noted that "many of the volunteers who served outside of the papal venues (were) simply physically very far away from the pope, answering questions or guiding the lost, and thus didn't actually see him."
But still they helped out because "they just wanted to be in proximity to him," explained Sister Joan.

American Catholic impressions of Pope Benedict XVI (roundup)

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:05:00 +0000

In addition to Cardinal Mahoney and his auxilary bishops, a number of West Coast Catholics were able to attend the events surrounding Benedict's visit to Washington and New York, giving an account of their experience in the Los Angeles diocesian newspaper The Tidings.
Students still buzzing about pope (The Journal Star April 27, 2008) - "The Roman Catholic seminary in Maryland that turns out many of the Diocese of Peoria's priests is still buzzing from Pope Benedict XVI's recent trip to Washington, D.C., said a former Peoria priest now on leave at the seminary."
Monsignor Michael Mullen shares "seven lasting impressions [about Pope Benedict XVI] that will stay with me" (Kansas City Star April 26, 2008).
A Newark resident -- residing in New York City's Ronald McDonald House while receiving leukemia treatments -- recalls his brush with Pope Benedict (as reported by Abbey Stirgwolt, Newsday April 25, 2008): “We’re sitting in our room Saturday night, and we get a call on the phone saying, ‘Oh, do you guys wanna go see the pope? He’s going to be appearing outside tonight ...”
City woman finds pope's visit uplifting, by Jomay Steen. Rapid City Journal April 27, 2008: "Growing up in a rural community on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, the idea that Veronica Valandra would see the pope — in America, no less — was the stuff of dreams. The lifelong Catholic recently talked about her amazing journey as a White House guest to welcome Pope Benedict XVI."
Baltimore's Archbishop William O'Brien recalls the Pope's visit (WJZ-TV Channel 13 News, April 22, 2008):
Archbishop O'Brien says the heavy security did not detract from the personal touch of the pontiff's visit. There were special moments he witnessed, like when a blind boy was trying to get Communion from Pope Benedict XVI.
"The Secret Service tried to stop the boy. He was supposed to have Communion, but his mother was with him. The Secret Service said 'no' to the mother. He spotted that and asked that he be brought up. He gave him Communion and touched him on the chin," said Archbishop O'Brien. ...
"I hope others who have no particular church find that this is an institution worthy of their exploration. The Holy Father has put a great face on the Catholic Church," said Archbishop O'Brien.
"I've been enlivened, energized," said Archbishop O'Brien. "It's one thing to sit in a chair and preach. It's another thing to put the preaching into action. I think he wanted to express his affection for the people who came out to welcome him."

Muslim professor reflects on meeting with Benedict

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:03:00 +0000

The Cleveland Plain Dealer features a column by Zeki Saritoprak, a Muslim professor who was present at the interreligious meeting with Pope Benedict at the John Paul II Cultural Center:

The materials for the "Peace Our Hope" meeting all carried the image of Edward Hicks' painting "Peaceable Kingdom," which depicts the beautiful hope of Isaiah 11:6-9: "The wolf shall live with the lamb," and all of the accompanying imagery of peace and harmony in Creation. This image appears in Islamic tradition as well. ...
Of the approximately 150 other participants at the gathering, 25 of us were Muslim. In the wake of the pope's negative remarks about Islam and its prophet at Regensburg University in Germany in 2006, some Muslims felt trepidation about what to expect at the meeting. Any anxiety was quickly alleviated, however, by the pope's humility and openness, which impressed us all.
It is clear to me that, while the pope is deeply knowledgeable about Western thought and Catholic tradition, he is not overly familiar with other religions. He was warm and welcoming to us all, particularly the Jewish participants, to whom he extended a special greeting in honor of their Passover celebration this week. It appears that he is willing to be a part of interreligious dialogue insofar as it does not contradict the main tenets of his faith.
This is particularly good news for Muslims, who share many common traditions with Catholicism, including a special reverence for Jesus and his mother, Mary. Muslims were honored to hear an expression of our own tradition in the pope's final words to us: "Peace upon you all."

Abraham Foxman: Benedict's meeting with Jews "more show that substance, but for the Vatican even show is substance"

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:59:00 +0000

As Jewish leaders reflect on the Pope's Passover greetings with Jews at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center and subsesquent visit to a synaogue in New York, some are less than impressed. Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League called it "more show that substance, but for the Vatican even show is substance":

The fact that the pope invited the approximately 50 Jewish representatives to meet with him in a private room was an important gesture, said Foxman, because he "greeted us on the occasion of a Jewish festival, which basically was a recognition of religious Jewish life, Jewish faith, and Jewish rituals, and had that significance."
But there was no real dialogue, in Foxman’s view.
"He reached out, he greeted people and he reiterated his support for Nostra Aetate," the declaration issued by the Second Vatican Council in 1965 that deals with the relationship between the Catholic Church and non-Catholic religions, especially with Judaism. "The importance was in the event."
[...]
According to Foxman, the pope’s visit to the synagogue was more significant than the private meeting with the Jewish representatives, which he saw as a continuation of a policy began by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, when he visited the Great Synagogue of Rome in 1986.
"When Pope John Paul went to that synagogue he changed the dogma of Catholicism, which believes that Christianity superseded Judaism and that it was the new Judaism," Foxman said. "It was a public statement that Judaism exists, that Judaism lives, and that it has vitality."
At the Park East Synagogue, the pope stood before ark "bearing witness to the Jewish faith today, not when [the Catholic] messiah will come," Foxman said.

Foxman is representative of certain factions within the Jewish-Christian dialogue which believe that Nostra Aetate presented a rupture with, or reversal of, prior Catholic tradition. On the contrary, Benedict and his predecessor would read Nostrae Aetate in continuity with prior tradition, and likewise in conjunction with the other conciliar texts.

This was aptly clarified by Cardinal Kasper in a substantial essay defending Pope Benedict XVI's revisions to the "Good Friday prayer for the Jews" in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "Das Wann und Wie entscheidet Gott", March 21, 2008; later republished in L'Osservatore Romano April 10, 2008:

... The exclusion of a targeted and institutionalized mission to the Jews does not mean that Christians must stand around with their hands in their pockets. Targeted and organized mission on one side, and Christian witness on the other, must be distinguished. Naturally, Christians must, where it is opportune, give to their older brothers and sisters in the faith of Abraham (John Paul II) a witness of their own faith and of the richness and beauty of their faith in Christ. Paul did this as well. During his missionary journeys, Paul always went first to the synagogue, and only when he did not find faith there did he go to the pagans (Acts of the Apostles, 13:5,14ff., 42-52; 14:1-6 and others; Romans 1:16 is fundamental).
Such a witness is also asked of us today. It must of course be done with tact and respect; but it would be dishonest if Christians, in meeting with their Jewish friends, should remain silent about their own faith, or even deny it.
We expect just as much from believing Jews toward us. In the dialogues that I have known, this attitude is entirely normal. A sincere dialogue between Jews and Christians, in fact, is possible only, on the one hand, on the basis of a shared faith in one God, creator of heaven and earth, and in the promises made to Abraham and to the Fathers; and on the other, in the awareness and respect of the fundamental difference that consists in faith in Jesus as Christ and Redeemer of all men.
The widespread incomprehension of the reformulated prayer for Good Friday is a sign of how great the task is that still lies before us in Jewish-Christian dialogue. The reactions of irritation that have arisen should, therefore, be an opportunity for clarifying and further deepening the foundations and objectives of Jewish-Christian dialogue. If a deepening of dialogue could be begun in this way, the agitation that has arisen would lead to a truly positive result in the end. One must certainly always be aware that dialogue between Jews and Christians will remain, by its nature, always difficult and fragile, and that it demands a great degree of sensitivity on both sides.

No dialogue is worth its salt unless it is grounded in truth, even if this amounts to respecting each other's core religious convictions. Rabbi Jacob Neusner exemplified this in comparing the Catholic prayers to those found within Judaic tradition for the enlightening of the Gentiles:

Israel prays for the Gentiles. So the other monotheistic religions, including the Catholic Church, have the right to do the same thing, and no one should feel offended. Any other attitude toward the Gentiles would block them from encountering the one God revealed to Israel in the Torah.
The Catholic prayer [for the conversion of the Jews] manifests the same altruistic spirit that characterizes the faith of Judaism. The kingdom of God opens its gates to all of humanity: when they pray and ask for the swift coming of the kingdom of God, the Israelites express the same degree of freedom of spirit that impregnates the papal text of the prayer for the Jews (better: "Holy Israel ") to be recited on Good Friday. ...
The prayers of Jewish and Christian proselytism share the same eschatological spirit, and keep the gate of salvation open to all men.

On the question of the Messiah, Rabbi Neusner and Pope Benedict part ways -- but the latter was appreciative enough to devote a chapter to exploring Neusner's convictions and disagreements in Jesus of Nazareth ("A Rabbi Debates with the Pope. And What Divides Them Is Still Jesus", by Sandro Magister. www.Chiesa November 6, 2007).

Unlike Neusner, Abraham Foxman of the ADL seems unable to accept Benedict's religious convictions or the Catholic call for conversion. For him, the very notion that Catholics would wish the conversion of another, particularly the Jews, is an affront. It seems that Foxman demands something that Benedict nor the Church can provide.

"He is conservative, yet radical"

noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Blosser) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:33:00 +0000

Sun-Sentinel religion editor James Davis interviews Irish singer Dana, on singing for Pope Benedict XVI - this story ran on April 19, 2008:

[A]sk the Irish singer Dana her main inspiration, and she gives a charming smile and points upward.
"It's the Holy Spirit," she said in a recent interview in Boca Raton. "I didn't write much until my spiritual life deepened. Writing is difficult because you reveal some of yourself. And often, there are no words for where we are." ...
Dana Rosemary Scallon is among a handful of stars in Catholic contemporary music, lending a contemporary tinge to traditional themes. ...
She and her husband, Damien, wrote Lady of Knock, dedicated to a Marian shrine in Ireland. She wrote Totus Tuus, drawn from John Paul's papal motto. And conservative activist James Dobson interviewed her in 1984 for her song Little Baby (Yet Unborn).

How rare to come across a popular musician who "wears her faith on her sleeve" and wish such appreciation for the Holy Father:

Dana echoed other Catholics who praise Benedict's sharp mind, his gentle manner and his willingness to listen. She met him as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 2004, when he congratulated her for becoming the first woman to win the pro-family San Benedetto Award in Italy.
"He has a huge intellect, yet he's a humble man," she said. "It's a beautiful combination. It compels people to listen.
"He is conservative, yet radical. He's pushing us onward to realign ourselves with new responsibilities."
She cited an example: In March, an official in Benedict's Vatican decried new kinds of mortal sins — not just the usual abortion, but also pollution, pedophilia, drug dealing, environmental damage and extreme wealth.
"John Paul brought Christ to the world, shoring up values," Dana said. "Benedict is building on those, stretching and interpreting for our day and time."