Benedict Departs As The Pope Of Hope
Posted by Bill Lucey's Opinions at 4/21/2008 12:57 AM and is filed under uncategorized 
Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Washington D.C. on Tuesday with a limited biographical profile; all most American knew about the former Cardinal, Joseph Ratzinger, was that he was a strict enforcer of church doctrine; and had offended Muslims for his false reading of Islam only a year into his papacy.
Five days later, the German pope left New York billed as the ``pope of hope’’ as CNN Vatican analysist John Allen called him, for his ability to reconnect with a flock of worshippers who had fallen away after the clergy abuse scandal split the American Catholic Church in two.
On five occasions during his two-city six-day tour of the United States, his first as a pope, Benedict made reference to the clergy abuse scandal.
Before boarding Shepherd One and heading back to Rome, Benedict was greeted with a flood of believers in a sea of yellow and white waving towels at Yankee stadium, estimated to be more than 57,000. Also spotted were a number of t-shirt’s bearing the number 16; no it wasn’t in celebration of the Yankees southpaw Whitey Ford or Mets hard hitting left-fielder Angel Pagan, both of whom were assigned number 16, but that of Pope Benedict XVI himself with the name Benedict blazoned on the back. The Mass lasted a shade over two hours, an amazing feat considering 530 priests and deacons had to work some miracles of their own, distributing communion to 57,000 in attendance within 15 minutes. Mission accomplished.
A stunning interpretation of ``Panis Angelicus’’ delivered by Marcello Giordani roared through the air in the House That Ruth Built, the pope gently bowed to the Italian tenor in appreciation of his brilliant performance.
The languages spoken reflected how much the cultural diversity of the church has grown since Pope Paul VI’s visit in 1965, and even Paul John Paul II’s in 1979. During the Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Saturday, languages were spoken in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, German and Akan. 35 different languages are celebrated in Catholic masses in New York’s 5 boroughs each week
In his bi-lingual homily, the 81-year old pontiff speaking with a heavy German accident, touched on the many themes near and dear to American’s hearts: the wave of immigrants that has inhabited the church in the land of ``freedom and opportunity’’, a nation saddled with `culture and linguistic’’ tensions, but blessed with a unity which transcends divisions, and a democratic society shaping a ``future of hope for future generations’’
The successor to Saint Peter, wasn’t afraid to wax political: in an oblique reference to the country’s Declaration of Independence, Benedict made an appeal to protect the`` inalienable rights’’ of the most defenseless of all: ``the unborn child’’, words that moved the largely Catholic crowd to break out in a thunder of applause.
The pope didn’t make a clear reference to the clergy abuse scandal, a subject that became a recurring theme throughout his U.S. tour, the closest he came was when he urged the congregation not to ``lose heart in the face of resistance, adversity and scandal.’’
Rather than condemn the priests and deacons who molested children, Benedict took the opportunity to pay respect to the thousands who have been loyal to the church and have served dutifully in carrying on the work of Apostle Peter, when he thanked `` the steady ministry of the many priests who devoted their lives to the care of souls, and the incalculable contribution made by so many men and women religious, who not only taught generations of children how to read and write, but also inspired in them a lifelong desire to know God, to love him and to serve him.’’
With the number of priests slashed from 58,000 in 1965 to about 41,500 last year, Benedict made a spirited appeal for the youth to follow in the footsteps of Christ and respond to the calling of ``priesthood and the religious life.’’
Only time will tell how successful the pontiff's trip to America was, but if the objective was to restore faith in the church beset by scandal and abuse, the pope knocked one clear out of the park
Benedict didn’t shy away from addressing the church's abuse scandal and beginning to mend the wounds of abused victims. For some, it was a little too late; for others it was a first step for renewing their faith, forgiving the church for finally acknowledging its sins, and returning to St Peter’s flock with sprits raised.
After the Mass concluded, and Benedict made his way to the Yankee dugout with a smile extending from ear-to-ear, holding out his right hand to as many euphoric bystanders as he could, all hoping to get one last look at the supreme shepherd, I kept expecting Benedict to come back out of the dugout for one last curtain call, like so many other Yankees greats have done over the years: DiMaggio, Mantle, Mattingly, and Jeter.
It was not to be.
A plane at JFK Airport awaited, and as the Popemobile circled Yankee stadium for the final time, it was only fitting the last sight of Pope Benedict making his final waves, was watching him pass by Monument Park.
It’s a rare occasion, indeed, when the monuments of Miller Huggins, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio were outshined next to another Big Bopper in his Popemobile
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
Five days later, the German pope left New York billed as the ``pope of hope’’ as CNN Vatican analysist John Allen called him, for his ability to reconnect with a flock of worshippers who had fallen away after the clergy abuse scandal split the American Catholic Church in two.
On five occasions during his two-city six-day tour of the United States, his first as a pope, Benedict made reference to the clergy abuse scandal.
Before boarding Shepherd One and heading back to Rome, Benedict was greeted with a flood of believers in a sea of yellow and white waving towels at Yankee stadium, estimated to be more than 57,000. Also spotted were a number of t-shirt’s bearing the number 16; no it wasn’t in celebration of the Yankees southpaw Whitey Ford or Mets hard hitting left-fielder Angel Pagan, both of whom were assigned number 16, but that of Pope Benedict XVI himself with the name Benedict blazoned on the back. The Mass lasted a shade over two hours, an amazing feat considering 530 priests and deacons had to work some miracles of their own, distributing communion to 57,000 in attendance within 15 minutes. Mission accomplished.
A stunning interpretation of ``Panis Angelicus’’ delivered by Marcello Giordani roared through the air in the House That Ruth Built, the pope gently bowed to the Italian tenor in appreciation of his brilliant performance.
The languages spoken reflected how much the cultural diversity of the church has grown since Pope Paul VI’s visit in 1965, and even Paul John Paul II’s in 1979. During the Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Saturday, languages were spoken in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, German and Akan. 35 different languages are celebrated in Catholic masses in New York’s 5 boroughs each week
In his bi-lingual homily, the 81-year old pontiff speaking with a heavy German accident, touched on the many themes near and dear to American’s hearts: the wave of immigrants that has inhabited the church in the land of ``freedom and opportunity’’, a nation saddled with `culture and linguistic’’ tensions, but blessed with a unity which transcends divisions, and a democratic society shaping a ``future of hope for future generations’’
The successor to Saint Peter, wasn’t afraid to wax political: in an oblique reference to the country’s Declaration of Independence, Benedict made an appeal to protect the`` inalienable rights’’ of the most defenseless of all: ``the unborn child’’, words that moved the largely Catholic crowd to break out in a thunder of applause.
The pope didn’t make a clear reference to the clergy abuse scandal, a subject that became a recurring theme throughout his U.S. tour, the closest he came was when he urged the congregation not to ``lose heart in the face of resistance, adversity and scandal.’’
Rather than condemn the priests and deacons who molested children, Benedict took the opportunity to pay respect to the thousands who have been loyal to the church and have served dutifully in carrying on the work of Apostle Peter, when he thanked `` the steady ministry of the many priests who devoted their lives to the care of souls, and the incalculable contribution made by so many men and women religious, who not only taught generations of children how to read and write, but also inspired in them a lifelong desire to know God, to love him and to serve him.’’
With the number of priests slashed from 58,000 in 1965 to about 41,500 last year, Benedict made a spirited appeal for the youth to follow in the footsteps of Christ and respond to the calling of ``priesthood and the religious life.’’
Only time will tell how successful the pontiff's trip to America was, but if the objective was to restore faith in the church beset by scandal and abuse, the pope knocked one clear out of the park
Benedict didn’t shy away from addressing the church's abuse scandal and beginning to mend the wounds of abused victims. For some, it was a little too late; for others it was a first step for renewing their faith, forgiving the church for finally acknowledging its sins, and returning to St Peter’s flock with sprits raised.
After the Mass concluded, and Benedict made his way to the Yankee dugout with a smile extending from ear-to-ear, holding out his right hand to as many euphoric bystanders as he could, all hoping to get one last look at the supreme shepherd, I kept expecting Benedict to come back out of the dugout for one last curtain call, like so many other Yankees greats have done over the years: DiMaggio, Mantle, Mattingly, and Jeter.
It was not to be.
A plane at JFK Airport awaited, and as the Popemobile circled Yankee stadium for the final time, it was only fitting the last sight of Pope Benedict making his final waves, was watching him pass by Monument Park.
It’s a rare occasion, indeed, when the monuments of Miller Huggins, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio were outshined next to another Big Bopper in his Popemobile
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
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