THE POPE IS COMING

april 5, 2008

Pope Benedict XVI will soon make his first Apostolic Visit to the United States. The last papal visit to our country was by Pope John Paul II in 1999. Benedict will be here April 15-20. Even though the successor of Peter will not be able to tour the whole country, this is a most blessed occasion for the church in the United States.

His coming may give rise to various questions among Americans about the visit itself: Is there any special reason for his coming? What will he do when he is here? Pope Benedict’s visit may also give rise to questions about himself: Who is this quiet, gentle pope whom so many wrongly thought would be a cold, hard-nosed enforcer of rules? What are some of the major goals he has been working to achieve during his papacy?

Still other questions of a more general nature may arise in the minds of many: What does the pope do from day to day? Why is there a pope at all, and what is the mission of the popes throughout history? What is the Vatican? Since the pope lives there, how does he relate to us here in the Valley?

In this week’s column and next, I will offer some brief answers to these questions, so that all may feel they have a better understanding of Benedict and of the papacy, and derive more benefit from his visit.

The stated purpose of Pope Benedict’s visit is to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the four dioceses that were established from the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1808: Bardstown (Louisville, Kentucky), Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, and to accept an invitation from the Secretary General to address the international body.

Here are some of the highlights of his visit. Benedict will visit two cities: Washington, D.C., and to New York. In the nation’s capital, he will pay a visit to President Bush at the White House, meet with the Presidents of Catholic Colleges and Universities and the Superintendents of Catholic Schools at the Catholic University of America, meet with the Bishops of the United States at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, meet with inter-faith leaders at the John Paul II Cultural Center and celebrate the Eucharist at the baseball stadium of the Washington Nationals. Incidentally, Pope Benedict turns 81 on April 16, and so he will celebrate his birthday while in Washington.

Then he will travel to New York City, where he will address the United Nations, meet with ecumenical leaders at St, Joseph Church, celebrate Mass with bishops and priests for deacons and members of religious communities at St. Patrick Cathedral, meet with seminarians and young Catholics at the archdiocesan seminary, visit , “ground zero”, the site of the September 11 terrorist attack and celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium for representatives of all the dioceses in our country.

These events will provide Pope Benedict the opportunity to impart several messages to us who make up the Church in the United States. Since the themes of charity and hope have been pronounced in his two encyclical letters on these Christian virtues, I am confident that he will have uplifting words to say about the practice of these virtues in our daily lives. Since he has repeatedly expressed concern over the failure of today’s Western secularized societies to remember and cherish Christianity as the historical foundation of our culture, he will very likely recall to our attention the indispensable role of Christian faith in upholding and guiding us in our lives, in the exercise of our liberties, and in our pursuit of happiness.

The emphasis of his visit, however, should be on the visit itself – a blessed opportunity for him to get to know us better, and for us to get to know him better. Let us remember that our unity with the successor of Peter is the sign and cause of the unity of the Church throughout the world. Let us celebrate and renew our faith together with him through worship and dialog.

Pope Benedict’s visit offers us the opportunity to renew our Catholic identity and strengthen our unity as the Diocese of Brownsville, the Catholic Church in the Valley. Even though Pope Benedict will not be coming directly to us, the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) will bring him to our homes. Let us prepare minds and hearts to receive him with openness, reverence, and joy. Let us extend our affection to him by offering prayer that the Lord may sustain and guide him in his great and challenging ministry of being Christ’s vicar on earth.

In next week’s column I will tell you some things about the man, Joseph Ratzinger, about his major initiatives as pope, and about the office of the papacy in Christ’s plan for his Church.

+Bishop Raymundo J. Peña

last updated 11-Jan-2010 8:22 sitemap