The Pope in the Big Apple
What whirlwind trip the Holy Father is making through the United States.
A two-city tour seems more like a 20 city extravaganza. As I mentioned before the pope seems to be revealing a different side, with this effervescent personality that’s emerging. As Greg Burke so aptly put, the pontiff is having his “John Paul moments”! In fact, it’s more than a moment. Kissing babies, waving to the crowds, skirting the secret service to shake a few hands … it’s amazing.
But all that has not stopped the pope from making some very surprising and serious gestures. Yesterday he secretly met with three victims of priest sexual abuse. The meeting was so secret, the press person from the Boston Archdiocese didn’t find out till 2 a.m. of the day it happened (the victims were all from the Boston area). The Washington Archdiocese and USCCB (United States Council of Catholic Bishops) press persons found out from the news reports after Father Lombardi, the Vatican spokesperson, gave a couple of interviews. There were print photographers at the papal nuncio’s residents waiting for the pope to head out to another planned event, and didn’t know that the folks entering casually in the afternoon, were abuse victims getting a private meeting with the Holy Father! Amazing!
But it just shows us that the unprecedented frankness and openness with which Pope Benedict began on the flight over, was no accident. In fact I’ve been told the pope himself asked to meet with victims. Now other reports say Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley pressured the pontiff or at least urged him to meet with victims. So we may never know for sure. But I can speculate that because Pope Benedict, as Cardinal Ratzinger and the Vatican’s chief theologian, and saw hundreds, if not thousands, of these cases come ac cross his desk over the years, he would have a much more personal connection to the cases than John Paul II. In fact it was Cardinal Ratzinger who was responsible for adding sexual sins against minors, to the list of grievous sins that could be committed by a priest.
And, yes, the church didn’t do enough and responded too slowly or not at all. But Cardinal William Levada, who is now the vatican’s chief theologian and an American, said this afternoon at TIME Magazine luncheon, that if the majority of bishops in charge had known what they know now , “they would have acted differently”. Let’s hope so.
For no at least, it seems the tide has changed and the abuse scandal will not be swept away, allowing for the healing truly to begin.
I have an Ehiopian orthodox back ground. For some reason during the last 10 days I was on the verge of having confession and thurst of religious spirit. I was not in any way to fall for the POP. On his first Mass in DC Cathedral I was watching the ceremony on TV. When he starts to pray for confession Before I knew it I was down on the floor ,kneel down my face was full of tears, I was crying and pray with him and the mass. I was so happy with the feeling I had. God forgiven me for my sins.
God has reason for this POP to come United States. Even though I am not Catholic I was waitng for him just as he is one of God’s Diciples with a massage for the world. He was indeed the messanger of god help me to confess and cry in front of God with no plan on God’s time.
Thank God Thanks POP Benedict.
Thanks ro the Media helping us to reach out with the Mass.
sex abuse whether committed by catholics or any evangelicals and especially by those who are in a position to be guardians of our moral values as the Holy Scripture and Christ Jesus teaches, is like a sore thumb that would keep reminding us of our fallen human nature and that we needed a Saviour, and I am sure this is a big burden and responsibility of Pope to address it frankly and sincerely and he did a great job in doing so. Thanks to your coverage and to FOX.
Martha G.,
I read your story and brought tears to my eyes. God is merciful and He uses people of faith to give us a message. Now I invite you to pray with me and many other Catholics and Orthodox for our Church to be One, as Jesus wanted it. God bless you and your family.
http://www.byzcath.org
To Martha G:
Thank God that you were able to receive the grace of acknowledging your sins and seeking the mercy of God. Many of us watching this Pope were in tears as well. It was so beautiful. As for your comments about not falling for the Pope, you don’t have to fear following him. We Catholics consider the Orthodox our equals in the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Our beliefs are so similar that there is really hardly anything that would prevent our two Churches: The Eastern and Western Churches, from being in full union again and undoing the harm that the Great Schism caused the Body of Christ. We are praying for the day when we can be reunited again so that the words of Jesus are fullfilled:
That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, as we also are one: I in them, and thou in me; that they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast also loved me. (John 17:21-23)
God Bless You!