The steam is still rising at the National Press Club after the speech by Dr. Jeremiah Wright, the much controversial pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, and, for some 20 years the minister of presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.

First of all, please understand that Dr. Wright says many, many truthful things. He talks about the love of Jesus for all mankind, he talked about how your theology determines how you view people, society, what’s right, or wrong. This is sound theological points that deserve an “Amen.”

“Your belief about God is the beginning of your wisdom,” according to Dr. Tim Keller author of The Reason for God. “All your reseasoning, proceeds from there.”

 So I have no objections to Dr. Wright’s points about how society is ordered as to do how we understand God. And, if God is a white male then it follows that you would believe all power belongs to white males. If God is revengeful, and wrath-filled, then it would follow that you would believe there should be sharp and harsh punishment for certain kinds of people.

Generally speaking, after hearing Dr. Wright this morning, it is not surprising that what he says would make sense to anyone sitting in his pews Sunday after Sunday. For people who need bolstering spiritually, economically and personally, Dr. Wright’s statements are empowering. For those unsure what their place in society can or should be, Dr. Wright’s theology is a bold shot in the arm.

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It’s only been five days but this visit by Pope Benedict XVI seems a world apart from when he arrived.

On Tuesday, we didn’t know what to expect when he stepped off the plane. Now that we’ve seen him — the Shepherd One, this German nicknamed “God’s Rottweiler” — and heard his voice, witnessed his smile and incredible humility, he has become someone so close to us all.

I’m writing this at 8 a.m. from the media positions at Yankee stadium. After getting back from St. Joseph’s seminary at 9:30 last night, we had to be back at the media check in in midtown Manhattan at 3:45 a.m. this morning. The Mass begins here at Yankee in several hours.

The Mass will be the pontiff’s last big event in America. We hope it’s not the last ever, but it could be. Six days ago that fact was just information. Today that same fact saddens my heart, to think that this man who has become one of us may never grace us with his company again.

It’s gray and chilly this morning, almost as if even the weather is mirroring the mood of the moment. A sorrowful sigh at having to say goodbye to a new friend than in a short few days has become a trusted companion.

Father Jonathan Morris and I are finally on site at the Youth Rally in Yonkers, N.Y. And, I think we can honestly say that we’re grateful to be here, after a wild bus ride from the big media security checkpoint in midtown Manhattan.

What should have been a 20 minute ride turned into an hour and a half journey. The secret service apparently didn’t check the route map well enough and didn’t realize that the West Side parkway bridges were too low for three tour buses (that were carrying hundreds of members of the media) to pass underneath!

The bus tied up traffic for at least 30 minutes as police stopped the flow of cars so the buses could back up about a 100 or so yards to exit and go around the overpass. Then, the narrow access road had no outlet to accommodate the buses. We had to make a U-turn in the intersection to go back to the parkway, enter after the low bridge and then on our way again.

Needless to say, we were late.

There are already thousand of young people from the various surrounding dioceses here.  Stay tuned — I’ll be writing all afternoon.

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.

As the pope celebrates the first Mass on his pastoral visit, I just want to harken back to his speech last night to the 300 plus bishops and cardinals in America.

First of all I have to say I’m really beginning to like this guy. His subtle personality traits that are revealed when he talks to old friends show a different side of the man known as “God’s Rottweiler.” The lightest moment happened when one of his close cardinal friends asked one of the three questions. The Holy Father smiled with a twinkle in his eye and said something like, “Ah yes, I remember the interesting discussions we used to have.” The whole room erupted in laughter.

This is a side of the pontiff that America has never seen. And we like it, and I think the pontiff likes it as well. And as his trip progresses we’ll probably see more of his personality. It’s like the bookworm in school who was never popular but had a few close friends. And then suddenly his talents somehow saves the day (we’ve all seen those kinds of movies) and then becomes everyone’s hero.

The change of stature makes him a little more outgoing, a little more apt to show his personality. That’s what I’ve seen in Pope Benedict XVI. He came here to change America, to strengthen the Catholic Church here. But he probably didn’t expect that he himself would be changed.

It was a very nice gathering on the White House lawn for the Pope’s 81st Birthday. What struck me most about Pope Benedict XVI and President Bush’s appearance at the White House was the overwhelmingly strong solidarity the president showed for the pontiff.

In his speech, the president mentioned St. Augustine, the fifth century philosopher and theologian from which Pope Benedict has fashioned many of his theological ideologies. The president also talked about life being sacred, a reference to the ongoing conflicts over abortion. And the president also used the pope’s own phrase “the Dictatorship of Relativism” when referring to ideas of “right and wrong” being rooted in absolute standards and principles.

My friends on the ground at the event fed me some of their own observations. Dr. Deal Hudson author of “Onward Christian Soldiers: The Growing Political Power of Catholics and Evangelicals in the United States.” (Simon and Schuster), wrote me this paragraph of his impressions, right after the event.

“The biggest event in the history of the White House was a great success with a spontaneous “Happy Birthday” sung to the Holy Father by an obviously-adoring crowd. The President’s mispronunciation of St. Augustine’s dictum “pace tecum” seemed not to be noticed, and the Protestant setting of the Lord’s Prayer sung powerfully by Kathleen Battle was well-received. But it was the all-male version of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” that had many in the crowd wiping their eyes as His Holiness clearly showed his enjoyment of the all-American hymn. There were no surprises in the prepared remarks — the real story was the size and warmth of the crowd and the obvious respect and affection of President Bush toward Benedict XVI. “

Also phoning in his impressions, Carl Anderson, the head of the Knights of Columbus in America. Mr. Anderson said the event “seemed more like a festival than a reception.” He also noted the president picking up on the pope’s phrase, “The dictatorship of relativism.” Carl said, thinking back to 1979 when Pope John Paul II visited Jimmy Carter at the White house, he didn’t remember that event being so festive. Today’s event had a special feel and the president was trying to drive home the point that this is “One Nation Under God.”

What you didn’t see from the various camera angles were many of the dignitaries and leaders of other faiths present. One that has a special bond with the Holy Father is Archbishop Demetrius, head of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. He knows the pope quite well and was even his interlocutor on the pontiff’s trip to Europe. According to the Greek Orthodox Church spokesman, the Vatican considers Archbishop Demetrius the highest ranking christian in America. That is why on Friday you will see him being seated last before the pope enters St. Joseph’s Parish for the Ecumenical meeting.

And finally the Holy Father’s words. I agree with Deal that there were no surprises, but digging deeper into his words you’ll find affirmation to bringing your faith into the marketplace of ideas. He said: “…to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate.” It’s another reference to his greatest theme of Reason and Faith, that you can find faith through reason, not blind emotion.

Next up… the Solomn Vespers and the meeting with the Bishops later today. This could be the place he makes his first reference to the priest sex abuse scandal.

Pope Benedict XVI is now on the plane and soon to land on U.S. soil in a matter of hours. My thoughts on this visit are aplenty.

What will he say when he first speaks to the American people? What will he say to President Bush during their “private chat?” What kind of impact will he have on Catholicism and Christianity in America and the world? Yes, there are several planned speeches and events, but this pope’s mission goes far beyond the printed materials, or media ratings and sound bites. What we all must be cognizant of during the pontiff’s five days here is that his measure of success is not as the secular world would gauge.

I’ve admired this pope since I began reading his many, many tomes concerning faith, spirituality, the church and its mission on Earth. Benedict is about planting seeds for the future. Not the future that ends up on the evening news, but the future as it is grounded in the present understanding of a deeper more lasting faith … a future that may take 10 to 20 to 100 years to unfold.

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As you might have heard, Pope Benedict XVI is visiting the U.S. this April. As the Religion Correspondent, I’ve been busy helping put together a special scheduled to air Sunday, April 13.

The special called Mission to America: Pope Benedict XVI, will be hosted by Chris Wallace. I’m handling the U.S. side of things, while Greg Burke, the Fox Rome Correspondent, is busy with the European elements. Meanwhile our stunning producer Rachel Feldman is working feverishly to pull it all together!

This visit is the first by Benedict since he was elected Pope three years ago, after the death of John Paul II. In fact, Pope Benedict will celebrate his third anniversary as the Vicar of Christ and his 81st birthday, on U.S. soil. Although he has visited the U.S. a few times as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, this will be his first, and maybe his only trip to America as Pope.

One of the greatest challenges in creating a special about the Pope’s visit is trying to figure out what he’s going to say. The Vatican is none to eager to hand us the Pope’s talking points. So we’re left with asking various high-level sources some probing questions, like “What’s on the Pope’s mind?” “What does he want to tell Americans?” “Will he reprimand wayward Catholics?”

But one thing’s for certain … this Pope wants to inspire a resurgence of faith in Christianity and, of course in Catholicism, in America.

In the course of research, I’ve learned lots about this Pope, and have tremendous respect for him. Even many who don’t agree with his theology, acknowledge that he’s the “go to guy” when it comes to peaceful religious dialogue.

But if you want to learn more about the Holy Father, I can suggest you read one or some of his many books. He’s truly a scholar, the professor pope, who’s written practically a library of materials. Some good reading would be Milestones, which is his memoirs as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, before he was elected pope. But another interesting tome was not actually written by him but was an interview he did with a journalist. It’s called The Salt of the Earth. And the Pope’s latest book Jesus of Nazareth, is a great read for getting inside his theological mind and also to understand how personal faith is for him.

You can get a detailed schedule of the Pope’s five-day papal pilgrimage from the websites of The Archdioceses of Washington, D.C. and New York . The Holy Father will be arriving in the nation’s capitol on the evening of Tuesday, April 15.

During his two days in D.C. he’ll greet the president at the White House, meet with Catholic educators, Bishops and say Mass at Washington Nationals Stadium. He’ll also have an interfaith meeting with representatives from other religions. The centerpiece of his U.S. visit, and the initial reason for coming, is to speak at the United Nations in New York. That will happen on Friday, April 18. He’ll depart New York for Rome on Sunday April 20th after celebrating Mass at Yankee Stadium.

(Photo credit: AP)