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.

This morning we are up at 3:00am to head to the Nationals’ baseball stadium for the first public mass of the Pope’s visit to the United States. Here is a note I received from a friend of mine, a young man named Mathias in his second year of law school here in Washington D.C. I’ll post more later today from the stadium, but wanted to at least leave you all with this:

God bless, Father Jonathan

Who is the Holy Father?  Before today, as a Catholic, I thought the answer was more-or-else straight-forward: the head of the Church and Christ’s vicar on earth. Today, I learned the answer was far, far, more simple.

It was about 5:20 when I had the opportunity to see the Pope pass by in his custom-built “popemobile”. He came by slowly. Inside the car’s glass bubble, this humble priest smiled and waved to the crowd, and since he drove slowly, he took the time to look at us each individually. His glance was full of life and his spirit radiated a glowing and unmistakable message: peace.

Today the Holy Father became for me a messenger of peace. So often political leaders and others talk of peace, but this man lives it. And it shines forth in his life. His predecessor John Paul II was a rockstar, and his example of faith drew an enthusiasm for Christ, especially for us, the young. Benedict’s personal presence makes a quiet invitation: to think, to reflect, and to attempt to live peace. His message has been so simple since the beginning of his papacy, and his theme for this trip, “Christ is Our Hope”. Nothing could possibly be more attractive.

Given this man’s wisdom, even more exciting than seeing him is listening to his words. And his message to the Bishops inside the Basilica was quite simple: pray, pray, and pray. And he preached by example tonight, leading the Bishops in the traditional prayer of psalms and hymns that all priests and many lay Catholics say daily.

That Christ’s messenger of peace would lead through the example of his life of prayer with all of us speaks volumes to me. It is a silent invitation that I know he invites each of us to share in our lives and with each other.

That’s who the Holy Father is: a man of prayer, a man of peace.

So I stopped into the DC Bureau and people are obviously busy with pope coverage. I did have a chance to meet up with the Fox News Edge folks, who we work with all over the globe on breaking news. Here’s a little video I threw together.

done

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.

As I listened to the speeches President George W. Bush and Pope Benedict XVI delivered on the lawn of the White House, my thoughts turned to what might have been going on in the hearts of each one…

First the president:

As I said on-air, the content of the president’s speech could have been written by the pope himself.  That’s how close these two men are on so many issues.  President Bush chose to highlight the sacredness of human life, the rejection of religiously-motivated violence, the complimentary relationship between faith and reason, and the danger of moral and religious relativism.  How happy the president must have been to be able to speak with such conviction about his own core values in front of a man with the pope’s moral stature.  Here is a born-again Methodist speaking to a Roman Catholic pope from the heart.  America is a great country!

The president must have felt some degree of discomfort as well knowing the Holy Father’s concern for the situation in Iraq and the Middle East.  It seems the president did what he thought was the best thing.  The result has been less than pretty — something Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger predicted before the invasion — even as we recognize the significant improvement of conditions on the ground.  This has to weigh heavy on the president’s heart and mind.

But perhaps the beauty of the moment gave the president some relief from the tension he must be under.  Maybe having this opportunity to showcase to the pope the goodness of the American people—our spiritual sensitivity, our strong will in the face of economic, political, and military challenges, our love for freedom, truth, and justice proved a moment of personal rejuvenation for President Bush.  I hope so…

Now, the Holy Father:

Well, more on this later … I’ve got to go back on set.

I’m happy to report there were no injuries among the news-nerds boarding the papal flight this time.

When we were going to Turkey, one of them tripped another coming out of the bus that took us to the plane, sending him rolling on the tarmac. But the fallen nerd got right back up, and despite a sprained wrist still made it to the front of the press section, just to prove that he may be a news-nerd, but he’s not a total nerd.

There aren’t a whole lot of scuffles on papal trips, although once the photographer from Time Magazine did deck a guy who was crowding his space. The judges awarded the Time guy a TKO, but I think he eventually lost the lawsuit from the guy who lost his teeth.

Pope Benedict came to the back of the plane to answer a few questions, on the sex abuse crisis, on immigration, on the United Nations and human rights, and on United States as a model of religious freedom and a secular state.

On sex abuse, Benedict said it was time to heal the wound, and the crisis has meant much suffering for the Church in the U.S. “and for me personally,” adding that on reading the cases that arrived in Rome it was difficult for him to understand how priests betrayed their mission. “We will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry,” he said.

Photographing the Pope; Papal headrest

The Pope looked liked he was in good shape, slightly tanned and patient as usual with all the flurry around him. Benedict XVI said he was making the trip in a spirit of joy: “I know this great country, and the liveliness of the Church there, despite the problems.”

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to report live outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue here in New York, to preview the security measures that will be taken to protect the Pope. It will be an impressive undertaking by the NYPD, Secret Service, and Vatican Swiss Guard, which will join together and provide “360 degrees” of security around the spiritual leader.

After hearing from our security experts about bomb sniffing dogs, roof top snipers, hovering helicopters, divers in the waters that surround Manhattan, and armored limos, one thing is clear, the Pope’s visit to the Big Apple will be a well protected one.

The Pope has a full agenda here in New York, with visits scheduled at the United Nations, Ground Zero, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, St. Joseph’s Church and Yankee Stadium. I am thrilled to be a part of our Fox News team coverage, and will be doing live reports from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers Friday and will also be doing Pope reports Saturday (location yet to be determined) . I have been looking forward to this for a long time, and am honored to be in the company of our religious correspondent Lauren Green, Religion Contributor Father Jonathan, and our Rome Bureau correspondent Greg Burke. Full disclosure: I am not Catholic, so a lot of what I am researching for my assignment is new to me, which makes it such a thrill. I feel like I am studying for a big exam, that I can’t wait to take.

After I wrapped up my security preview Sunday, I wanted to check out the St. Patrick’s Cathedral gift shop, where I have heard Pope Benedict Memorabilia has been flying off the shelves, like T-shirts, pins and customized rosaries.

Several of Pope Benedict XVI’s Books were also on display, including “Joseph and Chico”

And, one of the most coveted items, has been the Pope coffee mug, it was sold out when I first went to the store, but the store got some back in stock yesterday…

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.

Keep Reading …

Pope Benedict is now on a plane. Some have called it “Shepherd One”, but in fact, it is an ordinary “Alitalia” plane. It does not belong to the Vatican. The tradition has been for Alitalia—Italy’s national carrier—to transport the pope, his entourage, and reporters on his first leg of an international trip and for an airline of the host country to do the return trip. This time, the pope will travel round-trip on Alitalia. Maybe he was afraid of getting his flight canceled if he were on an American carrier?! Probably not.

I am waiting in New York to do color commentary on set for Shepard Smith who will do live coverage of the 4:00pm (US Eastern) touchdown. Word is already out about the five questions reporters have asked the Holy Father on the plane. One of them was about the sexual abuse scandal in the United States. Since the questions had been previously reviewed and accepted by the Vatican’s communication department, the fact the pope answered this question in particular means he wanted to tackle the issue right from the start.

Keep in mind, before he became pope, Pope Benedict was in charge of the Vatican department responsible for reviewing the files of priests who had been accused of abuse. He knows from the inside the terrible nature of abuse. Listen to what he said this morning on the plane, as reported by the Associated Press. Note that when he says “Church” he is referring to all of its members, including the victims.

It is a great suffering for the church in the United States and for the Church is general and for me personally that this could happen. It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their mission … to these children. I am deeply ashamed and we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future. We will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry. It is more important to have good priests than many priests. We will do everything possible to heal this wound.

For some context, take a look at this in-depth study about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church between the years 1950 - 2002. It was executed by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Since most people ask me about the prevalence of abuse during these years, I have extracted a few paragraphs from the study that give actual percentages of the total number of priests who have been accused (not necessarily convicted) of sexual abuse of boys or girls under the age of eighteen. Here they are:

The total number of priests with allegations of abuse in our survey is 4,392. The percentage of all priests with allegations of sexual abuse is difficult to derive because there is no definitive number of priests who were active between the years of 1950 and 2002. We used two sets of numbers to estimate the total number of active priests and then calculated the percentage against whom allegations were made.

Keep Reading …

There are two theories about flying with the pope. One is that the plane will never go down. The second is that if it does, everyone goes to heaven.

Apparently Benedict is going to answer five questions for us on the flight. There’s always a huge scrum to get seats at the front. At the front of the back, that is. All the Vatican hotshots are up front, and 50 or so journalists are in economy, although the price is anything but economical. (We normally get first class food, though, if that’s any consolation.)

In the journalist section, the news nerds are in the front, the cool calm people in the middle (that’s where FOX will be) and the photographers in the back, so they can make a quick exit and get a shot of the pope after we land. The photographers all look like guys (although there’s one woman among them) who only put on their ties three times year, when they’re on the papal plane.

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1- Top Photo: News conference on board. To the left of the pope is Cardinal Bertone, the secretary of state, and to his right is papal spokesman Fr. Lombardi.

2— Half of a pope trip is waiting in line.

This is outside the cathedral in Sao Paolo. Everyone seems to be asking, “Are you going to let us in?”

3— No talking in church.

Once inside the cathedral, with Tricia Thomas of APTN, Associated Press Television.