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.