Welcome Benedict

A special issue for Pope Benedict's visit to the United States from April 15 to 20. Inside:
Who the Pope is, what he has done as Pope, and what he may say to America...

Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States on April 15
has generated great excitement among Americans from the
moment it was first announced. Interest in the trip now
matches or in some respects surpasses the astonishingly
successful visits of John Paul II.
Two months ago, Mark Ackerman, director of the archdiocese of
New York's efforts to coordinate six papal appearances in that city,
reported that there had already been 180,000 requests for the 90,000
available seats for the papal Mass at Yankee Stadium. His predica-
ment. he said. was "heartbreaking" because of the sorrowful reac-
tions of people when they are told there are no more seats available.
The archdiocese of Washington faces similar overwhelming
demands for Mass tickets.
Some commentators attribute this excitement solely to the fact
that Benedict's time in the US is relatively brief and will be restrict-
ed to two cities. They say the trip's brevity and the pontiff's age -
he will soon be 81 years old - has created the sense of this visit
being a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity. It is quite likely that Pope
will not be returning anytime soon.
But there is more to it. Behind the enthusiasm for Benedict is a
suffering Church and a suffering nation seeking its way forward.
It is not so much curiosity that is attracting Americans to Bene-
dict; it is the doubt and pain present among the people, coupled
with admiration for this Good Shepherd.
The people are demonstrating the accuracy of a prediction made
70 years ago by British historian Christopher Dawson. He argued
that the Roman papacy, because of its unique origin and history,
was becoming ever more essential to the moral unity and advance-
ment of mankind. Dawson came to his prediction based on the
work and writings of 20th century Popes. He did not know the work
of John Paul II or Benedict, which has further increased the Vati-
can's moral stature worldwide.
How do those most anxious to see Benedict explain their rea-
sons? They have a sense of desperation about finding relief for the
confusion and pain in the country as a whole. They long to be in the
presence of the Pope as people have longed to meet outstanding fig-
ures and saints in every period of history. They trust that he will say
something that will help them face the future with real hope.
What is the confusion and pain they feel? I think it is this: that
America is, to the dismay of all of us, no longer the "land of the
free and the home of the brave" but a land of war against the
unborn, of egregious violence in the media and in the streets, of
political corruption, of the plight of immigrants, and of the increas-
ing awareness of the heavy cost of a foreign war the nation entered
into at the urging of special interest groups whose primary concern
was not the general welfare of the nation as a whole.
No one expects Benedict to deal with all these woes. What peo-
ple long for, however, is a sense of direction, a path that individuals,
the Church, and the country might take out of this dark valley.
In a sense Joseph Ratzinger has been describing such a path all
his life @ the way individuals and societies could move from the
City of Man to the City of God. Central to his thinking is for indi-
viduals to turn to Jesus. As Pope he has repeatedly urged audiences
to pray, meditate, study and lead lives of charity and selflessness
@ always in personal conversation with Jesus. He describes this as
the greatest adventure, the most joyous and meaningful life that
can be lived.
Benedict's visit will be intensely evangelical. Benedict will say
often and insistently @ to President Bush, to bishops and Catholic
educators, to audiences in stadiums, to interreligious groups, to
young people, and to all of us by his silent prayer at Ground Zero
@that God is calling all of us, individually and as a nation, to
build a civilization of love, of true freedom and justice. Such
rebuilding can only be based on a religious foundation of faith,
hope and love.
I once had a conversation with the Holy Father, long before he
was Pope, and asked him how he intended to evangelize in these
difficult times for the faith, our times, and he said: "What seems to
be important for me is that the faith does not remain some set of
positivistic commands, but that it is seen as something to be under-
stood, lived, acquired, and visible in everyday life.
"Yes, that is something worth believing in: a faith that is a way
to be lived, a faith that helps one find answers to the troubling ques-
tions of life."