By Dena Bunis
The Orange County Register
April 16, 2008
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/brown-pope-church-2019984-bishops-benedict
WASHINGTON - Bishop Tod Brown believes America is seeing a pope who is enjoying his role as the head of the Catholic Church and who may belie his reputation as a reserved introverted leader.
"Personally, I think he has blossomed immensely in his role as the Bishop of Rome," Brown, head of the Diocese of Orange, said in an interview Wednesday night, soon after he returned from hearing Pope Benedict XVI address U.S. bishops at the Immaculate Conception shrine in the nation's capital. "He's really broadened, and I think the warmer side of his personality has emerged."
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| BIG WELCOME: The crowd waves and cheer as the motorcade of Pope Benedict XVI makes it way to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on Wednesday. Photo by Luis M. Alvarez |
Brown said the pontiff seemed to be enjoying his role, and he responded very well to the adulation he received - from the spontaneous singing of "Happy Birthday" to the 81-year-old wherever he went to the cheers and flag-waving he encountered as the Popemobile made its way through the capital streets.
The pope's elation at his reception didn't deter him from addressing some serious and painful subjects with the bishops in a way Brown believes the American Catholic community will appreciate.
"I think the fact that he was very frank, shall we say, and honest that attracts people," Brown said. "People like to see that in a leader. Certainly, I do."
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| O.C. Bishop Tod Brown Photo by Chris Carlson |
Brown was referring to the comments Benedict made about the sex-abuse scandal that has shaken the U.S. church. The pontiff used words like "shame" and "very badly handled" to describe the problem.
Brown said he is confident that the safety programs in place in the Diocese of Orange are working.
"I'm quite pleased with what we've done in terms of protection and hopefully this won't ever happen again, but then we can't guarantee that, nobody can," Brown said. "Everything humanly possible has been done and is being done too protect our people."
The pope talked to his bishops on a wide range of topics including immigration, the value of family as well as the relationship between being a Catholic and an American when it comes to laws passed by Congress.
Benedict urged the bishops to "continue to welcome the immigrants who join our ranks today to support them in their sorrows and trials and to help them flourish in their new home."
The U.S. Conference of Bishops was strong and forceful in its support of the comprehensive immigration bill that failed in the Senate last year. Brown said he expects he and his colleagues will continue to push for such legislation and that what Benedict said in Washington "will encourage us further to support those efforts." Brown said immigration is not a new issue for the pontiff. "I think he's aware of our history and the present difficulties."
The pope also seemed to be keenly aware of the legislative process here, saying there is "much current and proposed legislation that gives cause for concern from the point of view of morality."
While the pope never mentioned the words abortion or stem-cell research or other issues that have divided some American Catholics from the church in Rome, Brown said he believes the pope was "encouraging the clergy to try and keep the people informed in terms of good conscience" and that "it is important to have the issues out there and have them clearly defined for all of us."
Overall, Brown said he "heard a lot of encouragement from our holy father." He said he's hoping the pope's first visit to the United States is "going to provide a better understanding of our church to those who are not members of the church" and will be "inspirational for those who are."
Brown said the visit will also "enable America in general to have a better idea of who Benedict XVI is."
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