Associated Press
April 17, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j7CMHl_nRqEaAwSLE_odoujTS4FgD903FET00
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI spent the first full day of his U.S. journey sharing a platform with President Bush and laying out his analysis of the American church to the nation's bishops, including strong words about the pain caused by the clergy sexual abuse crisis.
On Thursday morning, the soft-spoken theologian not especially known for iconic gestures or stage presence will meet the people.
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| Pope Benedict XVI walks with President Bush as he reviews the honor guard upon his arrival at the Andrews Air Force Base, Md,, Tuesday, April 15, 2008. Photo by Pier Paolo Cito |
Benedict will preside over an open-air Mass at the new Washington Nationals stadium, a gold curtain and crucifix providing the backdrop for the largest stage yet on his six-day U.S. visit.
A crowd of 46,000 is expected, and the demand for tickets doubled the supply, organizers said. It is a setting his charismatic predecessor, John Paul II, would have adored. Benedict's substance is similar; it's his style and personality that sets him apart, observers say.
"He's not the great actor and performer that John Paul II was," said the Rev. James Martin, editor of America, a Jesuit magazine. "But he's a brilliant theologian and a sterling preacher."
Before Benedict's arrival this week, polls showed most Americans knew little or nothing about him. Those who have watched him so far have found a German-born pontiff who speaks excellent English, appears vigorous for his 81 years, mostly prefers script to spontaneity and displays a keen sense of the critical issues facing his 65-million member American flock.
One of larger questions hanging over Benedict's first U.S. trip as pontiff was whether and how he would address the clergy sex abuse scandal, which has claimed thousands of victims, cost the church more than $2 billion in court costs and settlements and led six dioceses to declare bankruptcy.
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| In this photo provided Wednesday, April 16, 2008 by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI is welcomed by President Bush upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, Tuesday, April 15, 2008. The pontiff is on a United States visit which includes a stop at Ground Zero, in New York, until April 20. ( Photo by L'Osservatore Romano |
The answer: he's talked about it early, often and with conviction, although not to the satisfaction of many victims and their advocates.
In an address to U.S. bishops Wednesday night at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Benedict called the scandal a "deep shame." He decried the "enormous pain" that communities have suffered from such "gravely immoral behavior."
He also said the problem needs to be viewed in the wider context of secularism and the over-sexualization of America, and called for "a determined, collective response."
Bishop Gregory Aymond of Austin, Texas, chairman of the bishops' Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, said Benedict made it clear that more work remains and the impact of the scandal damages not just the Catholic church but faith in God.
"Some would say the crisis is over," Aymond said. "As long as victims are still hurting and broken and there is a need for reconciliation, it is still critical. At the same time, we want to recognize that we as a church have moved forward ... The Holy Father gets it."
Aymond also welcomed Benedict's endorsement of Chicago Cardinal Francis George's comment that the crisis had been "very badly handled."
"I believe we have to tell it like it is, and I was glad that he said that," Aymond said. "All of us as bishops, as leaders, have to examine our consciences."
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| Workers assemble the staging platform in center field Monday, April 14, 2008, as preparations are made at the recently dedicated Nationals baseball park for the upcoming outdoor mass of Pope Benedict XVI in Washington. The Pope will be visiting Washington on his first visit to the U.S. as Pope this week. Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais |
Advocates for victims have complained that no bishops have been disciplined for failing to warn parents and police about abusers.
Although the comments on sexual abuse were much anticipated, Benedict's address went well beyond them. He talked about Catholics' responsibility to raise their voices in the public square, the need to encourage more men to enter the priesthood, the influx of Hispanic immigrants who have transformed the church, and the importance of strengthening families.
"None of what he's said has surprised me, because he's said so much before," said Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput. "But he's spoken in such a succinct way and covered all the bases."
"Even though he's a theologian and John Paul II was a poet-philosopher, all of us think in terms of speaking, Benedict is so much clearer," Chaput said. "Not only in his use of English, but in the way he formulates things."
The pope's presence has deeply touched the devout. One young woman, awaiting his arrival at the basilica where he addressed the bishops, began weeping at first sight of the pope's motorcade, which was projected on a large screen. He was 10 minutes away.
Elsa Thompson of Washington, D.C., who as a basilica tour guide knows the stories behind nearly every mosaic and stained-glass window, said that when she looks at Benedict, she sees a moral authority and a clear voice in a confused world.
Yet she too wonders how the scholarly pontiff's message will translate Thursday in a baseball stadium, as Catholics from around the country are introduced to him in person.
"I watched him on TV at the White House, and I thought, 'How many people actually grasp what he's saying?' — including me," Thompson said. "Yet at the same time, I felt challenged, because he is a teacher."
After his appearance at the stadium Thursday, Benedict will address Catholic educators and meet with leaders of other faiths.
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