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 Archbishop Henry J. Mansell Pope Benedict XVI was born and baptized on the same day, April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Germany. It was Holy Saturday, more than auspicious when we appreciate that it is the day we bless the new fire, the paschal candle, and the baptismal water, and celebrate with profound joy the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. It was a day profoundly graced for him and for the Church universal.
Pope Benedict was elected Pope on April 19, 2005, a threshold day for the enormous volume of work he has rendered for the Church and the world over the past three years.
We will mark the anniversaries of both dates during his upcoming visit to the United States, April 15 to 20. It will be an opportunity for us to see in our own country why his weekly audiences in Rome have been drawing people in unprecedented numbers. For the first time in history, two venues have been required to accommodate the crowds at the Wednesday public audiences: Pope Paul VI Audience Hall and Saint Peter’s Basilica. People come to hear what he has to say.
In anticipation of the visit, we were asked to estimate how many parishioners in our Archdiocese wished to participate in the Papal Mass in Yankee Stadium on April 20. Our consultation with all of our parishes produced more than 7,000 names. When we submitted the list, we were told that because of the tremendous interest from so many places, we would be limited to 1,000 participants. We were able to obtain an additional 500 places for the rally for young people and seminarians at Saint Joseph’s Seminary, Yonkers, on April 14. I am very sorry, however, that so many people have been disappointed about not being able to go.
We will all be able to follow him, nonetheless, through the wonder of electronic media as he begins his visit through Washington, D.C.; visiting the White House, conducting prayer meetings and speaking to the United States Catholic Bishops in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, celebrating Mass at Nationals Park, addressing Catholic university presidents and diocesan superintendents of schools at the Catholic University of America, and leading a prayer service with leaders of other faiths at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.
Then, in New York, we will be able to watch as he addresses the United Nations, participates in an ecumenical event, celebrates Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, meets disabled children, holds the rally for young people and seminarians at Saint Joseph’s Seminary, visits Ground Zero, and celebrates Mass at Yankee Stadium.
In observing Pope Benedict, either in person or through the media, what we will see is a brilliant intellectual and a pastoral leader of the highest order. Successor to Saint Peter and Vicar of Christ, he bears enormous responsibilities. In the address he delivered on the occasion of his first papal anniversary, he developed the theme, “Alone I Could Not Carry Out This Task.” It is a lesson for all of us: only through prayer and God’s help can we carry out the work God has designed for us.
The volume of his output is staggering. The list of books, encyclicals, apostolic exhortations, letters, and addresses consumes pages on the Vatican Website. I have written columns on his encyclicals, “Deus Caritas Est” (“God Is Love”) and “Spe Salvi” (“Saved in Hope”), as well as other of his works. His book, Jesus of Nazareth, is a treasure trove for meditation and prayerful reflection to assist us in the continuing development of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is most fruitfully read just a few pages at a time. The Pope plans to publish a second volume.
Much was made of his address concerning the Muslims in 2006. I wrote a column on that, “Pope Benedict and the Muslims” (The Catholic Transcript, October 2006), pointing out that the media for the most part focused on sound bites and did not see the richness of his text, with strong philosophical, theological, historical, and cultural underpinnings on the relationship between faith and reason. He called for positive, even self-critical dialogue among religions and between modern reason and Christian faith. It is gratifying to realize that such discussions are currently moving forward at many levels.
With all his formal addresses and published works, which are unquestionably impressive, I find the Pope especially moving in his impromptu homilies and spur-of-the-moment addresses. Because of his extensive writing background, his words are consistently precise, but the prayerful depth and intellectual roots which surface almost in an improvised way have an extraordinary appeal.
Please God, we will witness all of this, and more, exhibited during Pope Benedict’s visit to our shores. May the experience for all of us be an occasion of spiritual renewal, enhanced focus, and refired energy, a recalling of the Easter Vigil. May the virtues of faith, hope, and love be more firmly implanted in our souls.
Viva il Papa!
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