The Whys for Pope Benedict's Visit - 2 of 2

The Whys for Pope Benedict’s Visit - 2 of 2
cinops be gone Wed. May 21, 2008
Ray Kerrison, retired as a NY Post columnist’s classic Commentary concludes:
He (Pope) spoke to victims. He promised never, never again. Maybe you have to be a Catholic to grasp the enormity of the clerical betrayal by the wayward few, to understand the suffering of thousands of good priests caught in the backlash, to salve the wounds inflicted on the faithful. Then, at the end, forgive.

Benedict, had he chosen, could have taken refuge in numerous surveys (The Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, Penn State University, etc.) that show sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is no greater than in other religious institutions and substantially less than in the public-school system.

But Benedict sought no alibi. He took the hit, head-on. Behind that modest exterior beats a strong, righteous heart. The pope’s visit was a demanding tour de force for an 81-year-old man who has suffered two slight strokes and has a heart condition. His program had him on the run from early morn to nightfall.

For a reluctant pope (“Lord, don’t do this to me,” he said upon his election) he carried if off with energy and verve. If you ask me, he was having a pretty good time.

Some things he did not do. He did not publicly censure his bishops, whose inertia led to his ordeal. He declined to discuss the issue of homosexuality in the church, telling reporters on his plane, “I do not wish to talk at this moment about homosexuality, but about pedophilia, which is another thing.”

He did not address the boiling controversy of high-pro-life Catholic politicians who support and promote abortion in defiance of church teaching, then present themselves for Holy Communion. He did not discuss Iraq, Darfur, Iran. Well, you can’t get everything in life, even from the pope.

One thing struck me. In an election year, when America’s good name and virtue seem to be routinely trashed every day, Pope Benedict, a head of state with more than a billion subjects all over the planet, was positively effusive in his affection and admiration for this great land.

“I come with great respect for this vast pluralistic society,” he said. He spoke of the Founding Fathers, the framers of the Constitution, the American passion for freedom, of its great “intellectual and moral resolve.”

He said, “Americans have always been a people of hope. This is a land of great faith. Your people are remarkable for their religious fervor. They have confidence in God.”
He marveled at America’s vitality, creativity and generosity, all swelling to a great crescendo with a heartfelt cry, “God Bless America.”
Grand slam? Better than that. Benedict hit the ball out of the park.
Dare I suggest: Benedict for president!
George H. Kubeck, Duplicate and or translate into Spanish and Vietnamese.