"The J.C. Survey" - Are Reporters Afraid of Christ?

Julia Duin has an extremely interesting post over at the Washington Times Papal Visit blog, regarding one reporter's feeling that it's "incredulous" that she would have to enter "ChristOurHope" in as the I.D. to gain access to the media materials online. Reminder: The Pope and the USCCB are Catholic.

This reminds me of a story from covering World Youth Day in Cologne. During the boat trip that I blogged about earlier, where all of the media were stuck on a boat separate from the Pope's boat, media personnel were reduced to interviewing one another about the Pope's trip down the river. A Canadian radio journalist asked if she could ask me some questions.

"Sure," I replied.

The interview began normally enough, with questions about who I was and the outlet I worked for. Then discussion turned to the Pope's arrival.

She asked, "Why would he come on a boat?"

"Well, there's a precedent," I responded. "The Pope represents Jesus Christ, and Christ himself spent some time on boats, even preaching from a boat."

At the very mention of Christ, I could see something in the reporter's eyes change. After I answered the question, she thanked me, shut off her recorder, and concluded the interview (which I suspect was never used on air).

That story got me to thinking about something.

Recently, I conducted a very unscientific survey - I'm calling the J.C. Survey - of the news articles that have so far appeared on the Papal visit. Amidst so much of the coverage of "politics and the Pope," "the Mystery man," the "WOCHA" mantra, and "the CUA address," I wondered how many articles even bother to mention the theme of the Pope's Journey - "Christ is Our Hope," or mention Jesus Christ, since that is the primary focus of Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church?

Curiously enough, of the approximately 20 random articles that I surveyed, not one of them mentioned the theme of the Pope's visit - the very words the reporter above didn't want to type into her computer for media access - "Christ is Our Hope." Of the same 20 articles, about 50% of them reference Jesus Christ or Christian, but usually by way of a quote from someone who is describing the Pope or what the Pope will say or do while he's here. That's an interesting observation, don't you think?

Duin also notes in her post that, "there's been a lot of gnashing of teeth from those who didn't get the spots they wanted."

I had an interesting phone call today from a reporter with a large paper whom shall remain nameless. She told me about some publications who were unhappy because they received either one or no spots. The truth is, no one is ever completely happy with the assignments that they receive. We always want more - myself included. But, with more than 5,000 media applying for only 1,100 spots, it's simply not possible. We need to be happy with whatever we get and roll with it.

Student Debate at Georgetown Over the Pope's CUA Speech

Debate continues over the Pope's CUA speech, even though it hasn't yet been delivered. Georgetown University senior Stephen Kenny opines that criticism of Pope Benedict's anticipated speech at Catholic University of America, specifically by fellow senior D. Pierce Nixon, has come too soon. Kenny is responding to an opinion piece written by Nixon published on The Hoya's website.

Nixon says, "If Pope Benedict’s speech at Catholic University does, indeed, denounce schools like ours, his message will hopefully fall on deaf ears."

Writes Kenny:

"Nixon, based on the concerns he articulates in the article, seems to accept the media’s portrayal of Benedict as a hardliner obsessed with hot-button social issues. In reality, he is an incredibly thoughtful and intelligent individual who, before taking a post in the Vatican, was a college professor. His first three encyclicals are entitled Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope), and Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth — confronting the needs of the developing world). Sure, he has brought up issues many consider “divisive,” but who can deny that there is an appropriate time for the Holy Father to promote the Church’s teachings, even the unpopular ones?

The most puzzling part of the article, however, is Nixon’s assertion that the Pope expects “blind faith” among students at a Catholic university. This is quite a statement to make about the man who gave one of the greatest lectures on the relationship between faith and reason, the Regensburg Address delivered in September of 2006. While this speech is mostly remembered for the violent reaction it prompted in the Muslim world, it is an amazing defense of the reasonableness of faith and the rational nature of God. The Pope quoted Byzantine Emperor Manuel II: “Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats.”

Nixon's language reminds me of the language we've seen in so many stories, which really demonstrates more than anything the writers' lack of understanding of Pope Benedict. Words like "denounce," "stern," "rebuke," and "repudiate," aren't in the style or the vocabulary of the Church's pastoral leader.

They're a fiction, much like the terms "Panzer Pope," "God's Rottweiler," and the other labels that were placed on the Holy Father just after his election. It's a desire to see the man in a certain way rather than listening to what he has to say. That is ironic given that so many people who know the Pope describe him as a "listener."

Those who have spent time reading the Pope's work and listening to his speeches will discover that he's never "denounced" or "repudiated" anything in particular, aside from sin. Those who wonder what the Pope will say have only to read his speeches at the University of Regensburg and La Sapienza to see the pattern. Note to reporters: you'll find the links to those speeches below.

Just as the Pope will not address the upcoming U.S. election or specific candidates during his visit to the U.S., it's also very unlikely that he's going to address a specific Catholic institution. Rather, he will address the mission of the Catholic university. In another speech (La Sapienza), that wasn't delivered because of protests over what the Pope might say (so much for academic freedom and freedom of speech), Pope Benedict concentrated on faith, reason, and the search for truth, much as he did in his Regensburg address.

This is from the La Sapienza lecture:

"In modern times, new dimensions of knowledge have opened up, and in the university, they are appreciated most of all in two spheres: above all, in the natural sciences, which have developed on the basis of the link between experimentation and the presumed rationality of matter; and in the second place, in the historical and humanistic sciences, in whuich man - scrutinizing the mirror of history, and clarifying the dimensions of his nature, seeks to understand himself better," wrote the Pope. "This development has opened to mankind not only an immense meassure of knowledge and power, but it has also developed the knowledge and acknowledgment of human rights and human dignity, for which we can only be grateful. But man's journey can never be said to be complete, and the danger of falling into inhumanity can never be simply abjured - as we see in the panorama of current affaris. The danger for the Western world - to speak of this alone - is that man today, especially considering the greatness of his knowledge and power, surrenders when faced with the question of truth.

This would mean that reason ultimately folds up from the pressure of interests and the attractiveness of utility, being forced to recognize it as the ultimate criterion. Stated from the point of view of the structure of the university, there is a danger that philosophy, no longer feeling capable of its true mission, degenerates into positivism; that theology, with its message addressed to reason, becomes confined to the private sphere of a group or groups. If however, reason, solicitous of its presumed purity, becomes deaf to the great message that comes from the Christian faith and its wisdom, it would wither up like a tree whose roots no longer reach the waters that give it life. It would lose its courage for the truth and will stop being great - it would diminish."

When Pope Benedict speaks at Catholic University of America, I expect that his address will be much the same. 

 

That CUA Address

It's not only Father Benedict (see previous entry) who's speculating on what Pope Benedict will have to say at Catholic University of America. That address has been receiving a fair amount of press coverage and speculation.

This Reuters' article seems to follow the lines of the previous Washington Post article. It doesn't use the word "stern," but uses the words "rebuke" and "reprimand." Writers would do well to ask themselves whether Pope Benedict has "rebuked" or "reprimanded" anyone since his election as Pope.

Terry Mattingly provides a historical look back at Pope John Paul II's words to Catholic educators in his recent "On Religion" column.

Mattingly also quotes Pope Benedict:

"Today, the ecclesiastical disciplines, especially theology, are subjected to new questions in a world tempted on the one hand by rationalism which follows a falsely free rationality disconnected from any religious reference, and on the other, by fundamentalisms that falsify the true essence of religion with their incitement to violence and fanaticism," he said. "Schools should also question themselves on the role they must fulfill in the contemporary social context, marked by an evident educational crisis."

Father Benedict on Pope Benedict

Father Benedict Groeschel, co-founder of New York's Franciscan Friars of Renewal spoke to a group of approximately 150 priests, brothers, and nuns this morning at the Institute on Religious Life National Meeting being held in Chicago. The photo is from the talk. While the two-part talk focused on the damage that modern psychology has done to religious life, and the importance of virtue, Father Benedict did offer some interesting asides related to the Pope's upcoming visit.

First, according to Father Benedict, Cardinal Edward Egan asked that representatives from the religious community be on-hand at the airport when the Pope arrives in New York. I didn't obtain the exact numbers, but it sounded as if at least 20 priests and brothers and many sisters from the community will be there to greet the Pope. Imagine all that gray along with the Pope's white.

Secondly, while Father Benedict didn't delve into what he thought the Pope might say while he's here, he did have one thing to say about the Pope's address to Catholic educators and Catholic college and university presidents at Catholic University of America.

"He's not going to give them roses," said Father Groeschel.

Good News: Receiving Our Assignments

Well, official word arrived today from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who were handling the credentialing. It looks like the National Catholic Register will have access to most of the major events during the Pope's visit, aside from the Interreligious Gathering at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, the Ecumenical Prayer Service at St. Joseph Catholic Church, the Mass for Clergy and Religious at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the visit to Ground Zero. It looks like we may have to find other alternatives for covering those events.

Other Register writers will be covering the Pope's visit to the White House, the Pope's U.N. address, the Rally with Seminarians and Young People, and the departure ceremony.

Here are the events that I will personally be covering:
Tuesday, April 15
4:00 p.m. - Arrival at Andrews Air Force Base

Wednesday, April 16
5:00 p.m. - Vespers and Address to U.S. Bishops at the National Shrine

Thursday, April 17
10:00 a.m. - Mass at Nationals Park (I may be attending this event as a participant, rather than with the media pool)

Update:  5:00 p.m. It appears I may be attending the speech at Catholic University of America.

Saturday, April 19
4:30 p.m. - Blessing of Youth with Disabilities at St. Joseph Seminary

Sunday, April 20
2:30 p.m. - Mass at Yankee Stadium

Given the large Vatican press corps (40), the papal entourage (30), and the national television broadcasters who always receive preference, we were afraid that we would be shut-out from many of the events, so we're delighted that we'll have access to as many as we have. Recall that credentialing was handled in such a way as to limit each reporter to covering only one event each day. John Norton, editor at Our Sunday Visitor, reports that the USCCB's media coordinators awarded spaces to 1,141 news outlets for the visit.

Thomas Peters, over at the American Papist blog, has received his assignments as well.

Fanning the Flames of Division

It is surprising to see some of the rhetoric used by folks to describe the Pope's anticipated speeches. Take a look, for example, at the language employed by Jeremy Leaming at Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Leaming begins by saying that "The Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI remain miffed with a number of American Catholic universities and colleges..." and then says that "It is expected that during his April visit to Washington, D.C., Benedict will lash out at allegedly wayward universities."

This comes on the heels of that Washington Post article we've already blogged about, which used the word "stern" to describe the challenge that Benedict will pose at that lecture. That article resulted in Catholic University of America president Father David O'Connell writing his own letter to the editor disagreeing with that assessment.

Whatever Pope Benedict has to say, it's not likely to be "stern" or "lashing out." Nothing the Pope has yet said has been stern, but rather, pastoral. His first encyclical letter was on love. His second was on hope. His third will be on charity. His address will be conciliatory, yet providing clarity on the situation in the U.S. He's fully aware of the situation here, having lived through the turmoil of the rebellion taking place on Catholic college campuses in Germany in the 1960s, and the recent revolt at La Sapienza.

What is he likely to say?

He's a university professor himself. His talk probably will not differ greatly from his proposed talk at La Sapienza. He wants the truth and the Catholic faith to be taught together as a synthesis. I think he'll use this time to remind these institutions that theology is at the heart of the university. This is found both in the Land O' Lakes' conference documents from 1967 and in Ex Corde Ecclesiae.

Based upon his own work as a university professor, as well as his writings, it's obvious that Pope Bendict has great respect for universities. However, he is also fully aware of the real, objective standards that Catholic schools are failing to meet. One of these is the canon-law mandatum, outlined in this series of articles that I authored between 2002 and 2003. Even today, so many years later, many Catholic colleges and universities have failed to fully implement the mandatum or to let interested parents or students know which theology faculty have received it.

These stories have also failed to take into account the rise of at least a dozen new, faithful Catholic colleges and universities since the Second Vatican Council, and the renewal of several others that suggest that something is amiss at some of the pre-Vatican II schools. The new schools include Southern Catholic College, Sacramento University, Wyoming Catholic College, Ave Maria University, John Paul the Great Catholic College, Thomas Aquinas College, and Christendom, among others. Those that have undergone renewal include Benedictine College, Franciscan University of Steubenville, DeSales University, and Belmont Abbey College, among others.

 

 

 

President O'Connell Disagrees with Washington Post Story

Catholic University of America President Father David O'Connell has written a letter to the editor of the Washington Post story disagreeing with its take on the topic of the Pope's speech at CUA. Here are some excerpts.

"I could not disagree more with those who predict a "stern message" and a "rebuke"... President O'Connell writes.

"The fact that the pope, as teacher of the faith, takes on the compromises advanced within contemporary culture, pushes hard against moral relativism, and seeks to present the intelligibility of the alliance between faith and reason in the quest for truth does not constitute an attack on the Catholic academy. They are the very things that Catholic universities and colleges, too, should be considering, precisely because they are Catholic.

The pope is presenting a challenge to all of us in Catholic higher education to be authentic and faithful to what we say we are and what we say we do...

...The suggestion that the pope is coming to the United States with a hammer for Catholic educational leaders is not only premature but also prejudicial. Instead of condemning Catholic universities and colleges for what may be perceived as failures -- and failures do exist -- the pope might very well thank Catholic educational institutions for being beacons of light in a society that sometimes prefers darkness."

Catholic University Announces Judges for Essay Contest

Catholic University of America President David O'Connell has announced the judges who will recommend a winner and runner up for the university's Student Essay Contest. The contest is a 500-word written essay answering the question: How Catholic education has changed my life? For more details on the contest, its rules, or how to enter, visit this web page.

The judges will include:

The following members of the CUA community will serve as judges:

• John J. Convey, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Professor of Education
• Leonard DeFiore, Research Professor and Brother Patrick Ellis Professor of Education
• Rev. Brad Heckathorne, O.F.M. Conv., Assistant Chaplain for Graduate Students and Staff
• Marie Raber, Assistant Dean and Associate Professor, National Catholic School of Social Service
• Leslie Tentler, Professor, Department of History, and  Knights of Columbus Scholar
• Shavaun Wall, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies

According to the release: "The jurors will receive all the essays after the March 18 deadline for submission and, working independently, will each select the top three essays, ranking them in order of preference. Their results will be submitted to Father O’Connell, who will choose among the finalists one winner and one runner-up.

The winner of the essay contest will be personally introduced to Pope Benedict XVI by Father O’Connell when the Holy Father visits campus on April 17.  Both the winner and the runner-up will attend the pontiff’s address and a post-address reception."

What will the Pope Say to Catholic Educators?

The Washington Post's Jacqueline Salmon and Michelle Boorstein report that Catholic college leaders are predicting that the Pope's Catholic University of America address will be "stern" and possibly the "most enduring part of his visit."

In my speaking with Catholic University of America president, Father David O'Connell, he shed some light on the Pope's speech. Here's what he said:

Do you have any idea what the Pope may speak about?

When the Pope travels, the place that’s lucky enough to host him is frequently asked to suggest bullet points to the Holy Father so that they can be incorporated into the talk. Archbishop Donald Wuerl and I worked on several pages of ideas and sent them over through the Papal Nuncio to help brief the Holy Father on the concrete situation here in case he wanted to address any of the particulars from on site.

Among the ideas we presented was the issue of concern about moral relativism and its adverse impact on our society and culture, and the importance of Catholic colleges and universities providing for students the tools necessary to confront moral relativism. This is a theme that the Holy Father has addressed a number of times. With respect to Catholic schools, there was an acknowledgment of the sacrifices that parents make these days to provide a Catholic education, the enormous role that religious women have played in the . We also addressed the need for Catholic campuses to be strong not only in Catholic teaching and doctrine, but also the development of faith through vibrant Catholic ministry and coherent residence and student life. Those were the things we recommended.

The Washington Post article ends this way:

"Our schools are not made up of all Catholic students or Catholic faculty and administrators," said the Rev. Charles Currie, president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, who has spoken out against the mandatum and quotas on non-Catholic board members and faculty members. "And so the institution has to be respectful of differences at the same time they're trying to foster a [Catholic] identity."

Some are skeptical that anything will change.

"Whatever he says, I think, for the most part, it will fall on deaf ears," said Derry Connolly, president of John Paul the Great Catholic University. "Universities are tough institutions to turn around, and faculty are very powerful. . . . I don't think it will have much of an effect."

U.S.