The Prayer of the Pope and the President

Setting aside all of the public events during the Pope's trip to America, I'm always fascinated to hear the stories after of the more private events - those that don't make it on television or camera. Recently, Catholic News Service photographer Nancy Wiechec, who accompanied the Pope throughout his trip taking nearly 8,000 photographs of his journey, told me about one such event.

For Pope Benedict XVI's birthday, Cardinal Edward Egan gave him a birthday present. According to Wiechec, the Pope didn't wait to open the gift, but tore into it right away, like a child.

"I think the pope, even at 81, still at times has the wonderment of a child," said Wiechec. "Want to know what was in the box? A engraved silver Tiffany tray commemorating his visit to New York."

We'll have a full interview with Wiechec in next week's National Catholic Register.

Another story was regarding the Pope's meeting with President Bush. Reuter's reported that following the private meeting of President Bush and Pope Benedict, the two men prayed together. Here's the excerpt.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said that the "brief prayer" took place after the pope and Bush had finished their private talks in the Oval Office and Laura Bush joined them.

"There was a brief prayer for the family (as an institution)," Lombardi said.

-- Tim Drake

On Popes Dining Alone

Much ridiculous commentary last week centered on the fact that Pope Benedict would not be attending a White House dinner held in his honor on Wednesday. As I said then, it was a non-story.

Hugh McNichol provides some of the background on the protocol regarding papal dining.

"The fact that the Holy Father does not dine in public is often an issue that is more deeply rooted in traditions associated with a monarchial papacy," writes McNichol. "John-Paul II during his papacy often dined with people outside of the well-insulated Papal Household, but he chooses always to be the polite host and not the guest at the table. Such is the same with the present Holy Father. One needs to understand that for Catholics, Benedict XVI is the embodiment of temporal and spiritual authority in the Church, and as a result, wherever he goes, he brings the presence of the Church with him. Popes until John-Paul II usually dined alone. Blessed John XXIII compared this unique aspect of papal behavior as something compared to being punished."

It's well known that Pope John Paul II frequently had other non-Vatican guests join him for lunch or dinner. It's been reported that Pope Benedict does not.

Yet, I could't help but think of the couple of times where the Pope will "dine" in public during his visit.

At Nationals Park and Yankee Stadium, Pope Benedict, surrounded by hundreds of bishops and priests, and tens of thousands of faithful Catholics will join together in the Supper of the Lamb. Pope Benedict will publicly break bread, and together, for all the world to see, they will take the Sacramental Presence of Jesus Christ - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity into their very bodies. Now that's Communion!

During his December 22, 2005 Christmas Address to the Cardinals and members of the Roman Curia, Pope Benedict XVI had this to say about the Eucharist:

“It is moving for me to see how everywhere in the Church the joy of Eucharistic adoration is reawakening and being fruitful. In the period of liturgical reform, Mass and adoration outside it were often seen as in opposition to one another: it was thought that the Eucharistic Bread had not been given to be contemplated, but to be eaten, as a widespread objection claimed at that time. The experience of the prayer of the Church has already shown how nonsensical this antithesis was. Augustine had formerly said: “...No one should eat this flesh without first adoring it ... we should sin were we not to adore it.”

Dueling Numbers at the White House

Some journalists could use some fact-checkers. I've seen three separate stories quoting three completely different figures for the number of people who will be on the South Lawn of the White House to welcome Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday. Delaware Online's The New Journal says that 5,000 will be at the White House. Our own Charlie Spiering has used the figure of 10,000. And an April 14 story in the Washington Post Express quotes a figure of 12,000. That number is duplicated in this story.

Early stories had indicated it would be an intimate sized group. The Washington Post and Niagara Falls Review stories say that it will exceed the 7,000 on hand for Queen Elizabeth's visit.

At any rate, National Catholic Register correspondent Charlie Spiering will be on site, as will several sources we are in contact with. We'll see if we can't get a firm number on how many will be in attendance.

EWTN Interview with President George Bush

Zenit has the complete transcript of Raymond Arroyo's interview with President George Bush. There's much of interest there, but here's the opening and closing...

Q Mr. President, this is the first head of state, Pope Benedict the XVI, you will ever greet on a tarmac. I was stunned to learn this. Why are you going and greeting him at an airstrip? Usually the heads of states come here.

THE PRESIDENT: Because he is a really important figure in a lot of ways. One, he speaks for millions. Two, he doesn't come as a politician; he comes as a man of faith. And, three, that I so subscribe to his notion that there are -- there's right and wrong in life, that moral relativism has a danger of undermining the capacity to have more hopeful and free societies, that I want to honor his convictions, as well.

------------

       Q    Mr. President, final question.

       THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, sir.

       Q    You said, famously, when you looked into Vladimir  Putin's eyes you saw his soul.

   THE  PRESIDENT:  Yes.

     Q    When you look into Benedict XVI's eyes what do you see?

       THE PRESIDENT:  God.

     Q    Good way to end the interview.

       THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, sir.

     Q    Thank you, sir.  My pleasure.

White House Visit Details

The White House has released a backgrounder providing the details for the Pope's arrival and visit to the White House. I plan to be on hand for the Pope's arrival at Andrews Air Force Base. The National Catholic Register's Charlie Spiering will be on hand for the Pope's visit to the White House. Here are the details:

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

 

Arrival Ceremony for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

 

Andrews Air Force Base

 

April 15, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. EDT

 

• The President and Mrs. Bush arrive at Andrews Air Force Base and participate in an Arrival Ceremony (OPEN PRESS).

 

• The President and Mrs. Bush participate in a Greeting with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (CLOSED PRESS).

 

South Lawn Arrival Ceremony for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

 

South Lawn, The White House

 

April 16, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. EDT

 

• His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI arrives on the South Lawn and is greeted by the President and Mrs. Bush.

 

• The President introduces His Holiness to U.S. Delegation members including the Vice President, Mrs. Lynne Cheney, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See.

 

• The Marine Band performs the National Anthem of the Holy See.  There will be a simultaneous 21-gun salute followed by the playing of the National Anthem of the

  United States of America.

 

• Kathleen Battle performs “The Lord’s Prayer.”

 

• The President delivers remarks.

 

• His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI delivers remarks.

 

• U.S. Army Chorus performs “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

 

The President Meets with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

 

Oval Office, The White House

 

April 16, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. EDT

 

• Following the ceremony, the President and His Holiness walk along the Rose Garden Colonnade to the Oval Office (POOL COVERAGE).

 

• The President and His Holiness participate in a Meeting in the Oval Office (STILLS AT TOP).

 

• At 12:05 p.m., His Holiness departs the South Lawn aboard the Popemobile and heads west on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Creating Something out of Nothing

The Raw Story is trying to create controversy where there is none. They were the first to post a story about the White House dinner in honor of the Pope's visit that the Pope will not be attending. According to their story, the Pope will not be attending the dinner held in his honor. Other writers and bloggers have jumped on the bandwagon, essentially creating something out of nothing. The Seattle Times attempts to give the non-story legs here. Fox News reports on it. DC's Wonkette posts on it here. So does Slog.

The truth of the matter, however, is that the dinner was never part of the official visit of Pope Benedict XVI. The visit, from the Vatican point of view, has always consisted only of the South Lawn ceremony, which will be attended by 10,000 people, and then a private meeting between President Bush and Pope Benedict XVI. The fact that the White House is holding a dinner in honor of the Pope after his departure says nothing about the Pope and his relationship with President Bush. It was a later addition to the day's events by the White House itself.

EWTN Feed is Now Available at Pope2008.com

As visitors to the site will now plainly see, EWTN's live feed is now available at the top of the home page, compliments of EWTN. Enjoy the live video coverage while you enjoy the print and photo blog coverage.

Be sure to catch Raymond Arroyo's exclusive interview with President George Bush here at 8 p.m. tonight. Arroyo is interviewing President Bush from "The World Over's" new studio at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C.

White House Anticipates Papal Visit

White House organizers promise a unique Rose Garden ceremony as they finalize plans for the historic Papal visit next week. “There is great excitement throughout the staff regardless of one’s religious affiliation,” said White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin. “This is a very special day.”

Hagin together with Chief of Staff to the First Lady Anita McBride held a roundtable discussion with members of faith-based media to give an inside look at the White House preparations. “As a Catholic this is an enormous honor for me and a privilege to work on some small aspect of this visit,” said McBride.

The staff has prepared a ceremony that reflects the usual details reserved for heads of state, together with “very appropriate and warm additions.”

McBride mentioned that nearly 10,000 people will attend the ceremony on the South lawn for which special tickets have been issued.

A number of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will be present during the ceremony, along with members of Catholic Charities and community volunteers.

The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps will don their Revolutionary regalia for a presentation during the ceremony and will honor the Holy Father with the 21 gun salute, a typical gesture during a visit by a head of state.

Hymns will also be included in the ceremony, with exact details of the music and vocalists yet to be released.

“We wanted to focus on making it a warm welcome, not just a speech on the lawn.” said Hagin.

The White House staff mentioned that the President was particularly honored to host the Holy Father on his birthday and would present the Holy Father with a gift. “It will be something for a person that loves music.” hinted McBride.

Following the Rose Garden ceremony, the President and the Holy Father will hold a private meeting in the White House.

McBride suggested that the meeting would last about 45 minutes, but that there were no “set agenda” for discussion topics.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone will also meet separately during the papal visit.

Both Hagin and McBride noted that they have visited the Vatican in the past with President Bush and the First Lady, and wanted to extend the same warm hospitality.

“I think we all hope, and I know that President and Mrs. Bush hope, that when the Holy Father leaves the White House he feels welcomed as friend and family and that we have shown him the best of America as we know the churches of the dioceses are doing,” said McBride.

-- Register correspondent Charlie Spiering

Congress Passes Papal Welcome Resolution

Yesterday, Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), Republican House Policy Chairman, noted the passage of House Resolution 838 honoring His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on his first visit to the United States of America. The resolution, sponsored by Rep. McCotter, was unanimously passed yesterday morning by the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Pope Benedict XVI's apostolic visit to the United States is a uniquely historical moment.  It has been twenty nine years since the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and Vatican Head of State has visited the White House, and it is the first visit by Pope Benedict to the United States.  All Americans should eagerly look forward to his message of hope and renewal."

Congressman McCotter will meet with His Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI on April 16 during a White House visit. Washington D.C. is the Pope’s first stop during his inaugural visit to the United State of America.

Here is the full text of H. Resolution 838:

House Resolution 838

Welcoming His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on his first apostolic visit to the United States.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

DECEMBER 4, 2007

Mr. MCCOTTER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

RESOLUTION

Welcoming His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on his first apostolic visit to the United States.

Whereas Joseph Alois Ratzinger ascended to the Papacy and chose the name Benedict XVI on April 19, 2005, becoming the 265th reigning Pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church;

Whereas he was born and baptized on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Germany;

Whereas he was required to leave seminary at the age of 16 and forced into military service for Nazi Germany;

Whereas he risked grave danger by defecting from the Nazi anti-aircraft corps in 1945 and subsequently spent time in an Allied prisoner of war camp;

Whereas he was ordained to the priesthood on June 29, 1951;

Whereas he is a highly regarded theologian and scholar, having served in various university posts from 1959 until 1977;

Whereas he has written 25 books and given thousands of hours of lectures, making him one of the most prolific theologians in modern times

Whereas he participated as a theological advisor to the Second Vatican Council from 1962 until 1965;

Whereas he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising in Germany on March 24, 1977, and ordained a bishop on May 28, 1977;

Whereas he was elevated to cardinal on June 27, 1977;

Whereas he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission on November 25, 1981;

Whereas he was elected Dean of the College of Cardinals on November 27, 2002;

Whereas Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was installed as Bishop of Rome on April 24, 2005; Whereas Pope Benedict XVI has made repeated calls for peaceful resolutions to international conflicts;

Whereas Pope Benedict XVI has made reconciliation and peace an important goal of his Papacy on an ecumenical level reaching out to both Orthodox and Protestant Churches and in an inter-religious manner with Judaism and Islam;

Whereas Pope Benedict XVI has affirmed the dignity of the human person with respect to refugees, exiles, evacuees, and other migrant persons;

Whereas Pope Benedict XVI has decried the imminent dangers posed by terrorism and extremism; and

Whereas Pope Benedict XVI has identified the failed revolutions and violent ideologies of the 20th century as being the result of the ‘‘Dictatorship of Relativism’’:

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives welcomes His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on his first apostolic visit to the United States.

Will the Pope Meet "Regular" People?

Two writers published in Los Angeles' The Tidings have offered some interesting perspectives on the upcoming papal visit. First, Liz Quirin, editor of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois' The Messenger, legitimately laments that the Pope's schedule is so tightly packed with dignitaries and official meetings with the Church's powerful vying for his attention, that he will have no opportunities to listen to the concerns of regular folks, Catholic families, or the common Catholic "Joe" or "Josephine" sitting in the pew.

She writes: "While this visit gives us a chance to see and hear Pope Benedict in person, I wish he would have scheduled some time to engage in a dialogue with families, with youth, with the elderly with some of the people in the pews, people who want to believe the church's leaders are truly Christ's earthly representatives, especially the successor to Peter.

She adds: ...a little attention to more personal contact with the folks could produce far-reaching results and leave lasting memories here."

Then Tom Sheridan, former editor of the Archdiocese's The Catholic New World, opines that whatever the Pope has to say at the various venues it will please some and not others.

Sheridan says that the Pope will "play the middle," and ends by saying: Despite the almost certain bumps in the road, that's the primary role of the papal visitor to these shores: To give a sense of hope, to remind people of the centrality of faith, of the assurance of the love of God and to call them to better respond to that love.

As an aside, if we were to apply the J.C. Survey to these two pieces, Quirin would receive kudos for mentioning Christ twice. Sheridan speaks of "hope," but doesn't actually use the official theme of the Pope's visit. His essay tends to focus on how the pope's messages will be received politically, without mentioning Christ.

Will the Pope "Interfere"?

An article at Afrik.com enters into the speculation surrounding the "political" nature that the Pope's visit might be spun into. One recoils at the headline - "Pope to Interfere in U.S. Politics." The Pope isn't going to interfere.

The article claims that by stressing the Church's teaching on the sanctity of life, that the Pope will be seen as supporting a particular candidate.

Some commentators have voiced the opinion that there are no "perfect" political candidates. Others have weighed in why their particular candidate is more aligned with Church teachings. To do so is to miss the higher reason for the Pope's visit. He does not come as a politician. He comes as the leader of the Catholic Church, with a message to give to the Church and to the U.S. about our higher calling. He comes to call us back to Jesus Christ and to the ideals upon which this country was founded.

We should be grateful that the Pope has chosen to come to the U.S. during an election year. One individual I spoke with worked for the Church under the leadership of President Gerald Ford. He told me that President Ford was pressuring Washington, D.C.'s then-Cardinal Baum to have Pope Paul VI visit the U.S. According to this source, the Vatican chose not to visit largely because it was an election year. Hence, Pope John Paul II didn't come until after President Jimmy Carter was elected.

George Weigel on the Pope's Visit

Pope John Paul II biographer George Weigel has weighed in over at National Review Online regarding the Pope's visit. The article is Weigel's response to a piece written by Michael Sean Winters in the Washington Post. Winters attempts to explain how the Vatican and the White House view the world differently. Weigel disagrees. You'll want to read both takes.

Writes Winters: "During his U.S. visit next month, Pope Benedict XVI will show how much his worldview differs from President Bush's when he denounces the continuing U.S. occupation of Iraq before the U.N. General Assembly - a denunciation that's expected to be especially harsh after the recent martyrdom of a Chaldean Catholic archbishop killed by insurgents in Mosul."

Weigel, among other things, had this to say: "the pope is coming to the U.N., not to give a pontifically guided tour of the world scene, praising this and lamenting that. In this 60th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he is far more likely to challenge the world body to take more seriously the moral truths that undergird the human dignity the U.N. was founded to defend — moral truths that can be known by reason."

Exclusive: White House Welcoming Ceremony Invite

A colleague who has been invited to attend the White House shared this official invitation with me (click on the image at left), minus the particular details. Regarding the White House Welcoming Ceremony, another source told me that she had received a ticket for the event through her local Congresswoman. One commenter told me this is President Bush's opportunity to pay back all those Catholics who were involved in the Catholic-outreach effort during the election.

Seeing the Church through Political Eyes

It's a shame that the media cannot seem to look at the Church without seeing it through political eyes. By doing so, anyone who supports the Church's teachings in all areas will, by extension, be labeled "conservative," carrying all of the baggage that goes along with that word.

The big U.S. News and World Report story on the pope's visit heavily utilizes political language to describe the Church. As if it weren't bad enough to use such terms to describe an a-political organization, like so many stories, it also uses the terms in an unbalanced way. It's quick to describe those who it sees as conservative, while avoiding the liberal label.

How Might Benedict's Visit Influence the Election?

The Star-Ledger is one of the first secular publications to publish an article that I'm sure we're likely to see more of - highlighting how the pope's trip might influence the election, coming as it does on the eve of the Pennsylvania primaries.

They're not alone.

Catholic News Agency ran this article 16 days ago. The article says: "Catholics could compose up to one third of voters in the important April 22 election.

Exit polls from past presidential primary elections indicate that Catholics have preferred New York Senator Hillary Clinton to Illinois Senator Barack Obama by a margin of up to 65 percent.  Even the majority of Catholic Democrats in Senator Obama’s home state of Illinois voted for Senator Clinton."

The mistake that both articles make is that neither separate out for practicing versus non-practicing Catholics - a distinction that means a great deal when dealing with polls and surveys.

The Star-Ledger article attempts to be balanced in its approach, but gives Fr. Thomas Reese more print (five paragraphs) than Fr. Richard Neuhaus (one paragraph). I'd be interested in readers' take on the article. Does it provide clarity or confusion?

Says the Star-Ledger,  "And while no one believes the pope will speak directly about the presidential election during his visit, the tone and focus of his speeches could help influence millions of Catholic voters, many of whom live in key swing states such as Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which holds its primary next month."

Tim Graham of the Media Research Center predicted this when he told me a couple of weeks back, “The media sitting in their newsrooms are worried about, in this election year, what effect the Pope’s visit can have on Obama’s or McCain’s campaign,” said Graham. “They don’t understand the Sacraments, theological principles, or Scripture. They see the Catholic Church coming to ruin stem cell research, or end abortion. But the people in the pews aren’t coming to see Pope Benedict for the politics; they’re coming for the Eucharist and to honor this great theologian.”

Thomas Peters, over at AmericanPapist offers his commentary on the need people feel to link the Pope with politics. He rightly calls such coverage a "fool's quest."

Peters links to articles by various pundits, offering their take on what candidates might do while Pope Benedict is in town. His links include:

- An article at InsideCatholic by Robert Reilly commenting on what Senator McCain might do.
- An article from America by Michael Sean Winters commenting on what Senator Clinton might do.
- An endorsement from former Catholic University of America Law School dean Douglas Kmiec for Barrack Obama.
- A refutation of Kmiec's argument by Deacon Keith Fournier at Catholic Online.

Of Presidents and Popes

This Religion News Service article from the Press-Telegram isn't bashful about using the "WOCHA" mantra. Although the article itself is about the issue of the war in Iraq, it uses the mantra in its opening line to suggest that Pope Benedict and President Bush, who will be meeting in April, have much in common.

The article then goes on to explain the difference of opinion between the two regarding the war in Iraq and the expectation that it will be one of the topics of discussion between the two.

It also contains this interesting historical detail about meetings between Presidents and Popes.

"Meetings between popes and sitting U.S. presidents have become fairly common over the past four decades.

Shortly after the end of World War I, during a tour of Europe, Woodrow Wilson became the first U.S. president to meet with a pope while in office when he had an audience with Pope Benedict XV.

The next papal audience for a sitting U.S. president wouldn't come for another 40 years, when Dwight Eisenhower met in Rome with Pope John XXIII.

Since then, every U.S. president has met with the pope. Ronald Reagan met seven times and Bill Clinton four with Pope John Paul II. The upcoming papal meeting will be the fifth for Bush."

 

  

 

For more history, the Baxter Bulletin has this article on past papal visits to the United States. It offers a nice recap of Pope John Paul II's visits to the U.S.

Pope Benedict XVI on Iraq - "Enough with the Slaughters"

In what most media reports are describing as "the pope's strongest appeals for peace," or "strongest denunciations of the war in Iraq," Pope Benedict said at the end of his Palm Sunday Mass, "Enough with the slaughters. Enough with the violence. Enough with the hatred in Iraq!"

The pope's comments, of course, come on the heels of the kidnapping and murder of Chaldean Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho. The pope is presiding over Archbishop Rahho's memorial service today.

Given his recent comments, and his speech at the U.N., it's very likely that peace, particularly in Iraq, will be one of the major topics of his talks while in the U.S. In fact, it's a message that many Catholics would welcome and are looking forward.

New York Cardinal Edward Egan said, "...if that's the Holy Father's intention, which I suspect it is, to speak in favor of peace, then I would have to say it is worth the trip."

What's uncertain, of course, as Terry Mattingly pointed out at GetReligion, is the political spin that the media might place on that message, directing it at a particular candidate or political party.

"Our Pope John Paul special report showed that they see everything through a very political lense," Tim Graham, director of media analysis with the Media Research Center told me. "When he did something they didn’t like, they construed it as him intervening in our politics. He got negative coverage. When he did something that they did like, such as on the death penalty, they covered it positively. They want to impose upon the Church a democratic power structure where people in the pews want to run things."

“The media sitting in their newsrooms are worried about, in this election year, what effect the Pope’s visit can have on Obama’s or McCain’s campaign,” said Graham. “They don’t understand the Sacraments, theological principles, or Scripture. They see the Catholic Church coming to ruin stem cell research, or end abortion. But the people in the pews aren’t coming to see Pope Benedict for the politics; they’re coming for the Eucharist and to honor this great theologian.”

 

GetReligion Hits the Nail Squarely on the Head

Religion reporter Terry Mattingly hits the nail squarely on the head in his recent entry over at GetReligion.org titled Waiting for the "real" pope stuff. Reporters cannot help but read politics into the pope's visit and remarks, coming as he is in the midst of an election year. Mattingly speculates on what issues the media will make the "real" issue.

Writes Mattingly, "If he talks about poverty and health, that will impact discussions of national health care, which may be seen as a covert hint to Catholic swing voters in Ohio that they can, under Vatican II, vote for Bill and Hillary Clinton with a clear conscience despite their records on other life and death issues. You see how it works? Heaven help us all if he mentions the environment. Even if he speaks on the nature of the priesthood, that text will be parsed for language that will have an impact on discussion of gay rights. Will he meet with the presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church? Same thing.

There is also a chance that the “real” issue may be the state of Catholic higher education. No, really. The pope has requested a meeting with top Catholic academic leaders."

Group Asks Pope Benedict to Refuse Meeting with President Bush

A group of concerned citizens of many faiths, including several Catholics have signed onto a letter written by Stephen Kobasa asking the Pope to refuse to meet with President Bush until an immediate end is called to the war in Iraq. Kobasa is the former Catholic school teacher who was fired from Kolbe Cathedral High School in 2005 for refusing to have the American flag in his classroom.

The letter continues: "If meet with him you must, then meet as a prophet should - issuing a warning and an invitation to repentance. Courtesy cannot be used as an evasion of our biblical faith. Ezekiel was repeatedly reminded of his responsibility to admonish those doing evil if he desired to escape sharing in the responsibility for their sins. Shouldn't any of us who recognize the horror of what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan be condemned if we are silent?"

The letters signatories include Archdiocese of Detroit Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, Dave Robinson of Pax Christi, and Daniel Berrigan, SJ, among others.

The "Last" Time the Pope Came to Town

For a fascinating story on the "last" time a Pope visited the White House, read this Washington Post story by Debbi Wilgoren. The date was October 6, 1979.

I spoke with Boston priest Father Richard Shmaruk who broke the story about Pope John Paul II's proposed visit to the U.S. during a press conference at the White House. According to Fr. Shmaruk, President Carter had been secretly writing letters to the Pope regarding Communism. It was President Carter who started what President Reagan later received credit for.

Fr. Shmaruk told me the story of being asked by the Secret Service to break up a meeting between President Gerald Ford and Washington Cardinal William Baum because the president's plane was ready for departure for a campaign trip. Fr. Shmaruk says that when he entered the room, President Ford was imploring with Cardinal Baum to have Pope Paul VI visit the U.S. That visit never took place because of the pope's failing health, and the impression that pressure for such a visit might be for political reasons, especially with the forthcoming election.

According to documents available from the Jimmy Carter Library, the visit between Pope John Paul II and President Carter began upon the pope's arrival around 1:30 p.m. and ended at 5:00 p.m. During the D.C. trip, the Pope celebrated Mass for 1,500 priests at St. Matthew's Cathedral and a public Mass on Washington's Mall.

The historic nature of this visit cannot be stressed enough. Prior to this, no Pope had visited Washington. Under President Kennedy's leadership, of course, there was a strong desire to disassociate the presidency from the then Catholic president.

Pope Benedict XVI's visit then is equally historic. Not only will it have been 29 years since a Pope has visited Washington, D.C., but it will be only the second time in history that a Pope has visited the White House.

The Language of Faith and Reason

Faith and Reason, of course, is not a concept created by the White House or even the current papacy, but the language has found its way into several of the news stories about the Pope's visit to the White House in April. The language is used not only in the White House's press release, but is also found in several secular news service stories, more than likely quoting from the White House Press release. Hugh McNichol writing at PewSitter believes that such a discussion is significant in this country.

"Such a discussion is truly significant for the Pope and his trip to the United States, simply because in the United States there is a tendency even among Catholics to reject such an integration of beliefs," writes McNichol. "The Pope has made the message very clear, that there can be an integration of both faith and reason in our modern lives; however, it takes the actions of change and conversion."

"In the 21st century, our theological convictions as Catholics have indeed once again entered the world stage," concludes McNichol. "These convictions are well represented in the pastoral and moderate message of Benedict XVI…that the world should seek global harmony in all aspects of unity among our religions and cultures. Regardless of the platform, theological, political, ecological or social the message is very clear to Catholic and global society…mutual understanding and appreciation of all the world's faiths are the key to social and political world harmony.

When the Pope Meets the President

On February 15, the White House Office of the Press Secretary issued the following press release, regarding the Pope's visit. It's interesting to note the White House's use of Pope John Paul II's "faith and reason" terminology.

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

Visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the White House

President and Mrs. Bush will welcome His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the White House on April 16, 2008, during his first visit to the United States as Pope.  The President and the Holy Father will continue discussions, which they began during the President's visit to the Vatican in June 2007, on their common commitment to the importance of faith and reason in reaching shared goals.  These goals include advancing peace throughout the Middle East and other troubled regions, promoting inter-faith understanding, and strengthening human rights and freedom, especially religious liberty, around the world.