Pope and US President spoke about a wide range of issues
Washington, Apr. 16, 2008 (vaticans.org) - In a private conversation at the White House on April 16, Pope Benedict XVI and US President George W. Bush spoke about a wide range of issues including terrorism, the dignity of human life, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, immigration, and development in Africa.
The Holy Father met with Bush in the Oval Office after a public reception attended by over 10,000 people on the White House lawn earlier on Tuesday morning. [See the separate CWN headline story.]
In a joint statement released after the private session, the Vatican and the White House reported that President Bush had renewed his birthday greetings to the Pontiff, thanking him for his visit. The President made a special point of thanking the Pope for scheduling a visit to pray at the "Ground Zero" site in New York--- an event that is on the papal calendar for Sunday, April 20.
The joint statement listed a number of topics on which the Vatican and the Bush Administration are in agreement, including the defense of human life and marriage, the importance of religious freedom, and the condemnation of terrorism and violence-- especially violence commimtted in the name of religion.
The Pope acknowledged the "substantial financial contributions" that the US has made to developing nations, with special reference to the American initiatives against AIDS in Africa.
"The Holy Father and the President devoted considerable time in their discussions to the Middle East, in particular resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict," the statement continued. The Pope drew attention to the dangerous political crisis threatening Lebanon and to the "precarious state of Christian communities" in the region.
The Pope and the President also spoke about immigration, a topic that the Pontiff had mentioned during a press conference with reporters during his flight from Rome. Following up on the theme that he had emphasized in that discussion with the press, the Holy Father spoke about the need to care for the welfare of immigrants and "the well being of their families."
source:cwnews
Pope Benedict XVI was "deeply ashamed" of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests
Vatican City, Apr. 15, 2008 (vaticans.org) - During an exchange with reporters who accompanied him on an April 15 flight from Rome to Washington, Pope Benedict XVI said that he was "deeply ashamed" of the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests.
The Holy Father told reporters that he would "do everything possible to heal this wound." Specifically, he said that it was important to exclude pedophiles from the priesthood.
The Pope's reaction to the sex-abuse scandal is a leading concern among reporters covering the papal visit to the United States. As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, prior to his election as Pope, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was responsible for disciplinary action imposed on pedophile priests. Close associates report that the future Pontiff was appalled by the information he received from the US about priestly misconduct.
Vatican officials have indicated that the Pope will address some remarks to the scandal during his visit to the US this week-- probably when he addresses seminarians in New York.
Pope Benedict was due to arrive at Andrews Air Force base, outside Washington, at 4 on Tuesday afternoon. President George W. Bush was to lead the official US delegation at an informal welcoming ceremony. Upon his arrival the Pope is due to travel directly to the residence of the apostolic nuncio in Washington; there are other events on the Pope's schedule for the day.
The White House has scheduled a dinner to celebrate the Pope's arrival, which will be attended by various Catholic dignitaries. Pope Benedict himself was never expected to attend the dinner and-- contrary to some reports circulated on internet news sites-- did not turn down a White House invitation to the event.
Source:cwnews
Pope Benedict XVI's reflections should help Americans make a "deeper moral judgment"
VATICAN CITY, April 09,2008 (vaticans.org) -- Pope Benedict XVI will not bring political directives during his U.S. trip, but his reflections should help Americans make a "deeper moral judgment" during this year's election campaign, a leading U.S. cardinal said.Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, one of two U.S. cardinals who will accompany the pope from Rome to the United States in mid-April, said he thinks Americans will listen closely to what the pope has to say.
"The pope is coming at a particularly sensitive time, with the presidential election scheduled for November," Cardinal Stafford told CNS in an interview April 8 in his Vatican office.
The cardinal said he does not expect the pope to address partisan political issues, but to "heighten people's awareness" about what is right and what is wrong.
"That is what a religious leader is about, to remind people that there is virtue. And how we, as an American people, can create a higher level of virtue in this country through the choices we make in November," he said.
"My experience is that Americans are very reflective about candidates and the issues. The pope, as a religious leader, will prod them to a deeper moral judgment on these issues," he said.
Cardinal Stafford, the head of the Vatican office that deals with penitential issues, was archbishop of Denver when Pope John Paul II visited for World Youth Day in 1993.
Based on that experience, he had some advice for people following Pope Benedict April 15-20, including those who cannot attend events in Washington and New York: Watch as many events on TV as possible, and try to create a personal space for the pope's spiritual message.
It would help if people spend more time in prayer and meditation during this period, he said.
"I heard recently that in modern and postmodern times, the morning paper has replaced morning prayer. At least during this period, people might want to reverse that, in order to prepare themselves to be receptive to the transcendent," he said.
The cardinal said he was pleased to read that, according to recent polls, a majority of Americans are looking forward to what the pope has to say.
They seem very open to the pope as a person, he said, but their openness will also require a "stretching of their own minds and a deepening of their own hearts to the mystery of God and to the mystery of Christ."
Cardinal Stafford said he expected the pope's most important speeches to be his address to the United Nations in New York and his talk to U.S. Catholic educators in Washington. Measuring the success of his talks will involve a number of factors, he said.
At the United Nations, he said, one can assume the pope will address the threat of "planned violence" that every nation faces today, and whether the world's major religions can be considered a substantial part of the resolution of this violence.
The cardinal said the question is whether the pope's message will be heard and acted upon, or whether the differences in the philosophical and religious traditions are so great that real dialogue is impossible.
He said that when the pope talks with Catholic educators he expects the pontiff to invite them to make a deeper contribution in the dialogue between faith and reason and to emphasize that rationality cannot be reduced to pure subjectivism, in which the human being is perceived as unable to discover what is true and what is not.
The church's teaching tradition holds that reason can reach the truth, and modern Catholic universities and schools should help the whole church understand and promote that, the cardinal said.
In this case, he said, the measure of the pope's success will be the response of Catholic educators.
Pope will pray for world peace at ground zero
VATICAN CITY, April 11, 2008, (vaticans.org)-- In addition to praying at ground zero in New York for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and for their families, Pope Benedict XVI will pray for peace and understanding in the world.On April 10 the Vatican posted on its Web site the missal Pope Benedict will use during his April 15-20 visit to Washington and New York; the missal includes the prayer he will recite at ground zero April 20.
Describing the site as "the scene of incredible violence and pain," the prayer asks God to grant eternal light and peace to all who died there when terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center. It also recalls those who died the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pa.
According to the missal, the pope will pray: "God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world: peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the nations of the earth."
The pope will ask God to "turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred."
And he will say, "God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible events.
"Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain," the prayer says.
"Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope, and give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all," it concludes.
The missal says the pope will begin the visit by kneeling in silence. He will then light a candle and recite the special prayer written for the occasion.
After he has finished the prayer and before he offers a solemn blessing to the small group of survivors and family members scheduled to attend, he will use holy water to bless the ground.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone's preview of Pope's US trip
Vatican City, Apr. 10, 2008 (vaticans.org) - Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone , the Vatican Secretary of State, has offered a preview of next week's trip by Pope Benedict XVI to the US, in a pair of interviews with American news outlets.
Speaking to an Associated Press reporter, Cardinal Bertone said that the Holy Father will address the effects of the sex-abuse scandal when he speaks to the clergy in New York. The Pontiff "will try to open the path of healing and reconciliation," the cardinal said. He added that the Pope is keenly aware of the suffering endured by victims of priestly abuse, and the damage done to the Church as a whole, "because it was a contradiction with the great educational mission of the Church."
In a separate interview with the Fox News network-- which was taped for a future telecast-- the Secretary of State added the observation that the sex-abuse scandal has left an "open wound."
Some American observers have questioned whether Pope Benedict avoided a visit to Boston because of the acute fallout from the scandal there. But Cardinal Bertone said that the Pope was limiting his trip to two cities, Washington and New York, in order to conserve his energy. He added, however, in his remarks to AP, that the Pope's health is fine. Even as he maintains a busy works schedule, the cardinal said, "all those who are near to him see his freshness."
The Pope's chief deputy confirmed that when he speaks at the UN, Pope Benedict will focus on human rights and the crucial importance of recognizing natural law. In his remarks to the Fox News network, he said that the Vatican feels some kinship with Americans on the issue of natural law and "the value of religion-- not only in private life but also in public life." The US and the Vatican have frequently been allies, he added, in defense of human life and marriage.
Cardinal Bertone conceded that the Holy See has not always agreed with US policy-- an indirect allusion to Vatican criticisms of the war in Iraq. He spoke to Fox News about a "difference of opinion" on the justification for the use of military force.
In his discussion with AP, the Secretary of State acknowledged that security will be tight during the papal trip, particularly in light of threats issued by Al Qaida that named the Pope as an enemy of Islam. But the Pope will not be deterred by threats, he said. "He entrusts himself to God."
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