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Benedictions: The Pope in America

Here is the statement from SNAP (Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests)…SNAP is the engine whose efforts led to this pass, but they also remain on the outside of this meeting, and pushing for more. The meeting between the pope and several Boston victims in a sense puts the ball back in SNAP’s court.…

In a move that could truly be described as a breakthrough after more than six years of crisis for the church in the United States and decades of agony for victims, Pope Benedict XVI this afternoon met with several victims of clergy abusers. The story is developing but the AP report says that Benedict and…

By Jonathan Rubin c. 2008 Religion News Service WASHINGTON — As the sun rose over the sparkling new Nationals Park baseball stadium, the weather turned from chilly to warm to downright glorious — not unlike the feelings many Catholics here expressed for their new pope. As Pope Benedict XVI met 46,000 members of his American…

Read the text of Pope Benedict’s homily at Nationals Park this morning:

By Jeff Diamant c. 2008 Religion News Service They gathered in the Italian hillside town of Assisi. In October 1986, at the place where St. Francis famously preached repentance in the 1200s, top representatives from 15 religions stood together and prayed, one at a time, for peace. The event was convened by Pope John Paul…

By Daniel Burke and Adelle M. Banks c. 2008 Religion News Service WASHINGTON — Pope Benedict XVI told the nation’s Catholic bishops Wednesday (April 16) that they must heal the “enormous pain” caused by the clergy sexual abuse scandal by ministering to victims, guiding demoralized priests and confronting sexual immorality in the wider culture. “It…

In a post yesterday on the roots of Benedict’s “conversion” on the issue of sexual abuse by priests–and the enabling behavior of many bishops–I recounted the story of Anne Burke, a widely-respected Illinois jurist and former head of the National Review Board of prominent lay Catholics charged with holding the bishops to their word in…

No, not the pope. He won’t arrive for a couple hours yet. But they just interviewed the other great ballplayer, er, Catholic, in the house, Mike Piazza. Broadcast on the stadium Jumbotron. Couldn’t hear anything, but no matter. Check out this Catholic Digest piece on the future Hall of Famer. Even if the NL had…

I’d never had breakfast at a ballpark, until today. And I’d never been to the new Nationals Stadium, until we entered early this ayem through the security checkpoints and pre-dawn darkness. A gentle way to start the day, this first public liturgy by the pope. The place will soon be jammed, however, with some 45,000…

If this visit has proved one thing beyond a doubt, it is that Benedict can go the distance–with speech-making, that is. The morning event at the White House was just a throat-clearing for what was to come tonight. Although President Bush, in his inimitable style, declared it “awesome.” (See video.) (The president also pronounced the…
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