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April 13, 2008

Cardinal George shares his insights on the pope and this historic visit

By Joyce Duriga

EDITOR

When Pope Benedict XVI steps off the plane in Washington, D.C., one of the first people to greet him will be our own Cardinal George. As president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the cardinal will greet the pontiff on behalf of all the U.S. bishops. He will also travel with the pope during his time here.

The Catholic New World asked Cardinal George to share some of his insights on Pope Benedict XVI and his trip.

Catholic New World: For many Catholics in the United States, this will be their first encounter with Pope Benedict XVI. You’ve met the pope several times. Would you share your impression of him?

Cardinal Francis George: The pope is the 265th successor to St. Peter and the vicar of Christ, the visible head of the universal Church. He fills this office with his personal gifts of prayer and pastoral kindness and using the personal skills developed by theological study over many years. He listens very intently when one is conversing with him.

He is interested in details, whether of a pastoral situation, a theological problem or a personal difficulty or joy shared with him. I believe his quiet personality, which is grounded in his life of faith, will make a deep impression on those who follow this visit through the media.

CNW: As president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, what will your role be in Pope Benedict’s visit?

Cardinal George: As president of the USCCB, I will be with the pope during his visit here. I’ll greet him on the tarmac when his plane lands at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., on the evening of April 15.

There are two moments the following day, April 16, when I will address him publicly: at a small birthday luncheon at the Apostolic Nunciature (the diplomatic post of the Holy See similar to an embassy) and when all the bishops of our country gather with him in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

I’ll be with him also in New York City, until he leaves for Rome on April 20, after the public Mass in Yankee Stadium.

CNW: Despite the fact that the Catholic Church is a universal church, it can sometimes seem that the work of the Holy See and the pope is removed from us since Italy is far away. How are we in Chicago connected to him and why is his visit to the U.S. important?

Cardinal George: Our deepest connection with the pope is spiritual. He confirms our life of faith, which is a gift that transforms our personal lives in the light of the truths Christ has revealed; and he governs the universal church so that Catholic communion is visibly strengthened and unified throughout the world.

The pope is integral to every Catholic’s life, even when his ministry is not explicitly adverted to. His name is mentioned, along with the local bishop, in every celebration of the Holy Mass.

There are other dimensions of the pope’s concerns around the world that sometimes touch us in this country more directly and sometimes do not. When he speaks to the whole world, however, he calls everyone to help create a civilization of love, and that is something everyone should desire.

CNW: What do you think will be Pope Benedict’s message to America?

Cardinal George: The pope’s messages will be tailored to the groups that he is speaking to. His homilies at the public Masses in Washington and New York will be addressed to everyone, especially the laity. He will also speak to bishops, to university presidents, to young people, to priests and consecrated women and men, to our Jewish brothers and sisters and those of other faiths and to other Christian churches and faith communities.

He will speak to the U.N. General Assembly and will visit Ground Zero in New York to pray for those killed in the terrorist attack on our country.

I think the general message to America will be included in the many particular messages he will give. I imagine he will urge us to be true to Christ and to the best in our national history.

CNW: What impact do you think his visit will have on the church here and U.S. society in general?

Cardinal George: I hope that his visit will strengthen our sense of the universal Church. The Catholic Church is the only genuinely global visible society, and he will help us understand the depth and the dimensions of ecclesial communion and of global solidarity. He will, of course, call us to conversion to Jesus Christ in the midst of the many social changes and challenges of our life now.

CNW: What do you hope Catholics in the United States — and in Chicago specifically — gain or learn from this trip?

Cardinal George: Catholics here will have a clearer sense of the papal office and of the person who is Pope Benedict XVI. This can be of great help. I think he will also leave with us a sense of joy in following Jesus Christ as members of his body, the Church.

CNW: In your last column you encouraged us all to spiritually prepare for his visit. Why should we do this and what is the best way to do it?

Cardinal George: We prepare spiritually by praying for the Holy Father and for those who are helping him make this trip. We should pray for ourselves, that we will hear the call to conversion that he will speak to our ears and that the Holy Spirit will speak in our hearts. We should also read about the office of the papacy in our catechisms and the actions of popes chronicled in reliable histories.

CNW: There will be much media coverage of the pope’s visit, some accurate some not, some positive some negative. What advice can you offer to Catholics following the coverage in light of this imperfect process?

Cardinal George: I think Catholics should study the facts and understand what particular agenda might be coloring a report. There are a lot of cliches and superficial platitudes surrounding the papacy.

Over 2,000 years, practically everything has happened once, but there is a general thread of understanding that guides a believer who sees that the papacy and its magisterium is part of the mystery of faith that is the church and is more than a simply historical institution.

Above all, we should welcome the pope in our hearts and in our prayers. That will keep us anchored in the truth.