Pope Focuses On Future Of American Church

Pope Benedict XVI Offers Support To Clergy And Young Catholics In Moving Beyond Scandals

(CBS/AP)  Pope Benedict XVI focused on the future of his American church Saturday as he marked the third anniversary of his election as pontiff, rallying young people, priests and seminarians and assuring them of his support as they dealt with the damage from the clergy sex abuse scandal.

On a highly personal day, Benedict spoke of suffering under Nazism in his youth and, at another point, touched on his own "spiritual poverty." He added that he hoped to be a worthy successor to St. Peter, considered the first pope.

Benedict began the day with a Mass at St. Patrick's cathedral, the landmark Roman Catholic church on Fifth Avenue. The building was packed with cardinals and bishops, priests and nuns, who cheered him to mark the day he succeeded Pope John Paul II on April 19, 2005.

The German-born pope lamented that what he called "the joy of faith" was often choked by cynicism, greed and violence. Yet he drew an analogy to show how faith can overcome distractions and trials.

"The spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral are dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the Manhattan skyline, yet in the heart of this busy metropolis they are a vivid reminder of the constant yearning of the human spirit to rise to God," he said.

In America, he has said repeatedly, the religious intensity stands out in marked contrast to the tepid spiritual emphasis in his native Europe. That makes the U.S. a testing ground for him in his bid to counter secular trends in the world.

He also returned Saturday to the sex abuse scandal that he said has caused "so much suffering" for the American church, assuring his audience "of my spiritual closeness as you strive to respond with Christian hope to the continuing challenges that this situation presents."

It was the fourth time he has spoken of the scandal since beginning his first papal pilgrimage to the U.S. on Tuesday. While in Washington, he met with a small group of victims from the Boston Archdiocese, where the scandal boiled over in 2002. It was believed to be the first time a pope had met with victims of clerical sex abuse.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi, meeting with reporters Saturday, was asked if the scandal had dominated the agenda of the trip. He denied that, saying it was part of the central theme of the entire visit, "to give hope to the church in the United States."

Benedict later was driven to St. Joseph's Seminary in nearby Yonkers, for a rally with young Catholics and seminarians. Upon arriving he blessed about 50 disabled youngsters in the seminary chapel. Two small girls gave him a painting and a hug.

The pope got a hero's welcome at the youth rally from a festive crowd of 25,000, which burst into wild cheers when Benedict first acknowledged them from the stage. The shy theologian took time to reach out and shake hands with the ecstatic faithful in the front rows. The youngsters, meanwhile, sang "Happy Birthday" to him - he turned 81 on Wednesday - in his native German.

During his speech at the rally, Benedict reflected on the repression of his own youth under Nazism. He urged the young people and seminarians to carry on the faith while enjoying the liberties that they were fortunate to have.

"My own years as a teenager were marred by a sinister regime that thought it had all the answers," he said making a rare reference to his own life. "Its influence grew - infiltrating schools ands civic bodies, as well as politics and even religion - before it was fully recognized for the monster it was."

As the busy day wore on, Benedict showed signs of tiring. His secretary reminded him to give his greetings in Spanish at the youth rally.

"I forgot my Spanish," the pope said with a chuckle. And the crowd laughed.

At the end of the St. Patrick's service, Benedict was clearly moved when his top assistant, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, read a tribute for the third anniversary.

Benedict told the crowd of 3,000 that "I am deeply thankful" for the support they showed him, and for "your love, your prayers." The pope said that he, like St. Peter, was a "man with his faults."

The Rev. Michael Morris, a professor of church history at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, where a youth rally was organized for the pontiff Saturday, attended the Mass, and was among those cheering "Viva il Papa!" as Benedict passed by.

Morris, 47, credits John Paul's 1979 trip to the United States with drawing him toward the priesthood. He hoped Benedict's visit would inspire young men today to do the same.

"I think it was a wonderful boost for priests and religious," said Morris, speaking about the clergy, nuns and brothers in religious communities.

"We're encountering a whole new generation that is very fervent and in many ways more heroic," he said. "They've been through the scandal and they still want to serve."

Benedict himself, on the flight to America from Rome, said as he addressed the scandal that it was more important to have "good priests than to have many priests."

CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts reports that the shinking number of priest is an ongoing concern for the American Catholic church.

Today there are 17,000 fewer Catholic priests in America than there were in 1965. Of the nation's 18,600 parishes, 3,238 do not have a resident pastor.

St. Joseph's Seminary, where today's rally was held, once taught seminarians by the hundreds. Today ther are just 22 students. Most of the classrooms here are virtually empty.

"The number of Catholic priest in this country over ninety exceeds the number of under thirty," said Paul Lakeland, the chairman of the department of religious studies at Connecticut's Fairfield University.

But when Pitts spoke to Father Luke Sweeney, the director of vocations for the Archdiocese of New York if he thought these waning numbers meant trouble for the church, Sweeney's response was optimistic.

"I say that Jesus started with 12 and now we have a billion plus catholics right now."

Upon arriving at St. Patrick's, the pontiff was met outside by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, while former Mayor Rudy Giuliani was inside.

Giuliani received Holy Communion during the service from one of the many clergy who offered the sacrament. That raised some eyebrows since Giuliani has been married three times and supports abortion rights. Catholics who divorce and remarry without getting an annulment from the church cannot receive Communion. Giuliani did receive an annulment after his first marriage.

Benedict blessed the cathedral with holy water before making his way to the altar of the landmark church. As the pope walked down the center aisle, nuns clutched at his robes, showing an enthusiasm for his presence that has spread among the general public.

The Vatican said the pope came outside from his residence on the Upper East Side on Friday night to greet a crowd of more than 500 people who had lined up for hours. He shook hands and blessed the crowd before returning inside.

On Sunday, the final day of his trip, the pope will visit ground zero to lead prayers, and later will celebrate a Mass at Yankee Stadium.

After the St. Patrick's service a roar went up from the crowd when the popemobile passed along Fifth Avenue, with people raising up their babies and others shooting pictures with cell phone cameras.

Daniela Rizzo brought her husband and their infant son from Connecticut.

"You can feel the energy," Rizzo said. "You can feel the faith."

Visit the official papal visit Web site at www.uspapalvisit.org

[newsterl]

pagan v/s christian

As can be seen, the dramatic difference between the CHRISTIAN history of violence, bloodshed, death, subversion, jailings, burning at the stake, torture, protecting pedo priests, encouraging slavery and paganism with it''''s beliefs.
Notice paganism has no hypocritical god waiting to swoop down and send you to eternal torture for minor infractions, demanding you kill animals for ''''sin'''' offerings, to save you from himself or threaten you into ''''belief'''' and ''''obedience''''

"Thou shalt STONE TO DEATH the adulterer"
"Their BLOOD shall be upon them"
"Kill the bullock, sprinkle its blood about the altar and on your clothes, then burn the flesh for a SIN offering to the lord"

v/s

"Pagans honour the Divine in all its aspects, whether male or female, as parts of the sacred whole. Every man and woman is, to a Pagan, a beautiful and unique being. Children are loved and honoured and there is a strong sense of community. The woods and open spaces of the land, home to wild animals and birds, are cherished. Paganism stresses personal spiritual experience, and Pagans often find that experience through their relationship with the natural world that they love. We seek spiritual union with Divinity by attuning with the tides of Nature and by exploring our inner selves, seeing each reflected in the other.

These are important distinctions between the two, one has a documented HISTORY of violence and a book promoting it, the other doesn''''t.

[tucano2]

It is now obvious he is going to actually do NOTHING about the child-rapists or those who continue to hide and protect them from criminal prosecution. WHAT A PHONEY.

[johngoodnews]

I wish the Pope and the Church''s many Catholics well and hope they are successful in finding God''s salvation. (I think that''s in the Gospel of Matthew somewhere.)

[twomtns]

statement by the pope yesterday
"I join you in praying that this will be a time of purification for each and every particular Church and religious community, a time for healing," the Pope said in his sermon, referring to the scandal of sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy.
"I also encourage you to co-operate with your bishops who continue to work to effectively resolve this issue."
More than 4,000 US Catholic clergy have been accused of sexually abusing minors since 1950.
Too bad he didn%u2019t have the intestinal fortitude to declare that each and every one of these pedophiles & *** abusers should and will be charged to the full extent of civic law and apologize for the church hiding so many abusers instead of defrocking them and turning them over to the law

[prayerworx]

caliengineer:

Thank you for the scripture lesson. I believe I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The fact that I choose to be Catholic doesn''t mean I am also not a devout follower of Jesus. There''s no conflict, I just choose to follow the Church that Jesus Himself created. You are free to do what you wish. See Matthew 16:18-19.

[katg21]

Is there anything the church could do to make you question your faith? Posted by freeman99z

Faith is a very personal thing to me, it is what drives me in my life. Having said that, the answer to your question is NO. What a few sick individuals have done has not caused me to question my faith in the church. As for your assertion that the towers were brought down because of religion...you are wrong. Radical fundamentalism and hate are what brought those towers down, faith in God and country is what helped us heal.

[piercetheval]

...Too little too late. 1800+ years of lies and deceit. The true Templars are reborn and alive, the Truth is about to hit the fan. Read "A Template for the Time. The Astrological Birthchart of Jesus." TGS, Publishing, Frankston, Texas. Om.

[hypnotoad72]

Addendum: I used to be in a fringe group. I won''t ignore or bury my own past, but to learn from it instead. I consider myself glad I had escaped, and I have them to thank...

[hypnotoad72]

I have been a catholic all of my life; a long time. What these priests have done to children is horrible but for every one priest that has harmed a child there are hundreds/thousands more who have helped children. To condemn the entire church for the wrong doings of a few is PURE BIGOTRY. This is a left wing attempt to bannish and demonize organized religion. To read the hate filled words of some of you here truly saddens me. Makes me wonder what our world is coming to and ONLY proves to strengthen my faith.

Posted by katg21
----------------------
I agree.

And faith is in the act, not in the word. A lot of naysayers and rabble can''t seem to understand the difference, forgetting that in personal freedom does include some responsibility for us all as a society. They knock certain issues, not understanding why they may have been been set up that way in the first place and never mind thinking of an inclusive substitute, which for some rabble is "Let us do what we want and if you can''t relate, you''re phobic and completely wrong", even though what they do spreads far more sickness.

[freeman99z]

I have been a catholic all of my life; a long time. What these priests have done to children is horrible but for every one priest that has harmed a child there are hundreds/thousands more who have helped children. To condemn the entire church for the wrong doings of a few is PURE BIGOTRY. This is a left wing attempt to bannish and demonize organized religion. To read the hate filled words of some of you here truly saddens me. Makes me wonder what our world is coming to and ONLY proves to strengthen my faith.
-----------------------------------------------------
Is there anything the church could do to make you question your faith? CHild molesting isnt enough? IM sure you mean well but organized religion is the biggest scam ever perpetrated. The pope only cares about creating more christians. The fact that he went to ground zero, which never would have happened without reigion, is a slap in the face to everyone who lost a loved one there. Google the egyptian god horus. SOunds a lot like jesus doesnt it? religion is nothing but fairy tales.

[caliengineer]

Prayerworx, you have a good heart, but who is the "Holy Father?" Compare these Bible verses with Catholicism:
Psalm 118:8; Mark 7:6-13; Romans 3:23; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; Matt 15:19; Matt 8:14; Matt 23 8:11; Timothy 2:5

And, the rest of the Bible should equally challenge what men have substituted for true relationship with Jesus.

[ajaxtheleast]

Popes will some day marry.

When women let their husbands leave the

house dressed like that, carrying a chalice

thing shaking smoke at people

and kneeling down kissing feet,

Popes will marry.

[fabrat1]

PrayerWorx U said it, and you said it well.

[katg21]

PrayerWorx,
Well said.

[katg21]

I have been a catholic all of my life; a long time. What these priests have done to children is horrible but for every one priest that has harmed a child there are hundreds/thousands more who have helped children. To condemn the entire church for the wrong doings of a few is PURE BIGOTRY. This is a left wing attempt to bannish and demonize organized religion. To read the hate filled words of some of you here truly saddens me. Makes me wonder what our world is coming to and ONLY proves to strengthen my faith.

[pollroller1]

Well, the pope did have on some beautiful red slippers.

[prayerworx]

As an American Catholic in my 40''s I have not experienced any form of sexual abuse, nor do I know of anyone who has. Nobody''s condoning these actions nor is anyone I am aware of saying that this has not occurred. I pray for the victims of this tragedy and healing for what they have been through. The Holy Father has come to America to help with that healing both for individuals as well as the American Church as a whole. I accept what he is attempting to do for what it is, taking responsibility. The actions of the priests involved in inexcusable, especially if it happened with the knowledge or consent of church officials. However, I think its also equally wrong to condemn the entire Catholic institution for the actions of these individuals. Let''s be realistic, a vast majority of our priests are not involved and most of the Lay individuals have not and are not experiencing this. Additionally, I can tell you the Church has not ignored this issue. As a Catechist teaching Sunday school who works with youth of the church I can tell you first hand the rules have been significantly changed in the past few years and everyone is significantly aware that this is an important area of concern. I can also witness similar changes with the Boy Scouts and YMCA youth organizations that it is significant concern there as well. So, folks, let''s get real and quit bashing the Catholic Church and Catholics, other Christians or any other religion and move on so the healing can begin.

[fabrat1]

In a world where so much is wrong a good positive attitude would be wonderful for a change. Personally, I would love to see the Pope in person and to be able to pray with him or attend a mass given by him.

[fuzzybear9]

Wouldn`t it be nice for someone to say

Wow the Pope he`s isn`t he a Fancy dresser !

or

Wow look at that nice neat hair trim the pope has,
he looks as good as Elvis.

something positive

anyway

sincerely Fuzzy

[fuzzybear9]

FuzzyBear9 It''''s called freedom of speech my friend.
I don''''t agree with everything I read here, but I respect the poster''''s right to say what is on their minds.


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Posted by pollroller1 at 09:31 AM : Apr 20, 2008


I agree
but do you all have to be so negative all the time ?
it gets a little trying,

it reminds me of a Guy I use to work with
nothing was ever right
moan and complain moan and complain
it just gets tiring thats all

sincerely Fuzzy