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Benedictions: The Pope in America

Associated Press – April 14, 2008 WASHINGTON – The leader of the world’s Roman Catholics has been to the White House only once in history. That changes this week, and President Bush is pulling out all the stops: driving out to a suburban military base to meet Pope Benedict XVI’s plane, bringing a giant audience…

EWTN, Mother Angelica’s legendary Catholic (I won’t put in any controversial modifers) TV station, scored an interview with President Bush about the Pope’s visit…No surprise. Bush and anchor Raymond Arroyo played softball–or perhaps volley ball, as Arroyo mainly set up balls for the prez to spike. In any case, there’s much to chew over and…

Over on the Commonweal magazine blog where I occasionally contribute, Sister Mary Wood points out, apropos of my papal fashion story, that the pope has “snubbed” (their words Down Under) the organizers of this July’s World Youth Day in Sydney, declining to use the vestments they had designed for the event. According to this story…

This it it: I have tried to maintain a certain degree of poise and charity despite the fact that Pope Benedict XVI is celebrating Mass on Sunday at Yankee Stadium (altar mock-up at right) and ignoring Shea. Full disclosure: I am a lifelong Mets fan. That is my pride, and, of late, my shame. But…

Today’s topic is one of the most controversial–and misunderstood, for Catholics as well as non-Catholics: papal infallibility… QUESTION: Do I have to believe every word the pope says? Read more from the papal answer man, Chris Bellitto and his new book, 101 Questions on Popes and the Papacy.

Benedict’s vintage vesture has been a topic of much blog-babble and tongue-wagging. No, not just the Prada shoes (knockoffs, actually). Vestments of greater import, including the news that the pope has commissioned a set of 30 new vestments modeled on those worn by the notorious Medici pope, Leo X, a corpulent, corrupt fellow who at…

Dan Burke of RNS poses the question in today’s Washington Post. It’s an interesting question. Bush appoints Catholic justices and talks about “the culture of life.” But…this does not a Catholic make.

Rather than dissipating ahead of Benedict’s visit to New York and Washington, Catholic-Jewish relations appear to be growing more problematic by the day. There is a history here, not just of the past 2,000 years, but also over the past three years under the pontificate of Pope Benedict. But the issue tapping into that unease–from…

Catholic World News relays news of Polish church officials as saying they would like the heart of the late John Paul brought to his old Wawel cathedral in Krakow as a relic (seriously first class) if–er, when–the Polish pope is beatified. (Others say a small piece of the pope’s heart, or other body part, would…

A papal visit like next week’s trip to the U.S. by Benedict XVI is an opportunity not only to check out the current occupant of the Chair of St. Peter, but also to learn more about the 2,000-year history of the papacy and the Catholic Church. To help us do this, author Christopher Bellitto, an…
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