That’s the question posed by Fr. James Martin at the continuing blog, A Papal Discussion, over at the New York Times, and he’s got some compelling answers:

Most Catholics, even those who may disagree with some of the pope’s statements, have an inherent understanding of his role as the “Vicar of Christ,” that is, Christ’s representative on earth. And even Catholics with the barest understanding of their faith have, as well, a deep appreciation for the tradition that holds that Joseph Alois Ratzinger, in his role as Supreme Pontiff, continues an unbroken line that stretches back to St. Peter. Of course neither Jesus nor any of the other apostles would have considered Peter a “bishop,” much less a “pope.” Still, what theologians call the “apostolic succession” is the central element of the mystique and charisma that instantly inheres in anyone who steps into the “shoes of the fisherman.”

Even the most hardboiled Catholic often confesses to feeling a sense of awe, and the weight of tradition, when in the presence of the pope. He’s not divine, and he’s not a saint, but the pope represents in a profound way a 2,000-year history of church leadership that began when Jesus asked a poor fisherman named Peter to lead his fledgling community.

To that end, a story. Last night an old friend called. I’ll disguise his identity, but I can say that he works with a large Catholic-run organization, and was unexpectedly offered some last-minute tickets to one of the papal events in Washington, D.C.

My friend is a gay man who has, for some time, sought to find a welcoming parish in his town, and, more broadly, a place in his church. (Many gay and lesbian Catholics say that they often find their church a hostile place.) My friend is hardly the pious type, certainly on the liberal end of the theological spectrum, and generally a bit cynical about the church hierarchy. He had not sought out the tickets to the papal event; in fact, he thought that meeting the pope at all would be something of an inconvenience.

Last night, he left a breathless message on my voicemail. “Call me right back!”

When I reached him, he blurted out, “I shook the pope’s hand today!” My friend explained that during one of the papal events yesterday, he found himself by coincidence — or providence — very close to Pope Benedict. As the pope circulated through a crowd of people, he drew nearer, and gradually within arm’s length of my friend. “I thought I might reach my hand out.” When he did so, the pope seemed at first to overlook him.

Suddenly the pope turned around and looked my friend full in the face. “He smiled at me and grabbed my hand,” said my friend, with some emotion.

I asked what he was feeling at the moment, and now. Now remember, this is a gay man who has been disenchanted with his church, and not given to high-flown pieties. “When he looked at me, it felt like I was part of the church,” he said. “Like we are all part of the church, and that we all are important, no matter who we are.”

To me, it was a striking moment of grace.

Read on for much more…