The Pope in America, God Bless You! Your Holiness and Bless Us!
Posted: Tuesday, April 15, 2008
by David Tanguay
Pope Benedict XVI stepped onto U.S. soil for the first time as pontiff Tuesday, arriving to a presidential handshake and wild cheering only hours after he admitted that he is "deeply ashamed" of the clergy sex abuse scandal that has devastated the American church.
Benedict gave hundreds of spectators a two-handed wave as he stepped off a special Alitalia airliner that brought him from Rome. Students from a local Catholic school screamed ecstatically when they saw the pope, who shook hands warmly with President Bush, first lady Laura Bush and their daughter Jenna on the tarmac.
Hundreds of onlookers, some from local Roman Catholic parishes, clapped and shouted as they watched the scene from nearby bleachers.
Benedict tackled the most painful issue facing the U.S. Catholic Church - clergy sex abuse - on his flight to America. The U.S. church has paid out $2 billion in abuse costs since 1950, most of that in just the last six years.
Seemingly, in a nod to his American flock, the pope spoke in English as he answered questions submitted in advance by reporters.
"It is a great suffering for the church in the United States and for the church in general and for me personally that this could happen," Benedict said. "It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their mission ... to these children."
"I am deeply ashamed, and we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future," the pope said.
While the pope and Bush differ on such major issues on the Iraq war, capital punishment and the U.S. embargo against Cuba, they do find common ground in opposing abortion, gay marriage and embryonic stem cell research.
(The above text: A courtesy of MSNBC news Services)
The Pope is expected to talk to President Bush about the war in Iraq. I only hope he can get through to the president, Bush claims he is a religious man however a deeply religious man will not boast about all the insurgents we as Americans have killed.
The president speaks like a deranged man when he talks about the war. I only hope the pope can get through to him before it's too late. If there is a soul to be saved, it is definitely the president's.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)hi david, excellent article. thank you for sharing this information with us. best regards, suePlease log in to respond to this comment.Thank you for commenting SusanPlease log in to respond to this comment.
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