Pope Benedict in the USA - 16 days to go

Your exhaustive, frequently-updated weekend report:

"The tickets are coming! The tickets are coming!"

"The archdiocese [of Washington DC] is saying all those 45,000+ bar-coded Nationals Stadium tickets for the April 17 Mass have arrived and are now being sorted at their office. Parishes should be getting them sometime next week." - Washington Times

"The archdiocese has set up a wait list site. Gibbs said that so far they have received 1,000 requests at the site for 3,000 tickets."- Washington Post

It wouldn't hurt to put yourself on the wait list.

Concern about the Washington DC Papal Mass liturgy

"Brace yourself for the Pope's mass in DC, says Jeffrey Tucker (The new Liturgical Movement March 28, 2008), responding to the Washingtion Diocese' announcement regarding its selection of music ("Music for Pope Benedict XVI’s Mass at Nationals Park will reflect Archdiocese’s diversity"). Tucker prounounces the list --"it includes mostly Gospel numbers, some rock/blues thrown in ("Jesus is Here Right Now"), together with the "Mass of Creation" Sanctus and Amen" -- "as skimpy as it is troubling." - Benedict in America

"Operatic tenor Placido Domingo will perform at a Mass to be celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI at Nationals Park on April 17...Four choirs totaling 570 members from across the Archdiocese of Washington will perform at the Mass, singing in 10 languages." - Associated Press

Okay, I don't have a concern with Placido Domingo performing before the Mass, but he's certainly not the first person who comes to mind when I think of "the United States welcoming the Pope." More like, "The last of the three tenors reprises his frequent role at Vatian Christmas concerts." Please, let's move on.

"15-Year-Old To Participate In Papal Mass: Elizabeth, 15, of Montgomery County has been selected to be a gift bearer in the offertory procession when Pope Benedict comes to Washington and holds mass." - WJZ Baltimore, which includes video of the report

Lucky kid!

Media Offerings for the Papal Visit

SIRIUS Satellite Radio has announced that three Catholic channels will provide coverage for Pope Benedict XVI’s April visit to the United States. In addition to coverage from the Catholic Channel, one channel will rebroadcast highlights of the Pope’s trip while another will broadcast historical speeches from past pontiffs. - CNA

The Knights of Columbus will sponsor a nationally-broadcast television discussion program previewing Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States on Sunday, April 13. The show – entitled A Journey of Hope – features a panel of experts. The half hour show will air on CBS stations in the four largest U.S. markets and will also air nationally on the Fox Business Channel at 5:30 p.m. In addition, the program will air on a variety of Catholic television outlets, including EWTN, the Catholic Cable Network, and local and regional Catholic cable channels. - Rhode Island Catholic

Plenty of good offerings.

The Wider Context

"N.Y. bishop ready for pope's U.S. visit" - Monterey County Herald

"Public Less Likely to See Pope in DC: "His visit reflects the times we live in," said Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Washington. "There has to be a little higher level of security, unfortunately." - Associated Press

Nevertheless, the story describes the huge demand and desire to see the Pope, in person or through media.

The Pope's Press Treatment

"In preparation for Benedict's arrival, the discerning reader (or reporter) might want to understand WHY the Church teaches what it does...Observe the extent to which the author focuses on the grievances of "progressives" against the orthodox ("traditional") Church, with precious little attempt to understand and explain exactly WHY the Church takes the positions that it does." - Benedict in America

"The interview questions in this interview, from the Boston Globe, reads like every tired cliche that's ever been written about Pope Benedict and the Church. In its title, it describes Pope Benedict as a "more complex pope." It uses language- specifically "liberal" and "conservative" - which is not correct in explaining the Church. Not surprisingly, it also engages in the "WOCHA mantra." Thankfully, it's salvaged by the intelligent responses of Francesco Cesareo, president of Assumption College." - Pope2008

"If what you know of Pope Benedict XVI is the hard-line doctrinal decrees of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he may surprise you on his first visit to the United States next month. So says the Rev. Robert Sirico, who has met Benedict and seen his pastoral side closer than many." - MLive

Is the pope Catholic? That used to be a sarcastic way of saying, could anything be more obvious? Is fire hot? Is water wet? Now, however, that nothing in the world is obvious, when Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the United States on April 15 there will surely be voices in the media apparently disconcerted to discover that, yes, the pope is Catholic. - New York Times

The New York Times piece I found to be particularly illuminating. Consider the final lines:

Of course, part of the problem in getting a fix on Benedict is simply the feebleness of accepted categories for understanding any serious religious leaders — and hence the impulse to deal with them as celebrities or politicians. Of all the words he speaks during his trip here, the ones that will probably go least examined are no doubt the ones he treasures most, the words of the Mass.

But the pope is not just another spiritual guide or priest. He has enormous institutional powers and responsibilities. To what extent does Benedict conceive of his papacy as a work of prayer and teaching? To what extent does he conceive of it as a renewal of structures and institutions? How does he see those aspects interacting?

His trip to the United States will presumably provide some clues. But they will be missed if it is greeted and framed with all the ready-made reflexes.

For a prime example of someone completely missing what the pope is about, see this article in WaPo.

And that's where the news currently stands, with updates to follow over the course of the weekend....

update 1:

"'Popemobile to be used during N.Y. visit: A spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York said the pope will use the specially designed bulletproof vehicle to get around the city during his three-day stay, the New York Daily News reported. The itinerary of his public appearances includes a special mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral." - UPI

"Patrick Baker & Sons Inc., of Southington, is supplying candles, vestments and other items for the pope's Masses in New York. "It is an honor," said Michael Baker, a salesman at the business's 1650 West St. location. "It is a highlight in my career" to supply goods for the event." - Record-Journal

"New York Youth Prepare to Meet Pope: Youth in New York are preparing for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the United States in just over two weeks time. Twenty thousand young people from different parts of the country will hold a vigil in New York on the occasion of the Holy Father’s visit. Dominican Father Gabriel Gillen is a priest of the St. Catherine of Siena parish in New York City. He says that the Pope’s visit will draw even more young people into an authentic experience of God." - Vatican Radio

The Diocese of Buffalo, NY has posted a "Welcome Holy Father" video on YouTube.

update 2:

"Trivial Pursuit about Papal Travel in America: By way of background to Benedict XVI’s April 15-20 visit to the United States, the following are some “Trivial Pursuit”-style nuggets about papal travel in America." - John Allen

update 3:

"The pope gets a guide for his U.S. tour: When Pope Benedict XVI makes his first papal trip to the United States in April, he will be guided by a seasoned Vatican ambassador who sees the visit as an opportunity to introduce a little-known pope to a complex set of audiences: American Catholics, Americans in general and global opinion leaders.

"The image of Benedict XVI is not only not well known, but it is badly known," said Archbishop Pietro Sambi, who as apostolic nuncio is the Vatican's top diplomat in the United States." - International Herald Tribune

(some slight editing has been made to the original material above - thank you, sharp readers!)