A Positive Post About the Popes visit to the USA

It just saddens me that the media chooses to go the typical route of stirring controversy, as opposed to trying to unite and inspire. So I've been trying to avoid the coverage on regular stations. So here's my contribution to a positive post about the visit. :-)


I think Catholic Christians, and even those Christians not of the Catholic faith can at least appreciate the theme of the Popes visit to the USA, "Christ Our Hope". Not only this visits theme but I believe the mission of Pope Benedict XVI entire life.


It was interesting to hear that in President Bush's 7 years in office, this Head of State was the first he went to greet at Andrews Air force Base on the tar mat. I saw an interview where he was asked why it was important for him to do this when he's always greeted the Heads of State when they arrived at the White House. President Bush answered a few reasons...that the Pope is not a politician but a Man of Faith. That he leads millions of people. And that he wanted to show his support in the Popes thoughts on Moral Relativism. That President Bush agrees you cannot have half-rights and half-wrongs; there is only right and wrong and we must face up to that truth even if it makes some people uncomfortable.

Pope Benedict XVI is the 256th successor of the Apostle Peter in the Catholic Church. Below are some quotes from his visit here in the USA...

The Holy Father said, "I am happy to be here as a guest of all Americans. I come as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel and one with great respect for this vast pluralistic society. America’s Catholics have made, and continue to make, an excellent contribution to the life of their country. As I begin my visit, I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal and hope for the Church in the United States, and strengthen the resolve of Catholics to contribute ever more responsibly to the life of this nation, of which they are proud to be citizens."

"From the dawn of the Republic, America’s quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator," he said. "The course of American history demonstrates the difficulties, the struggles, and the great intellectual and moral resolve which were demanded to shape a society which faithfully embodied these noble principles."In that process, which forged the soul of the nation, religious beliefs were a constant inspiration and driving force, as for example in the struggle against slavery and in the civil rights movement."

Still, the Holy Father cautioned, freedom is not just a gift; it also "summons to personal responsibility.""The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility toward the less fortunate," he affirmed. "It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate. "In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good."

Recalling Pope John Paul II's teaching, Benedict XVI affirmed that "'in a world without truth, freedom loses its foundation,' and a democracy without values can lose its very soul." The Pope said that George Washington, the first U.S. president, said something similar when he contended that "religion and morality represent 'indispensable supports' of political prosperity."

The Church, he said, believes that faith "sheds new light on all things.""Faith also gives us the strength to respond to our high calling, and the hope that inspires us to work for an ever more just and fraternal society," the Pontiff added. "Democracy can only flourish, as your Founding Fathers realized, when political leaders and those whom they represent are guided by truth and bring the wisdom born of firm moral principle to decisions affecting the life and future of the nation."