POPE BENEDICT XVI VISITS U.S.A.
Pope VISITS the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C.

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI just completed his first visit to the USA this month. Before coming, he issued the following statement to all of us regarding his visit:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the USA,

The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you! In just a few days from now, I shall begin my apostolic visit to your beloved country. Before setting off, I would like to offer you a heartfelt greeting and an invitation to prayer. As you know, I shall only be able to visit two cities: Washington and New York. The intention behind my visit, though, is to reach out spiritually to all Catholics in the United States. At the same time, I earnestly hope that my presence among you will be seen as a fraternal gesture towards every ecclesial community, and a sign of friendship for members of other religious traditions and all men and women of good will. The risen Lord entrusted the Apostles and the Church with his Gospel of love and peace, and his intention in doing so was that the message should be passed on to all peoples.

At this point I should like to add some words of thanks, because I am conscious that many people have been working hard for a long time, both in Church circles and in the public services, to prepare for my journey. I am especially grateful to all who have been praying for the success of the visit, since prayer is the most important element of all. Dear friends, I say this because I am convinced that without the power of prayer, without that intimate union with the Lord, our human endeavors would achieve very little. Indeed this is what our faith teaches us. It is God who saves us, he saves the world, and all of history. He is the Shepherd of his people. I am coming, sent by Jesus Christ, to bring you his word of life.

Together with your Bishops, I have chosen as the theme of my journey three simple but essential words: “Christ our hope”. Following in the footsteps of my venerable predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, I shall come to the United States of America as Pope for the first time, to proclaim this great truth: Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. Yes, Christ is the face of God present among us. Through him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father. I know how deeply rooted this Gospel message is in your country. I am coming to share it with you, in a series of celebrations and gatherings. I shall also bring the message of Christian hope to the great Assembly of the United Nations, to the representatives of all the peoples of the world. Indeed, the world has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace, for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can never be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God, which Christ brought to fulfillment in the commandment to love one another. Do to others as you would have them do to you, and avoid doing what you would not want them to do. This “golden rule” is given in the Bible, but it is valid for all people, including non-believers. It is the law written on the human heart; on this we can all agree, so that when we come to address other matters we can do so in a positive and constructive manner for the entire human community.

I am very much looking forward to being with you. I want you to know that, even if my itinerary is short, with just a few engagements, my heart is close to all of you, especially to the sick, the weak, and the lonely. I thank you once again for your prayerful support of my mission. I reach out to every one of you with affection, and I invoke upon you the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

May God bless you all.

The Pontiff arrived in Washington, D.C. on April 15th. The following day, he met with President George Bush at the White House and spent the day there. That evening, he attended the meeting he had called with U.S. bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

On April 17th, a Mass for the faithful was held at the new Nationals Stadium in Washington, where the Pope was warmly welcomed by a huge crowd who were anxious to be in the presence of our Holy Father.

Pope Benedict XVI also participated in a meeting with more than 200 heads of Catholic colleges and universities and the diocesan heads of education from 195 Catholic dioceses at Catholic University of America.

Later that evening, the Pope met with Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and representatives of other religions at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. On his first visit to the USA, the Holy Father deliberately selected the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. as the site for his inter-religious dialogue.

This visit is significant in that it is the Holy Father’s wish to meet with leaders of the world’s faith community to speak to the importance of continuing the work of his predecessor Pope John Paul II.

The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center has focused its mission on interreligious dialogue and outreach. Since 2006, significant conferences and dialogues have been held under its sponsorship. The Holy Father’s visit to the Cultural Center validates the Center’s mission.

PRCUA’s President Wallace Ozog and his wife, Joann, were at the Cultural Center during the Pope’s visit there. President Ozog will report about the visit in the next Narod Polski and on the PRCUA web site.

On Friday, April 18th Pope Benedict XVI flew to New York City to address the United Nations. He also met with ecumenical leaders at a New York City parish that evening.

On Saturday, April 19 he celebrated a Special Mass for priests, deacons and members of religious orders at the well-known St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

While in New York, he also met with young Catholics at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, NY to inspire these youths in their devotion to the Church and in their vocations to the priesthood.

On Sunday, April 20, Pope Benedict XVI made a solemn pilgrimage to Ground Zero, the site of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, where thousands of people lost their lives in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.

From there he concelebrated Mass held at Yankee Stadium in New York, which was filled to capacity. Then, the Pope headed back to the Eternal City on Shepherd One, his chartered Alitalia plane.

During his visit, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated two personal anniversaries. He observed his 81st birthday on April 16th and April 19 marked the 3rd anniversary of his election as Pontiff. Ordained in 1951, he taught dogma and theology for many years until his appointment as Archbishop of Munich in 1977. In 1981 he became the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Pope Benedict XVI is our 265th Pope and the first German Pope in 948 years.