My Pope is Coming to America

My Pope is coming to America. I know Pope John Paul II is the “super star” of modern day Popes. However, I became a Catholic shortly after he died.

So, Pope Benedict IS my Pope. However that is hardly the only reason. He is my Pope because I claim him. He may not have the charisma of John Paul II. He may not have the sense of drama or the vitality and attractiveness of a young John Paul. But oh that mind. He has the mind of someone who has been a theologian for decades, he is professorial. He is also complicated, black and white thinking does not work in describing him. He cannot be easily pigeonholed.

So, as Cardinal Ratzinger, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith he was the gatekeeper of doctrine. However, today he is the chief Pastoral leader of the church. This is a job that combines the mind of a master theologian with the heart of a caring and sensitive shepherd. He is the right man for the job.

I suspect I am not the only one who feels this way. What is the evidence? Week after week his Wednesday audiences and his Sunday Services audiences are double the size of the late Pope’s. I suspect that is because people are not just looking for charisma. They come to listen, they come to be taught and MY Pope does that. He is my teacher.

And now he is coming to America. It is difficult for me to even type that last sentence without smiling, actually, it is impossible.

Peace.