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Your hopes for the Pope’s visit?
By Sister Julie | April 20, 2008
Now we get into the hopes people have regarding The Pope’s Visit. These responses come from my survey on The Pope’s visit (See all results posted thus far at “The Pope’s Visit Survey“.
In the survey, I asked the following:
How do you hope the Pope’s visit will affect the Catholic and/or US community?
Here are the results. Many responses hit on these significant themes: unity, hope, reconciliation and healing, encouragement, connection to the American context, justice and care for God’s creation, renewal, and faithfulness.
The results are unedited and in no particular order. Anything you’d like to add in response to this survey question?
- revive faith and belief/acceptance of ALL doctrine.
- I hope his love for God and people remind us of what is important in life. I also hope people see the profound simplicity of this man (he did not attend the State dinner at the White House, he was so joyful at seeing people in Washington.) He exudes kindness and compassion, and I think he is a wonderful example.
- It’s already made my coworkers ask about my faith and the Catholic church. Discussion.
- more unity and enthusiasm
- I think it will be needed attention to those who have been abused. It will inspire some to convert. It encourage those who identify, but may not embrace the religion completely.
- He really has very little effect on the US community or the ordinary catholic.
- I would hope that the unfairly blown-out-of-proportion, media-manufactured ’sex scandal’ would be set aside finally; and that the Papal visit could unify American Catholics into a force for true social justice, one which loudly and publicly disclaims the scornful and shameful acts of nominally-Christian hyper-conservative extremists such as Fred Phelps, and seeks to bring the love, respect, and tolerance that Catholicism stands for back into the forefront of our faith’s public image.
- I wish he’d give the bishops a back bone to take a stand on politicians who receive communion but vote for abortions
- To give inspiration and hope in faith to an increasingly secular society.
- I hope that his visit continues to open the renewed spiritual awareness/revitalization that is happening in the US.
- I think that Trad’s will be happy.
- bring about a revival of faith
- I hoped that he would meet with victims of pedophile priests as they have been trying to meet with him for years. I would hope that he follows his words of being ashamed by actions - actually seeing that abusers are kicked out of the priesthood. On another note, I would hope that his message of peace would get through to Pres. Bush so that this war can finally end.
- Catholic Identity
- More unity.
- hope he can help the churchs image after the child abuse scandals
- Greater unity of spirit.
- I hope it will encourage American Catholics to a greater dedication to their faith and that it will help foster more vocations.
- I don’t think it will. I think it is too little too late. The church appears to have shut herself off from the people.
- I hope that Catholics will become very spirited and active in this world!
- Both. The Catholic Church is in need of healing, and Benedict may be the instrument. The US community needs the moral compass and integrity the Pope is.
- I would like to hear him speak to the public about how important it is that we do not lose our faith, especially in these times.
- I don’t think it will have any affect
- I would like to see a return to high liturgical practice (not the saying in Latin, but the reverence of high church for Eucharist and the traditional practice of liturgy. I would like to see Bishops brought to task for breaking cannon law in their practice of the liturgy.
- I’m hoping it’ll draw together the polarization we’ve had since 2000.
- Hope, healing and belief for the US Catholic Church
- Renewal and reconciliation.
- Unify!
- I hope we as the Catholic community will form a more personal connection with him.
- Healing. Inspire non-practicing Catholics to return to the faith and non-Catholics to see the richness of the Catholic faith.
- I hope the by his visit, he will be a sign of witness to the American Catholic community of Christ’s love and unity.
- I hope the Pope will be open enough to actually listen to the views of American Catholics, instead of ignoring them or trying to shut them down, but I have no great expectations.
- It would be nice to have him put the Church’s teachings in context for Americans.
- Strengthen and encourage Catholic community, esp. in the matter of vocations; help turn the mind of the country at large from conservatism towards morality, from moral relativism towards justice.
- For once the US Church will get to show its beautiful face during the coverage of the Papal liturgies instead of the media’s focus on the negative. And the Pope’s address to the UN will show how the Church can and does call all of us to peace and global responsibility. We are relevant in modern society!
- Healing
- I hope that it shows Catholics and non-Catholics that the Pope hears, listens and understands the US citizens’ anger, distrust, fear and hope ( a genuine hope on the part of believers of all faiths and at a minimum even a cynical hope from all others).
- Give us a greater sense of hope in efforts to be creation-centered and sensitive to ecological issues of Mother Earth.
- If he could teach us to look to the poor & vulnerable in our society…
- That Catholics here will be on fire for God and correct our sinful ways and be true to the gospel
- My hope is that it will renew the American Church, awake many of us from our apathy towards faith, renew in us an obedience to orthodox Church teaching, and I hope it will affect the entire American community in our recognition of human rights and the unreasonableness of war.
- I hope the visit will have everyone, and the Church, examine the many “big world” moral issues of the day (war, starvation, poverty)and be candid about the differences in thought and action on those issues between the US government, the Church, and the world’s peoples.
- Excite people about the possibility for imporvement. Truth is universal - discouraging people from discovering/learning/interpreting scripture is a fear mechanism - Truth should never have to operate in fear.
- I would hope for his visit to help reunite the community and remind the leaders of the true/real reason for the being of the Catholic church.
- I hope that Americans will be open to his message of love and hope and respect. I hope his visit will have a positive and maybe healing effect on people who have been wounded by the recent scandals or any kind of feelings of non-acceptance.
- Honestly, I really loved JPII & am still partial to him, but I guess I hope Benedict just gives the US Church some love & listening. There is enough moralizing out of Rome - just visit us as a “papa”. Oh & I hope he gives Bush an earful about the war!
- Bring the Church closer together.
- I hope that people are able to hear his strong positions on the need for peace in Iraq, the need to alleviate global poverty, the need for humanitarian solutions to the US immigration challenge, and the need to protect Earth from environmental destruction. Unfortunately, the only position that is ever picked up on in the media is the anti-abortion one.
- Hopefully cause the Catholic church in America to get its act together. We’re a lazy bunch.
- Renew a sense of hope for the institution and quicken a sense of spirituality among the faithful and a stimulate wonder within the non-faithful.
Topics: catholic life |
April 20th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
These comments are really interesting. I would definitely disagree with the commenter who said the sex scandal was media generated. I think the reason people are so upset isn’t just because of the horror of child abuse (though that’s bad enough), but because the Church hasn’t taken enough responsibility for it. I think victims have every right to be angry and the right to express it in the media.
And “accept all doctrine”? Is that even possible?
On a side note, I found it hysterical that when the Pope took communion during mass today at Yankee stadium, he totally chewed on the Eucharist. Having the mic up close you could hear the crunching sound!
April 20th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
I was worried when he was elected, but the more I’ve heard about his visit here–from people who were there–the more I think that the Holy Spirit got it right.
April 21st, 2008 at 4:54 pm
One of the hopes I had for the Pope’s visit was that he would address the sexual abuse crisis, apologize for it, and make plans to ensure, as much as possible, it would not happen again. I have not viewed all of his events nor read all the commentaries. But it does appear that the Pope’s related talk and actions while in the US have started the ball rolling for healing and reconciliation within the American Church. I’m glad. As such, the Church in the US will grow stronger. I was also pleased to see that noone refused communion to Nancy Pelosi or Rudy Guiliani at the Mass in DC. I am against abortion as much as most Catholics (I’m pro-life - I’m an adherent of the “seamless garment” type.), but I don’t feel the Eucharist should be used as a political tool. And it seems the Pope is not the “rottweiler” we expected him to be on this issue. I have to say, B16 does appear to be a genuinely humble and gentle man.
As I expected, there was no real talk about the status of women in the Church or female ordination. That’s too bad. His views on these topics are problematic for me. When push comes to shove, however, Ratzinger is still a lot better than I thought he would be. I like his focus on the problem with increasing secularization in the world and his realistic approach to fundamental Islam.
dee