Text of pope at farewell ceremony

Here is the text as released by the Vatican of Pope Benedict’s address during the departure ceremony tonight at John F. Kennedy International Airport:
Mr. Vice-President,
Distinguished Civil Authorities,
My Brother Bishops,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The time has come for me to bid farewell to your country. These days that I have spent in the United States have been [...]

The sounds of ground zero

Ground zero was a quiet place this morning when Pope Benedict XVI stopped to pray. It was Sunday in lower Manhattan, the construction machinery stood immobile and the fog seemed to wrap the city in an eerie silence.
At the entrance we passed men in kilts, members of the Port Authority Police Pipes and Drums Band; they lost [...]

Stadium Mass comparisons

George Weigel, whose syndicated column appears in many Catholic newspapers, had an essay April 8 in The Sun in Baltimore in which he opined how new Nationals Park in Washington “is simply not in the same league — either figuratively or literally” with Oriole Park at Camden Yards in his native Baltimore.
“One you’re inside, the [...]

Three thirty-five in the morning

What a difference a day makes, especially when they both start at the same time. For the sake of comparison let’s lookat the morning of Thursday, April 17, the date of Pope Benedict’s Mass at Nationals Park in Washington, and the morning of Sunday, April 20, a papal Mass-less day in the nation’s capital. Both [...]

An empty seat now, a fuller pew later

After the entrance procession at St. Gabriel Church in Washington today, Father Tom Gude, the pastor and celebrant, noted that he had stayed at the rectory rather than go to the April 17 papal Mass. “It’s just as well,” he said. “About 10 minutes after the Mass started, I got a phone call at the [...]

Text of pope at Yankee Stadium

Here is the text as released by the Vatican of Pope Benedict’s homily during Mass at Yankee Stadium this afternoon:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In the Gospel we have just heard, Jesus tells his Apostles to put their faith in him, for he is “the way, and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). Christ [...]

Logistical nightmares in New York City

On Friday, I waited nearly five hours to hear the pope speak at the United Nations. On Saturday, I waited six hours for a press bus – which I wouldn’t have minded so much, except I never got where I was going.
Maybe it’s the traffic, or maybe it’s the scale and density of the city, [...]

Text of pope at ground zero

Here is the text as released by the Vatican of Pope Benedict’s prayer at ground zero this morning: 
O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.
We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all [...]

Keystone cops and men in black

Movement of the press corps from the media center at the Sheraton Hotel on 7th Avenue at 53rd Street has been a mind-boggling exercise in the art of well-supervised hurry-up-and-wait. Few would quibble with the need for security with the pope in town. Many would be impressed with the NYPD escort given to each group of [...]