Bush Welcomes Pope to White House "Dressed in his traditional white cassock and skullcap, the pontiff delivered a message celebrating the greatness of American democracy, as well as the nation’s embrace of religion. His speech was laden with references to American history, including the struggle against slavery, the civil rights movement and George Washington. 'I come as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel and one with great respect for this vast pluralistic society,' the pontiff said, adding, 'Democracy can only flourish, as your founding fathers realized, when political leaders and those whom they represent are guided by truth.'”
NY Times
"The head of the CDF has to draw lines, level punishments and basically talk tough, a role that Ratzinger seemed to relish, but one that won him epithets like God's Rottweiller and the old standby, the Panzerkardinal. But now that Cardinal Ratzinger is Pope Benedict, he knows better than anyone that he is also the chief pastor of the church. There can be no 'Panzerpope.' His job is to be the good cop, a symbol of unity who tries to encourage people to live their faith more deeply. As he told a dinner companion about his new role: 'It was easy to know the doctrine. It’s much harder to help a billion people live it.'"
I do not mean to sound uncharitable, but this was truly a worthless article if was meant, as writer Gibson said, to provide “keys” to understanding Benedict! Benedict doesn’t know much about America or American Catholicism? Benedict has to be different “now that he is pope?” Benedict is a “conservative?” Not to put to fine a point on it, everything in this article was embarrassingly wrongheaded. You have to wonder if Gibson has ever read anything the Pope has written, or if he has, if he understood it. And anyone who has seen videos of him as Bishop in Germany knows that he long, long ago knew how to be a pastor, even how to work a crowd!
By taylor AT 04.23.08 09:13PM
I do not mean to sound uncharitable, but this was truly a worthless article if was meant, as writer Gibson said, to provide “keys” to understanding Benedict! Benedict doesn’t know much about America or American Catholicism? Benedict has to be different “now that he is pope?” Benedict is a “conservative?” Not to put to fine a point on it, everything in this article was embarrassingly wrongheaded. You have to wonder if Gibson has ever read anything the Pope has written, or if he has, if he understood it. And anyone who has seen videos of him as Bishop in Germany knows that he long, long ago knew how to be a pastor, even how to work a crowd!