Benedict XVI on board with reporters; on his immediate right is Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State; to Bertone's right is Msgr. Gaenswein, the pope's secretary.
Yesterday we got the pope packed for his trip and ready to travel.
If you're reading this on Tuesday before 4:00 p.m., east coast time, the pope may be flying from Rome to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC. (There is no Vatican-owned plane on which the pope flies. For this journey he's traveling round trip on Alitalia. The plane on which the pope flies is temporarily dubbed Shepherd 1 in his honor.)
When Benedict steps off the plane he'll be greeted by representatives of the US Catholic hierarchy but in the welcoming party of cassocked clerics will also be the First Couple: George and Laura. They will all be lined up at the end of a red carpet and broad smiles will be the order of the day.
Much of the papal trip will consist of such tableaux in which real dignitaries play or, more accurately, pose themselves for various political, ecclesiastical and publicity purposes. Such posing is not an altogether bad thing and can even be a good thing, as when the mise en scene leads the players to believe in what they had only hoped to represent. If the actors here lose themselves to the play, it's possible that something unexpected and real might be encountered. This predictably happens when children, whose spontaneity so beautifully resists posing, are introduced to the situation. Sometimes the simple sincerity of even just one participant is enough to overwhelm the stylized stiffness of it all. Mother Teresa had this power, as did John Paul II.
I wonder what the president and his wife are thinking about as they prepare to meet and greet the pope at Andrews. The more important meeting, of course, will be the next morning when Benedict XVI goes a-calling at the White House. Close to 5,000 "neighbors" are expected to be gathered on the South Lawn for another tableau of good will and a glimpse of George and Laura's famous visitor.
Bush and Benedict will then retire to the Oval Office for a one-on-one. Imagine what turns their unscripted conversation might take... One might even pray over those possibilities...
I'll bet that part of the pope's schedule on Shepherd 1 is to pray for the people he's going to meet this week and to pray that the already-scripted messages are Spirit driven and that the unscripted conversations might be Spirit led.
And I believe the pope will be praying for the people of the United States as his plane soars high over the Atlantic.
Join me in praying for the one who prays for us...
-ConcordPastor
Thank you for posting your perspectives on the Pope's visit. I must admit to a feeling of disconnect to the hierarchy. (Although I do have a few candid pictures of John Paul II via Newsweek that I plan to frame) I must also admit that much of my information comes from the secular press which has a distinct slant. That being said your words give me new understanding and cause me to reflect and pray for the Pope. I happened to be looking for something to read yesterday and came upon the Pope's book, Jesus of Nazareth and so I started to read it. Thank you for opening my heart to learn more about and from the Holy Father.
ReplyDeleteHappy to report the Pope has landed safely on a beautiful spring day in MD. Let's hope all goes well forthe next 6 days.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your humorous and your earnest remarks as the Pope arrives here...I too struggle with heirarchy and often forget that they need our prayer as well...I am also grateful for the prompting
ReplyDeleteto be open to what is said...