另外一篇 教宗访问的讨论 http://thepope.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/great-expectations/ What will the pope say? What will Pope Benedict XVI say during his visit to the United States? His overall message, he recently announced, will be “Christ Our Hope.” But that theological construct is an elastic theme that can encompass multiple messages. Will the pope stick to a simple proclamation of the Gospel? Or will he tackle the hot-button issues that have come to define the “culture wars,” like same-sex marriage, abortion or the Iraq war? Likewise, will he take aim at neuralgic issues in the church, like the sexual abuse crisis or religious fidelity among Catholic colleges? Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, said that his boss would almost certainly address the lasting effects of the sexual abuse crisis, when he addresses priests and members of religious order during the Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. (Which raises more questions: Will he lay the blame on gay priests, call for atonement from bishops, speak more broadly about reconciliation, or all three?) On the other hand, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States, noted puckishly: “There have been many failed prophets who have tried to anticipate what the pope will say here and there. I can tell you only what the pope will say, the pope himself knows, and nobody else.” Also, some sources have confided that the pope’s speeches for this trip are being written in Rome, in contrast to those used during the visits of John Paul, when American experts would send suggestions for his talks, and flag potential missteps in draft documents. So will the pope focus on the secular or the sacred? Most likely, both. While his address at The Catholic University of America will certainly speak about the proclamation of the Gospel, the assembled Catholic college presidents should expect at least a few mentions of their responsibility to be faithful to church teaching on issues like homosexuality and abortion. While crowds at Nationals Stadium and Yankee Stadium will hear about the love of God, they may also hear about the perils of American consumerism, not to mention “relativism,” something that then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger discussed on the eve of his election as pope. In any event, in the Catholic tradition, secular-sacred is a false dichotomy. The Gospel always has something to say about the secular world. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his listeners that the litmus test for entrance into heaven is not how often you pray, but how you treat the poor in this world. More recently, when Pope John Paul II came to Yankee Stadium in 1979, he used the Gospel story of a poor man and a rich man in heaven to remind Americans about their obligation to the poor. “You must never be content to leave just the crumbs of the feast. You must take of your substance, and not just of your abundance, in order to help them.” Sacred responsibilities are expressed in a secular world. Unfortunately, many Catholics may hear Benedict only on the hot-button topics. “Christ is risen!” is a bold proclamation, but in many corners it may not be especially newsworthy, and so therefore not worth reporting. The Vicar of Christ may speak at length on the invitation to hope, and spend a few seconds on same-sex marriage, but the latter will inevitably get more play. All the more reason to read the complete talks of Pope Benedict XVI, a teacher par excellence, rather than relying solely on soundbites and boiled-down commentary. And find out for yourself what he is saying. --

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