Is he headed our way?

According to an article posted in the Papa Ratzinger Forum (scroll down)...yes!

Possibly for 2007:

He will be in Brazil 2-3 days, after which he will head north to Caracas. Why Venezuela? Because, beyond its geopolitical importance, it is the nation that is carrying out political leadership activity aimed at all of Latin America; because the Church, which has a watchful attitude, if not open opposition, towards President Hugo Chavez, is in need of support in that country (it was not by chance that Benedict XVI made the Archbishop of Caracas a cardinal, to give him power and prestige with respect to the government); and because from Veneuela, the Pope wishes to address himself to all of Central America and Cuba.

From Caracas, Benedict will travel to Mexico City and the Sanctuary of Guadalupe, very famous and much visited (millions of pilgrims every year), the place where the native Juan Diego had a vision of the Virgin, whose image was imprinted on his cloak, according to tradition – the first image of a native Indian Madonna. It simply is not conceivable that a Pope whould travel across the Atlantic – for perhaps the only time in this case – and not visit Mexico, semper fidelis (always faithful), a nation which lives with an intense popular devotion as well as an equally strong secularism. The tensions between Church and state are permanent.

On his first trip there in 1979, John Paul II could have been arrested for wearing a cassock in public, something that was prohibited by law.

Finally, the last stop - New York, with two very important moments. He will address the United Nations General Assembly, where Paul VI in 1965 and John Paul II in 1995 both delivered historic speeches. Above all, however, he will be there to pray at Ground Zero, for the victims of terrorism.

This is a mission that his predecessor had wanted to do in July 2002 on his way to World Youth Day in Toronto. But two things decided against it: The first was the Pope’s health which had already started to decline.

But the bigger reason was the political climate. It was the peak of polemics over the “clash of civilizations.” A few months earlier, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Pope’s Secretary of State, had said: “They cannot ask us to place ourselves behind cannons,” and the image of the Pope praying at the still-smoldering ruins of the Twin Towers would have immediately become the icon of an anti-Taliban crusade.

Now it is different. The context in which Benedict XVI will find himself will be very different: “Freedom Tower”, a crystal needle that will project a ray of light heavenwards, will be under construction, along with its surrounding urban amenities, its gardens, the memorial pools containing the names of all the dead, and other buildings in the complex. The Pope’s presence will be a gesture of remembrance and homage to the victims of the attack, but also a sign of hope for the future. From New York, the Pope will return to Rome.

Comments

[Will Barrett]

Hasn't there also been a suggestion that he might come for the rededication/reopening of the Old Cathedral/Basilica in Baltimore?

[Maureen]

You know, I might actually make the trip to go see him. I loved Pope JPII, but I didn't feel drawn to him, per se.

I just can't get over how much our little pope speaks to me. And I don't think I can blame it all on our kinship of Bavarian blood and raccoon eyes. :)

But I wish he were coming someplace nearer, like Cincinnati. We could even feed him stuff he'd like. :)

[LadyHatton]

Don't bet on gardens, memorials, pools, or the tower of light being ready by next July. The entire memorial projected is mired in a morass of special interests and interagency fighting. Phooey.
Still, I would cross the harbor to see the Pope pray at Ground Zero. I do hope he comes.

[Rivendell]

Boy, wouldn't that be something! I live nearby; it would be incredible if the Pope visited New York. I'd be able to go see him and be back home the same night without having to purchase a plane ticket. Traffic and mass transit would be hellish, but I'd go through it for a chance to see him in my own backyard. I hope it's not just a rumor.

[Christopher Fotos]

“They cannot ask us to place ourselves behind cannons”

I understand the sentiment....But things sure have changed since Lepanto.

[Beth V.]

Perhaps there will be a new Vatican SecState by next year whose thinking on affairs global will be more in line with BXVI.

[D. Scott Miller]

Amy- your time frame might be slightly off. You suggested possibly April, 2007. The article, however, reads. . .

"The take-off point for the project, which is expected to take final shape this summer, is Benedict’s promise to open, in May 2007, the fifth General Conference of Latin American and Caribbean bishops in the Marian sanctuary of Aparecida, Brazil"

Will- A considerable amount of the suggestion that a papal tour will include Baltimore has come from Cardinal Keeler himself.

[Kathleen]

Wow!

I could be right there too due to friends who have offices surrounding ground zero.

He could do the Church a lot of good by meeting with victims of the sexual abuse crisis also. He can't meet with them all but a gesture in this regard would do the Church in the US a world of good.

Does anyone know if the crosses at ground zero still stand?

BXVI praying there would be a picture that would move mountains also.

[trespinos]

Aparecida, Caracas, Guadalupe, New York City. A John Paul II in the pink of health might blanch at that itinerary. I fear it would be far too much for Benedict. Here's hoping it's cut in half, at least, even if the US segment has to be delayed.

[dymphna]

“They cannot ask us to place ourselves behind cannons”

I wish somebody would tell the Cardinal that it's better to be behind the cannons than in front of them. Living in Rome he should know that. As for this schedule I wouldn't count on it. This seems too much for a man of the pope's age to handle.

[inhocsig]

So I guess this means Cardinal Sordano didn't enjoy Gregory Peck's performance in "The Keys of the Kingdom."

[Janice]

I wonder about that comment on an "anti-Taliban crusade." What would have been wrong with John Paul offering a prayer at the World Trade center site? It was a site of mass death at the hands of terrorists. I think John Paul was more afraid of upsetting his outreach to Muslims (i.e., his kissing of the Koran, visiting a synagogue in Damascus, etc.) than he was concerned to honor the dead. Thank God for Benedict's more realistic assessment of Islam.