This week (4/15-4/20) Pope Benedict XVI will make his first trip to the United States as Pope. He will visit Washington D.C. and New York. Tuesday, April 15 (Rome, Washington, D.C.) • Noon. (6 a.m. ET) Departure from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport for Washington. • 4 p.m. Arrival at Andrews Air Force Base. • 4:14 p.m. Transfer by car to the apostolic nunciature in Washington. [Back to top] Wednesday, April 16 (Washington, D.C.) • 10:10 a.m. Transfer by car to the White House. • 10:30 a.m. Welcoming ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. Speech by pope, followed by a courtesy visit with the president in the Oval Office. • Noon. Transfer by popemobile to the nunciature. • 1 p.m. Lunch with the U.S. cardinals, officers of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the papal entourage at the nunciature. • 4:45 p.m. Greeting representatives of Catholic charitable foundations at the nunciature. • 5 p.m. Transfer by car and then by popemobile to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. • 5:45 p.m. Celebration of vespers and meeting with the bishops of the United States in the basilica. Speech by pope. • 7:30 p.m. Transfer by car to the nunciature. [Back to top] Thursday, April 17 (Washington, D.C.) • 9 a.m. Transfer by car from the nunciature to Nationals Park. • 10 a.m. Mass in Nationals Park. Homily by pope. • 12:15 p.m. Transfer by car to the nunciature. • 4:40 p.m. Transfer by car to The Catholic University of America. • 5 p.m. Meeting with representatives of Catholic universities at The Catholic University of America. Speech by pope. • 6:15 p.m. Transfer by popemobile to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. • 6:30 p.m. Meeting with representatives of other religions in the rotunda of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. • 7:30 p.m. Transfer by car to the nunciature. [Back to top] Friday, April 18 (Washington, D.C., New York) • Morning Mass in private in the chapel of the nunciature. • 7:50 a.m. Farewell to those at the nunciature. • 8 a.m. Transfer by car to Andrews Air Force Base. • 8:45 a.m. Departure by air to New York. • 9:45 a.m. Arrival at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. • 10 a.m. Transfer by helicopter to Manhattan. • 10:30 a.m. Arrival at the Wall Street heliport and transfer by car to the United Nations headquarters. • 10:45 a.m. Visit to the United Nations. Speech by the pope to the U.N. General Assembly followed by greetings to the staff and personnel. • 1:45 p.m. Transfer by car to the residence of the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations. • 5:45 p.m. Transfer by car to St. Joseph's Church in New York. • 6 p.m. Ecumenical meeting in St. Joseph's Church. Speech by pope. • 7:15 p.m. Transfer by car to the permanent observer's residence. • 7:30 p.m. Dinner with the U.S. cardinals, the officers of the U.S. bishops' conference and members of the papal entourage. [Back to top] Saturday, April 19 (New York) • 8:45 a.m. Transfer by car to St. Patrick's Cathedral. • 9:15 a.m. Mass with priests, men and women religious in St. Patrick's Cathedral. Homily by pope. • 11:30 a.m. Transfer on foot to the residence of the archbishop of New York. • Noon. Lunch with Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York, the auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese and the papal entourage. • 1:15 p.m. Transfer by popemobile to the residence of the permanent observer. • 4 p.m. Transfer by car to St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers. • 4:30 p.m. Meeting with young people and with seminarians at St. Joseph Seminary. Speech by pope. • 6:30 p.m. Transfer by car to the permanent observer's residence. [Back to top] Sunday, April 20 (New York, Rome) • 9:10 a.m. Transfer by car to Ground Zero. • 9:30 a.m. Visit to Ground Zero. Prayer by pope. • 10 a.m. Transfer by car to the permanent observer's residence. • 1:50 p.m. Transfer by car to Yankee Stadium. • 2:30 p.m. Mass in Yankee Stadium. Homily by pope. • 4:45 p.m. Transfer by car to the permanent observer's residence. • 7 p.m. Transfer by car to the Wall Street heliport. • 7:20 p.m. Arrival at the Wall Street heliport. • 7:30 p.m. Transfer by helicopter to John F. Kennedy International Airport. • 8 p.m. Arrival at airport for farewell ceremony. Speech by pope. • 8:30 p.m. Departure for Rome. [Back to top] Monday, April 21 (Rome) •10:45 a.m. (4:45 a.m. ET) Arrival at Rome's Ciampino airport.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Apr 14 2008, 11:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Real, are you going to try to go see him?</div> I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the mass at Nationals Stadium. It was a lottery system and I was one of 250 to get tickets from the campus out of about 1200, which is weird since I never won a thing in my life. I'm also going to be on the Basillica mall (big patch of green space in between the Basillica and buldings on campus, and on the Law School's mall when the Pope comes on the 16th and the 17th. They've spent about 800k on the Pope's visit. If you happen to be Catholic, and you've never visited the Basillica of the Immaculate Conception, I highly recommend visiting someday. It's enormous, and beautiful. The media frenzy is crazy down here. While walking to class I saw CBS News trucks, Fox News trucks, and NBC trucks. I could've sworn I saw Brian Williams (former CUA student) down here but I coudn't tell. It's only going to get more and more hectic. In regards to the Pope's visit, he may not be the "rock star" that John Paul II was, but he's still well liked by a majority of Catholics. His message will generally be geared towards a renewal of faith within the Catholic church, which will be personified in his adress to the Bishops. He also won't be shy to tackle the hard issues that face the church, namely abortion rights, gay rights, and stem-cell research. New polling data shows that the majority of Catholics in America believe all three should be allowed in America. This is not to say that he will be negative, but as pontiff he needs to adress these issues. The whole premise however is a renewal of hope within the Church. Security is a huge issue in D.C. and New York. Roads are going to be closed, mass transit will be packed and thousands of people will be in the streets. In New York, I heard on TV that he will walk down the ramp of Ground Zero alone, which will be something to see considering the risks involved (just the other day a nutjob tried to lunge at the Pope while he was traveling). Also, President Bush will personally go out to Andrews Air Force Base and greet the Pope. He never does that with world leaders. Overall, it's an exciting week for everyone here, and Catholics across the country. Attorney General Edwin Meese is coming here tonight to give a speech as well, and might say some things about the Judiciary and moral issues in America. So I'm definetly excited.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticKing @ Apr 14 2008, 01:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I wish he would come to Boston, then I'd take the time to go visit him. </div> That really is a source of disappointment I'm sure among people from Boston. I'm sure the fact Boston was the center of the Priest-abuse scandal is part of it. Another part is the Pope's time is limited, and he's here in U.S. not only to greet Catholics in America, but also to meet with world leaders (President Bush, UN).
Here's some pictures of what my friend took during the preparations for the visit. [attachment=84ope1.jpg] [attachment=85ope2.jpg] [attachment=86ope3.jpg] [attachment=87ope4.jpg] [attachment=88ope5.jpg] [attachment=89ope6.jpg] [attachment=90ope7.jpg] [attachment=91ope8.jpg] This afternoon he comes to the Basillica (big large church in the last picture) for an adress to U.S. Bishops.
Did you catch what the Pope's take on current events? "Pope worries that big powers control decision-making" <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>NEW YORK - Pope Benedict XVI warned diplomats at the United Nations on Friday that international cooperation needed to solve urgent problems is "in crisis" because decisions rest in the hands of a few powerful nations.</div> He would know what its like to be one man setting the agenda for millions of people worldwide. Rape and AIDS are also world-wide crisis that are destroying the lives of so many on a daily basis. Perhaps he will take some of his own advice when leaders of other religious sects (including other Christians) explain why we have a need for condoms and emergency Plan B contraception. I just cannot stand it when religious zealots attempt to get involved in world politics. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080418/ap_on_re_us/pope_un
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Return of the Raider @ Apr 18 2008, 04:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Did you catch what the Pope's take on current events? "Pope worries that big powers control decision-making" <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>NEW YORK - Pope Benedict XVI warned diplomats at the United Nations on Friday that international cooperation needed to solve urgent problems is "in crisis" because decisions rest in the hands of a few powerful nations.</div> He would know what its like to be one man setting the agenda for millions of people worldwide. Rape and AIDS are also world-wide crisis that are destroying the lives of so many on a daily basis. Perhaps he will take some of his own advice when leaders of other religious sects (including other Christians) explain why we have a need for condoms and emergency Plan B contraception. I just cannot stand it when religious zealots attempt to get involved in world politics. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080418/ap_on_re_us/pope_un </div> There's no way that, even if he wanted to, which he never will, he could advocate the use of condoms and Plan B contraception, because in Catholic teaching sexual intercourse is for pro-creation only and those things are considered things that block life. The Pope is not setting the agenda for the world. He's only sharing the concerns of the Catholic church to the world. He's not going to stray from the teachings of the church to do so. His speech yesterday at Catholic University regarding academic freedom is an example of that.
I went to the mass at Nationals Park in Washington yesterday. Obviously it's not something one can put into words. It was like a rock concert. When the Archbishop of Washington came up to speak about the pope, he couldn't say one good thing about him without hearing the roar of the crowd or some type of chant for the Pope. The Pope just smiled, waved back, and took it all in. His message in Washington was in a large part geared towards the sex-abuse scandal. He spoke about it in his mass at Nationals Park (the crowd was dead silent for that one), and he did something that nobody expected him to do... <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>WASHINGTON — For 25 remarkable minutes, the shepherd of the world's 1 billion Catholics met with a handful of victims in the worst scandal to ever tarnish the U.S. church. One man, abused as an altar boy, said he placed his hand over Pope Benedict XVI's heart as he pleaded with him to fix the problem of sexual abuse of minors. The pontiff apologized to his guests for not being perfectly fluent in English, and "for everything," according to another victim. Plans for the secret meeting were kept quiet. But two Boston-area victims of abuse shared details of the meeting in interviews late Thursday with The Associated Press. Though Benedict had been expected to address clergy sexual abuse in his visit to the U.S., the volume and frankness of his remarks over the first half of his six-day pilgrimage have been startling.</div> Link Obviously he's not afraid to tackle the issue, and I think critics that said he was or wasn't satisfied with his results are going to retract themselves for a while. Five years ago Pope John Paul II would not do this, or neither would have Pope Benedict, but I suppose he felt now was the time.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Real @ Apr 18 2008, 05:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>There's no way that, even if he wanted to, which he never will, he could advocate the use of condoms and Plan B contraception, because in Catholic teaching sexual intercourse is for pro-creation only and those things are considered things that block life. The Pope is not setting the agenda for the world. He's only sharing the concerns of the Catholic church to the world. He's not going to stray from the teachings of the church to do so. His speech yesterday at Catholic University regarding academic freedom is an example of that.</div> Having a real hard time believing that he is not attempting to set an agenda for the world when the Catholic Church is, in fact, a world wide institution. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Pope: Catholics Shouldn’t Dispense Emergency Contraception Catholic pharmacists should not dispense the emergency contraception known as Plan B, Pope Benedict said. He was speaking at the Vatican to an international conference of Catholic pharmacists, but his words will add to the debate in this country over whether pharmacists may refuse on moral grounds to dispense the drug.</div> Catholics should not be pharmacists, that I agree with. Leave science to the rational.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Better to marry than to burn writes Paul. Married men and women should freely enjoy intimacy free from irresponsibly overpopulating the world, risking the health of women making them incubators or frustrating males. Absolutely ludicrous as is celibacy as a necessary burden/requirement for priesthood. THe apostles were married, had children. The POPE is so out of touch. A shame USA Catholics have to put up with his misogynistic views. Let’s see.. say my teenage daughter was brutally raped, perpetrator never caught. Of course one takes PLAN B. If the sperm does fertilize the egg do you think any rational individual would want their daughter’s rapist’s child to be born? I would not even let the fertilized egg implant in the uterus and become an embryo at 8 weeks. Let’s get the science right at least. Let the POPE explain to God and Jesus Christ why they are hypocrites inflicting pain and guilt with their religiosity from divorce to carrying a rapist’s child to term.Pathetic All you need is Romans 10:9. Peace.</div>
I realize that these contraceptive methods are against Catholic teachings, but I just wish the Church would show more of an awareness of the reality of the situation. The fact of the matter is, that people are taking the worst of both sides: engaging in recreational sex and then not protecting themselves. And the Church's approach of spending so much time on speaking out against contraceptives/protection seems a bit short-sighted, in my opinion. In a religious sense, these people are already sinning by engaging in the act of recreational sex. The focus should be on stopping that. Concentrating so much on the end result isn't redeeming/saving Catholics, its only jeapordizing the health of "sinners" or non-Catholics.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chutney @ Apr 18 2008, 06:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I realize that these contraceptive methods are against Catholic teachings, but I just wish the Church would show more of an awareness of the reality of the situation. The fact of the matter is, that people are taking the worst of both sides: engaging in recreational sex and then not protecting themselves. And the Church's approach of spending so much time on speaking out against contraceptives/protection seems a bit short-sighted, in my opinion. In a religious sense, these people are already sinning by engaging in the act of recreational sex. The focus should be on stopping that. Concentrating so much on the end result isn't redeeming/saving Catholics, its only jeapordizing the health of "sinners" or non-Catholics.</div> I know entire families of Catholics. Maybe 1/10 of them actually believe in abstenance. In *the real world*, people have sex whether they are married or not, and will do so because it makes both people enjoy it. I have a better idea. Lets remove the power of the Vatican completely and allow the people to decide what's best for them. Let's take the Ivory Tower completely out of the equation and allow the people who pay the Pope's salary to decide what is best for their lives. You don't vote in the Pope, that decision is made by a "few individuals". Is it any wonder that the Catholic Church has been splintered into so many different sects and permutations?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Return of the Raider @ Apr 18 2008, 06:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Real @ Apr 18 2008, 05:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>There's no way that, even if he wanted to, which he never will, he could advocate the use of condoms and Plan B contraception, because in Catholic teaching sexual intercourse is for pro-creation only and those things are considered things that block life. The Pope is not setting the agenda for the world. He's only sharing the concerns of the Catholic church to the world. He's not going to stray from the teachings of the church to do so. His speech yesterday at Catholic University regarding academic freedom is an example of that.</div> Having a real hard time believing that he is not attempting to set an agenda for the world when the Catholic Church is, in fact, a world wide institution. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Pope: Catholics Shouldn’t Dispense Emergency Contraception Catholic pharmacists should not dispense the emergency contraception known as Plan B, Pope Benedict said. He was speaking at the Vatican to an international conference of Catholic pharmacists, but his words will add to the debate in this country over whether pharmacists may refuse on moral grounds to dispense the drug.</div> Catholics should not be pharmacists, that I agree with. Leave science to the rational. </div> 1. Pope isn't setting the agenda for the world, he's setting the agenda for members of the Catholic church, which he is supposed to do. 2. That second comment makes absolutely no sense. So, since Catholics aren't rational, they shouldn't become pharmacists?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Return of the Raider @ Apr 18 2008, 08:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chutney @ Apr 18 2008, 06:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I realize that these contraceptive methods are against Catholic teachings, but I just wish the Church would show more of an awareness of the reality of the situation. The fact of the matter is, that people are taking the worst of both sides: engaging in recreational sex and then not protecting themselves. And the Church's approach of spending so much time on speaking out against contraceptives/protection seems a bit short-sighted, in my opinion. In a religious sense, these people are already sinning by engaging in the act of recreational sex. The focus should be on stopping that. Concentrating so much on the end result isn't redeeming/saving Catholics, its only jeapordizing the health of "sinners" or non-Catholics.</div> I know entire families of Catholics. Maybe 1/10 of them actually believe in abstenance. In *the real world*, people have sex whether they are married or not, and will do so because it makes both people enjoy it. I have a better idea. Lets remove the power of the Vatican completely and allow the people to decide what's best for them. Let's take the Ivory Tower completely out of the equation and allow the people who pay the Pope's salary to decide what is best for their lives. You don't vote in the Pope, that decision is made by a "few individuals". Is it any wonder that the Catholic Church has been splintered into so many different sects and permutations? </div> It's pretty clear through this statement and others before, that you haven't read the Catholic teachings on this, or you don't understand them. Otherwise you wouldn't be criticizing a religious leader for telling people of the religion what the church says about these subjects.
