Apr 14, 2008 10:57 pm US/Central
Chicagoans In Washington On Eve Of Pope's Visit
WASHINGTON (CBS) ―
When Pope Benedict XVI arrives Tuesday for his first visit to the U.S. as pontiff, nothing will be left to chance, and President and Mrs. Bush will greet him on the tarmac.
But Chicago's Francis Cardinal George will be spending a lot more time with him.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports there is a major Chicago connection to the Pope's visit, though perhaps not as emotional as John Paul II's ties to Chicago's Polish community.
In fact, the feeling in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the visit seems to be more one of respect for the office than affection for the man who Americans really don't know all that well.
The banners are in place, and the bunting is being unfurled. They're polishing the marble, and have already set up gilded papal chairs.
While Chicago is not on his itinerary, it will be well-represented during America's first, and perhaps only, chance to see Pope Benedict XVI up close and personal.
"I want you to know that, even if my itinerary is short, with just a few engagements, my heart is close to all of you," Pope Benedict said in a videotaped statement.
As president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Chicago's Francis Cardinal George will be Pope Benedict's official host in the States. He already knows him well.
Cardinal George
Cardinal George described him as "a very kind man, a very pastoral man, very thoughtful."
But he also understands that comparisons to the visits of Pope John Paul II, who was received here like a rock star, are inevitable.
"There was an exuberance about John Paul II even in his old age and weakness, but he fed off crowds and adulation and obviously deeply involved with young people," Cardinal George said. "I don't think this man expresses his feelings in the same way. It's there, but he's not an exuberant person."
Pope Benedict will celebrate his 81st birthday in the U.S. this week, also his third anniversary as Pope.
Some feel that this might be his only trip to the United States. A group of young people from St. Ignatius Parish on Chicago's North Side have some of the few tickets allotted to Chicago.
"It's one thing to see the Pope on TV; it's another to be around that atmosphere and be there with all those people and everything, just his presence there alone is like, wow," said St. Ignatius parishioner James Andrade.
It's no coincidence that many of the young people in this group are Hispanic, or that part of the Pope's pre-trip message was delivered in Spanish.
With Hispanics playing a larger and larger role in the Catholic Church here, some feel the Pope will add his voice to the raging debate over immigration.
"Someone who is recognized as a leader in the world will be able to bring the issue of immigration to the table and to a dialogue," said Chicago's Bishop Gustavo Garcia-Sierra.
Benedict will also meet with leaders of other religions this week.
One of Chicago's most respected Jewish leaders had another way of looking at the John Paul II comparison with Benedict.
"We had a love affair with John Paul II, but he's a unique individual," said Rabbi Ira Youdovin of the Chicago Board of Rabbis. "But let's take the Chicago analogy here. Cardinal Bernardin's relations with the local Jewish community were incredible, incredible unprecedented in history. And when Francis George came there was a bit of skepticism. Over the past 11 years, and it's almost 11 years to the day he came, these relationships have flourished."
It's too early to tell whether we'll see the same scenario with Pope Benedict, but we will learn a lot more about him.
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