PPOOPPEE BBEENNEEDDIICCTT XXVVII AANNDD TTHHEE UUNNIITTEEDD SSTTAATTEESS

WWhhyy iiss hhee ccoommiinngg ttoo tthhee UUnniitteedd SSttaatteess??Pope Benedict is coming to the United States April 15-20, 2008, to addressthe United Nations as well as to commemorate the 200th anniversary of theelevation of the diocese of Baltimore from diocese to archdiocese and thecreation of the dioceses of New York, Boston, Bardstown, and Philadelphia.

WWhhaatt ssiitteess wwiillll hhee vviissiitt wwhhiillee hhee iiss iinn tthhee UU..SS..??The Holy Father is expected to visit the White House (John Paul II was the only other popeto visit the White House), the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception,Nationals Ballpark in Washington, The Catholic University of America, the United Nations,St. Joseph’s Church in Manhattan, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers,Ground Zero in Manhattan, and Yankee Stadium.

WWhhyy ddiidd hhee cchhoooossee ttoo vviissiitt NNeeww YYoorrkk aanndd WWaasshhiinnggttoonn,, DD..CC..??The pope focused his itinerary on those two cities because of the presence of the UnitedNations in New York and the fact that Washington, D.C., is the nation’s capital.

WWhhaatt iiss hhee eexxppeecctteedd ttoo ssaayy ttoo tthhee UUnniitteedd NNaattiioonnss??The pope probably will focus on several key themes in his U.N. address. First, he will confirm the irreplaceable role of the United Nations. He will likely note also the need forsecurity and stability, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, and respect for the greatnessand dignity of the human person. Likewise, the pontiff will no doubt also use his speech toadvance his teaching on hope.

FAQ: POPE

BENEDICT XVIPOPE

BENEDICT XVI

WWhhaatt eellssee wwiillll hhee ttaallkk aabboouutt wwhhiillee iinn tthhee UUnniitteedd SSttaatteess??One goal of his visit will be to invite fallen-away Catholics back to the Church. In addition,on April 17, he will address the importance of Catholic education during a gathering withthe heads of the more than 200 Catholic colleges and universities on the campus of TheCatholic University of America. That same evening, he will discuss interreligious dialoguewith representatives of the nation’s Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindi, Jews, and other religions at a prayer service to be held in the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, nearCatholic University.

WWiillll hhee mmeeeett wwiitthh PPrreessiiddeenntt BBuusshh?? Yes. The pontiff is expected to be greeted by President Bush and Mrs. Bush upon his arrival atAndrews Air Force Base on April 16, the pope’s 81st birthday. Later that morning, he will meetthem again on the South Lawn of the White House, followed by a private meeting. This willbe their second meeting. President Bush visited the Vatican in June 2007.

WWhhoo wwiillll aaccccoommppaannyy hhiimm oonn tthhiiss ttrriipp??The pope will be accompanied by members of his personal staff. He will also be joined bythe Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and other high-ranking Vatican officials. He will be met at the airport by his personal representative to the United States, theapostolic nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi.

AAssiiddee ffrroomm hhiiss uuppccoommiinngg ttrriipp ttoo tthhee UUnniitteedd SSttaatteess,,wwhhaatt ootthheerr ccoouunnttrriieess hhaass PPooppee BBeenneeddiicctt vviissiitteedd??The pope has made seven trips outside Italy since his election:

• 2005: Cologne, Germany (World Youth Day), August 18-21.• 2006: Poland, May 25-28; Valencia, Spain, July 8-9; Munich, Germany, September 9-14;

Turkey, November 28-December 1.• 2007: Brazil, May 9-14; Austria, September 7-9.

HHooww mmaannyy CCaatthhoolliiccss aarree iinn tthhee UUnniitteedd SSttaatteess??There are approximately 67.5 million Catholics in the United States, comprising 23% of thetotal U.S. population.

HHooww ddoo II ccoonnttaacctt oorr wwrriittee tthhee ppooppee??His Holiness Pope Benedict XVIVatican City State, 00120Italy

The papal e-mail address is benedictxvi@vatican.va.

WWHHOO IISS BBEENNEEDDIICCTT XXVVII??Pope Benedict XVI is the leader of the Catholic Church, which has more than 1.2 billionmembers around the world. He is the 265th pope and the 54th non-Italian pope. The oldestpope in three centuries, he was 78 years old when elected.

WWhheenn wwaass hhee eelleecctteedd??Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger succeeded Pope John Paul II on April 19, 2005.

WWhhoo cchhoossee hhiimm??Cardinals have elected the pope since 1059. According to rules dating back to 1274, during apapal election, the cardinals are locked into the Sistine Chapel and can have no contact withthe outside world until the voting is complete. The exact vote counts are secret, the ballotsare burned, and the cardinals are forbidden to reveal the vote results. Pope Benedict waselected by 115 members of the Sacred College of Cardinals from all over the world who wereunder the age of 80. The cardinals began voting on April 18, 2005. Cardinal Ratzinger waselected the next afternoon, after four ballots.

WWhhyy ddiidd hhee ttaakkee tthhee nnaammee BBeenneeddiicctt??Cardinal Ratzinger took the name Benedict in honor of Pope Benedict XV, an advocate ofpeace during World War I, and St. Benedict of Nursia, who helped to resurrect civilization inEurope after the collapse of the Roman Empire.

WWhhaatt iiss tthhee ppooppee’’ss jjoobb??Many people misunderstand the responsibilities of a pope, thinking that he is a figure whounilaterally dictates what Catholics must do and believe. This is not so. The Catholic Faith isa gift from Christ through the Apostles. The pope functions as the head of the bishops, towork in unity with them to teach, lead, and sanctify — to safeguard what has been handeddown, not invent new ideas.

The Lord made St. Peter the visible foundation of his Church. He entrusted the keysof the Church to him. The bishop of the Church of Rome, successor to St. Peter, is“head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and Pastor of the universal Churchon earth” (CIC, can. 331). — From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #936.

WWhhaatt iiss hhiiss bbaacckkggrroouunndd??Joseph Alois Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927, in the little Bavarian village of Marktl amInn. He was ordained a Catholic priest on June 29, 1951, and went on to earn a doctorate intheology from the University of Munich in 1953. He became a professor of theology in 1959at the University of Bonn, and was soon one of the most well-known theologians inGermany. From 1962 to 1965, he was a theological advisor to the Second Vatican Council.In 1977, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising by Pope Paul VI; later thatyear, he was named a cardinal. His brother, Georg Ratzinger, is also a priest.

WWhhaatt ddiidd hhee ddoo bbeeffoorree hhee wwaass eelleecctteedd??Joseph Ratzinger was the most senior member of the Sacred College of Cardinals, the highestruling body of the Catholic Church, as well as head of the Catholic Church’s Congregationfor the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office that safeguards the teachings of the Catholicfaith.

HHooww mmaannyy llaanngguuaaggeess ddooeess hhee ssppeeaakk??Aside from his native German, Benedict XVI speaks Italian, French, English, Spanish, Dutch,and Latin fluently. He also has some knowledge of Portuguese and can read Ancient Greekand biblical Hebrew.

WWhhaatt ddooeess hhee hhaavvee oonn hhiiss ccooaatt--ooff--aarrmmss??The pope’s coat of arms has three main symbols: a Moor wearing a crown, a scallop shell,and a bear with a pack on its back. The Moor was the symbol of the Archbishops of Munichand Freising for over 1,000 years; the scallop shell has long been used as the emblem of pilgrims; the bear with a backpack is a symbol from the legend of Freising’s patron, St. Corbinian. The story goes that Corbinian met a bear that attacked the horse carrying thesaint’s baggage. To punish the bear, Corbinian forced it to carry his pack all the way to Rome.

DDooeess hhee aaccttuuaallllyy wweeaarr rreedd sshhooeess??Yes, the pope wears red leather loafers with white socks. The papal shoes are the work of thepope’s personal shoemaker — not Prada, as was first reported.

WWhhaatt ddooeess tthhee ppooppee eennjjooyy ddooiinngg ffoorr rreellaaxxaattiioonn??When he was younger, he enjoyed hiking in the Tyrol and Dolomite mountains. The pope isvery fond of reading and playing the piano. He particularly appreciates Mozart andBeethoven. He is fond of local Bavarian specialties such as Weisswurst and Bavarian sausages,and has always enjoyed Christmas cookies as well as Fanta soda.

HHooww ccaann II lleeaarrnn mmoorree aabboouutt PPooppee BBeenneeddiicctt aanndd hhiiss vviissiioonn ffoorr tthhee CChhuurrcchh??Since his election, Pope Benedict has written several major documentsincluding Deus Caritas Est (“God is Love”) and Spe Salvi (“Saved by Hope”),and recent books The Apostles, Questions and Answers, and the best-sellingJesus of Nazareth, which has been translated into 32 languages.

DDiidd hhee wwrriittee aannyy bbooookkss bbeeffoorree bbeeccoommiinngg ppooppee??He wrote more than 40 books, including God of Jesus Christ; A TurningPoint for Europe?: The Church in the Modern World — Assessment and Forecast Principles ofChristian Morality; Behold the Pierced One; Principles of Catholic Theology: Building Stones for aFundamental Theology; Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today; and Introductionto Christianity. Many of his books remain classics and are used as textbooks.