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Seeing Eye To Eye With The Pope

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By MICHAEL F. BRENNAN

Special to the Tribune

Published: May 3, 2008

The rare opportunity came our way. The Catholic Diocese of St Petersburg and the Archdiocese of New York granted my sister, brother and me tickets to Pope Benedict XVI's Mass at Yankee Stadium on April 20.

We had won the lottery! Our mother, Kathleen, had raised us in the Sacred Heart Parish, which includes the stadium. However, she could not get tickets for the two previous visits of a pope there in 1965 and 1979. Mom went on to her reward a few years ago.

My sister, Mary Alice, a devout Catholic, was the most excited about our experience. We were pleased with our seats, which gave us a full view of the sanctuary and altar. In addition to the free tickets, we received a package containing the missal titled "Christ Our Hope," which was the theme of the pope's visit. The package included other religious items, including the Gospel of Luke.

In addition, we received a yellow or white kerchief and an emergency poncho.

Earlier in the week, I tried to get close to the pope during his stops at the United Nations, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Jewish synagogue and the parish in Yorkville and on his one-mile popemobile trip along Fifth Avenue. Security was tight, and we were kept at a distance. However, I got photos of his limousine coming away from the United Nations and going up and down Park Avenue, which was closed to traffic.

The popemobile drew enormous crowds on Fifth Avenue, and it did happen: I made eye contact with Pope Benedict on Park Avenue .

The pope looks directly at as many people as he can. I remember a Jewish lady exclaiming, "He looked straight at me!" It is a humble but penetrating look with his light brown eyes. I believe he sees us in depth more than we realize, and that he "reads us" more than we realize.

Pilgrims like me had the same experience at the Vatican piazza when he offered his first public Mass as pope.

Scholars record that probably 20 of the first 30 popes were martyred because they refused to deny Jesus Christ. The popes have been targets from Nero to Napoleon to Hitler and Stalin. Popes personify the "sign of contradiction," which opposes our human tendency to defy the God-given natural law that resides within our conscience.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal" exemplifies the natural law, which offers hope and moral guidance to all of humanity.

In April 2005, I was in the Vatican when the 266th pope succeeded John Paul II. Both are examples of the best the church could offer God and humanity. Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, had been a hero to me since the early 1990s.

He assisted John Paul II in keeping us connected to our Catholic roots when the world wanted us to compromise our core identity as followers of Jesus Christ. I had read three of his books by that time and noticed his ability to communicate complicated scenarios in simple and loving language.

"Salt of the Earth" was special because his confidence that God would overcome the mistakes of humanity and the church was evident.

When Benedict was elected only two days into the conclave, I knew that the progressive experiment within my church had become exhausted. For too many years we appeared to be a church that had lost its way. Even though bishops were only 1 percent of our priesthood, the inability of those in the United States to weed out child predators was the glaring symptom. (Benedict addressed the bishops about this in New York City.)

The cardinal electors saw the Holy Spirit's guidance and gave us Benedict. However, I witnessed that many of the media in the Vatican piazza were being approached by naysayers saying, "He was in the Hitler Youth" and "He is pre-Vatican II."

They failed to mention that the Ratzinger family's opposition to the Nazi Party forced it to move and that the Nazis abducted young Joseph's brother, who had Down syndrome. Nor that the Hitler Youth was not an option; it was mandatory.

In addition, Vatican II was one more council that started with the Council of Jerusalem in the Book of Acts. Our Christian Creed comes from the Council of Nicea of the fourth century. It cannot change. Vatican II was significant, but no dogma changed.

Naturally, I wanted to be in the cheering section when my pope came to New York. I got more than I hoped for.

Before I reached Yankee Stadium on April 20, Pope Benedict XVI had won over New York City and the nation with his quiet strength, humility and integrity. From people in subways and buses, from taxi drivers to pedestrians on the streets of Manhattan, the verdict was in.

They told me they were better for his visit, having needed verification that there was someone in world leadership who believed what he quietly preached: the message of redemption. I am not a devout Catholic Christian but believe in the umbrella of Catholicism that promises Jesus redeemed us and desires that all be saved.

I'm banking on Benedict to help many to see the light of salvation in that "Good News."

Michael F. Brennan, 64, is a retired nurse who lives in South Pasadena. He attends the Cathedral of St. Jude in St. Petersburg and volunteers for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

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