Pope to offer hope, local Catholics say

By Amanda C. Davis

Faith and hope need to come from the heart, a Warren priest said.

In a world that’s in desperate need of faith, Pope Benedict XVI’s first visit to the U.S. this week couldn’t come at a better time.

That’s the belief of the Rev. Charles Crumbley of St. James Catholic Church in Warren.

“We have to be at peace with ourselves before we can demand peace of others,” he said, explaining that Americans tend to trade happiness – a state of being – for pleasure, which is always fleeting.

Father Crumbley, said he believes the pope’s message of peace will show that faith and hope need to be cultivated from the inside.

Pope Benedict, who will travel to Washington, D.C., and New York City, set the theme of his visit as “Christ Our Hope.”

In an encyclical writing from Nov. 30, titled “Spe Salvi,” or “Saved By Hope,” the pope explores the Christian understanding of hope.

“Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition,” he said in a pre-visit letter for Catholics and all Americans.

Monsignor Michael Cariglio of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Youngstown met Pope Benedict on a pilgrimage to Rome. He also met Pope John Paul II a few times and Pope Paul VI when he was a seminarian in Rome in the late 1960s.

Monsignor Cariglio, who is also a judicial vicar for the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, called such meetings “unforgettable,” and said the current pope has done a good job of filling big shoes.

In a rapidly changing world full of discord, Monsignor Cariglio said, the pope’s message reinforces the need for Christians to focus on Christ in the present and for the future.

“There are so many troubled spots in the world,” he said. “I think he’s very concerned about disquiet in the world.

The Rev. Terry Hazel of St. Michael Church in Canfield said the pope will also address issues facing the Catholic Church during his visit.

For one, he said, the church is experiencing a shortage of priests to serve its growing membership in the U.S. and Europe.

“That’s not true of Third-World countries and I think that has a lot to do with the economy,” he said. “When people are down and out, they go to church more.”

The pope’s visit runs today through Sunday.

Bishop George V. Murry of the Diocese of Youngstown, who was on his way to Washington on Monday, will be among the U.S bishops in attendance. Bishop Murry, said he will be at the White House Wednesday to welcome the pope and will attend the bishops’ conference, along with Mass at Nationals Stadium.

“I see the pope as a modern St. Paul, who was the first one to carry the message of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem,” he said.

Bishop Murry said he believes the pope’s message will touch on the importance of forgiveness and trusting in God, and our obligation to love and respect each other.

“There’s an excitement here in Washington,” he said, explaining he thinks it’s wonderful the pope will get to see a bit of the U.S., along with sites, such as ground zero, that are so important to America.

The Rev. Philip Rogers of St. Charles Church in Boardman believes the Pope’s message of hope will be well-received by Americans.

“It’s a message that we in the U.S. need to hear again and again from him,” he said, and explained that if the Pope spent his entire visit with clergy, he would miss an important opportunity to connect with Catholics and people of other faiths.

Donna Anzuini of Canfield, a substitute teacher in Canfield schools, is hoping a visit to see the pope will help her nephew, who lost his sight while fighting in Iraq.

First Army Lt. Thomas “T.J.” Hromisin of Pittston, Pa., near Scranton, was shot in the head by a sniper May 29 and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

He is one of 20 people invited to take communion from the pope during a Mass in Washington this week.

Anzuini’s sister and brother-in-law, Mary Ellen and Jerry Hromisin, will escort him.

Anzuini said her nephew’s injuries were very bad and attributes his progress to prayers from thousands of friends and family members.

“I believe it works,” she said. “He’s doing a lot better than ever expected.”