Monday, September 21, 2015
By Ann McFeatters
Tribune News Service
WASHINGTON
Forget that obnoxious real estate mogul from New York City who disparages women who annoy him and is a xenophobe and a know-nothing when it comes to foreign policy. A real celebrity is coming, and he is no political apprentice.
Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States is exciting even to nonreligious Americans, let alone fallen-away Catholics who are hoping he will reignite a faith they thought they had lost forever. Now that’s a real challenge for the humble pontiff who garners publicity without saying horrible things about others or boasting how great he thinks he is.
As a national news reporter (in a different life), I covered the U.S. trips of several popes, beginning in Rome and once going coast to coast with the papal entourage. These trips were an amazing testament to the enduring popularity of popes, Americans’ respect for religion and the power of spectacle.
But there are several troubling aspects of Pope Francis’ upcoming trip.
The Archdiocese of New York was so worried about getting thousands of New Yorkers to the Pope’s Mass in Madison Square Garden on time that it persuaded celebrities to entertain (albeit with mostly religious music) before the pope arrives in the sports arena. The archdiocese put out a press release announcing that Jennifer Hudson (star of “Dreamgirls”), Harry Connick Jr., Kelli O’Hara, Martin Sheen, James (D-Train) Williams, Norm Lewis and Gloria Estefan would perform.
Really! Is everything these days about celebrities?
Memorabilia
The other thing is the inevitable selling of memorabilia, aka souvenirs and tchotchkes. The archdiocese of New York sent out a memo noting the faithful will have plenty of opportunity to purchase “papal merchandise, religious and catechetical material.”
Also, we have learned that the pope is reportedly nervous about this trip because it is his first visit here, and he has been upset by our materialism and aspects of our foreign policy (such as the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan). Popes are certainly human, but the knowledge that the pope had to overcome his reluctance to come to the United States and that he told an Argentine radio station he feels “used” by “fake friends” is disconcerting.
But he is a celebrity, and New Yorkers who received free tickets to see his motorcade through Central Park through a lottery are scalping them. Hey, it’s the American way.
It’s also upsetting that Catholics who liked the pope now are angry with him because he said, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” He has also expressed sympathy for the plight of divorced Catholics.
But that also shows that this pope is politically astute. His tolerance for gays and lesbians is an acknowledgement that in the United States (and elsewhere) such tolerance and acceptance are rapidly growing, especially among the young. His policy toward divorced Catholics being reinstated in the Catholic Church with less bureaucracy and delay is not new, but the timing is awesome.
We must be realistic about the pope’s visit. He is a wonderful role model; he will not make miracles happen for American Catholics.
The pope’s visit, we hope, will be a refreshing antidote to our jaded state and the appalling condition of many of our once cherished institutions before scandals rocked them.
Ann McFeatters is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.