Word: benediction
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Exactly one year ago, the Vatican press corps set out from Rome on a papal trip that wasn't expected to produce major headlines. Yes, Pope Benedict XVI was visiting his native Bavaria on the Sept. 9-14 voyage, and there would be photo opportunities from his small riverside hometown and the university where he'd once taught theology. We now know, of course, that his Sept. 12, 2006, visit to his old teaching haunt, the University of Regensberg, would become the stage for the most significant moment of Benedict's papacy thus far. The provocative lecture about faith...
...leaders. Speaking with a slightly hoarse voice, the Pope delivered something of a wake-up call to Europeans who "need to make their political importance felt" in troubled regions like Darfur and the Middle East, and in the fight against poverty. "Europe has a unique responsibility in the world," Benedict said. "First of all, it must not give up on itself. The continent which, demographically is rapidly aging, must not become old in spirit ... [and] will grow more sure of itself if it accepts a responsibility in the world corresponding to its singular intellectual tradition, its extraordinary resources...
Nevertheless, as with every trip beyond Italian borders, the three-day trip to Vienna and the Marian shrine of Mariazell, could indeed include surprises. When he's on the road, Benedict often explores delicate themes with the full force of both his intellect and his sure-fire faith, which has gotten him into hot water not only in Regensberg. On his last trip to Brazil, the Pope was making big news before even landing by telling reporters on the Rome-to-Sao Paulo flight that pro-choice politicians were automatically excommunicated. Later, he would speak about the Church's role...
...Friday, Benedict returned to one of his favorite themes: the growing secularization of Europe. This German-speaking country with deep Catholic roots is a case in point. One poll ahead of Benedict's trip tallied 82% of Austrians who said the visit was of little importance to them. Imploring Europeans to remember the continent's "Christian roots" and to take up the Church's battle against abortion and assisted suicide, the Pope warned against a "degeneration of tolerance into an indifference with no reference to permanent values...
...late July, Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 said that Sommers would be heading “on leave” for the coming academic year, and he appointed Thomas R. Jehn, a writing instructor at Harvard since 1997, to be interim director...