Word: vaticans
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Pope Benedict XVI's trip this week to the United States will include high-profile visits to the White House, United Nations and Ground Zero. But no matter what political issues or media angles may be buzzing before take-off, the Vatican tends to stress the pastoral aspect of any papal journey. The six-day itinerary is above all stacked with church services, baseball stadium masses and Catholic institutional encounters to allow the pontiff to tend to his flock, and to the priests and bishops who do the ministering when he's back in Rome...
Benedict's arrival in the U.S. is being seen as a make-or-break moment for Rome to regain the trust of its American flock, the third largest national contingent within a worldwide Catholic Church of 1.1 billion faithful. In recent days, the Vatican has confirmed that on at least one occasion Benedict will specifically address the issue. The Vatican's No. 2 official, Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, told FOX News that the Pope will confront the "open wound" of sex abuse during the April 19 morning mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral for New York-area clergy...
Some Catholic lay groups say, however, that words and prayers are not enough, and have called on the Pope to personally meet with victims of priest abuse. Though it is not part of the official program of events, the Vatican has not ruled out such an encounter, and may be holding on to the option as a possible surprise stroke of spontaneity where the Holy Father's human contact might help assuage some of the lingering pain. It will be important to follow closely both the words and any potential gestures to see if the reserved pontiff manages to address...
...when Ratzinger's longtime personal secretary, Monsignor Josef Clemens, was appointed to a top position in another Vatican office, Gänswein stepped into the role of Ratzinger's right-hand man. It was not expected to be a particularly long assignment, as the Cardinal planned to return to his private studies in Germany after the conclusion of the papacy of the ailing John Paul II. Of course, fate had other plans, and when Ratzinger became Benedict XVI, Gänswein moved with him across St. Peter's Square to the office next to the new pontiff in the Apostolic Palace...
...nswein does not appear to have such sweeping authority. The real muscle behind the scenes is flexed by the No. 2 man in the Vatican hierarchy, Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who was Ratzinger's No. 2 in his old job at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. During the April 15-20 visit, the Italian Cardinal will also be frequently seen close to Benedict's side, at the White House, the United Nations and others appearances. Bertone stands out in a crowd as well: tall and bespectacled, with a gregarious disposition. But both Bertone...