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	J-School Grad Finds Calling as Vatican Spokesman By Joy Resmovits Columbia Spectator April 14, 2008 http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/30444 He sauntered into the Journalism School's lecture hall on Friday, wearing a three-piece black suit, a large cross around his neck, and the requisite red ring. "Thank you for dressing more like a Cardinal than me," he said, his blue eyes gleaming, to a woman in the front row wearing a bright scarlet suit and a matching cap. Cardinal John Patrick Foley, Journalism '66, is the first cardinal to graduate from Columbia's School of Journalism. He knelt to be ordained in St. Peter's Basilica in November 2007. Foley arrived at the J-School as an ordained priest and a doctor of philosophy, after which he became the editor of the diocesan paper. He led the Pontifical Council for Social Communications at the Vatican for 23 years before he was ordained as an archbishop. An alumni profile from the J-School says that he was often dubbed "his Foleyness," and his booming voice can be heard on millions of television sets when he provides on-air commentary of Christmas Eve mass from St. Peter's Basilica every year. The Cardinal is now in New York to accompany Pope Benedict XVI on his first visit to the United States as the leader of Vatican City. Next week will mark the fourth time Foley accompanies a pope to the United Nations. While working as the Vatican's press secretary, Foley developed policy statements and attained a special .va domain name for the Catholic church's Web site. Foley dealt with ethics in advertising, pioneering lines such as: "The church itself has been involved in advertising for over a thousand years. We call it evangelization. ... We offer much more than a lifelong guarantee." A wave of laughter rippled through the 30 in attendance. "My job is to help the Christians in the holy land," which includes "Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus," Foley said. "I was named a cardinal to do that!" Journalism professor Ari Goldman, who specializes in religion coverage, interviewed Foley at Friday's event. With Passover looming, Goldman asked a variant of a question recited at the seder by the youngest family member present: "Why is this papal visit different than all the other ones?" Goldman added that a representative of the Vatican told the New York Times that Benedict is portrayed as dogmatic and inhuman. Foley said that Benedict's words speak louder than his actions, as opposed to his successor John Paul's dramatic hand gestures. Foley said that due to his background as a professor, Benedict's sermons are "very rich. ... Pope John Paul was very interesting to the media because of his gestures." Responding to Goldman's question, Foley said Benedict will address the question of sexual abuse among church leaders. "The church in the United States has begun to heal that problem," Foley said before pointing out that these crimes exist outside of the church as well. Further discussion centered on interfaith relations and the upcoming meeting with President Bush. Foley shared a story of a papal presidential visit in 1979, when he worked as the Vatican's press secretary. He was able to bring the reporters close to the White House, and a member of the Secret Service gestured to Foley, beckoning him in a manner that frightened the Cardinal. Instead, Foley was commended for asking permission for everything, and he was invited inside the White House. President Jimmy Carter, after being introduced to Foley, said to the pope, "Your holiness, this is Monsignor Foley." Foley lowered his voice to imitate the pope, who replied, "I know, he's with me." Contact: joy.resmovits@columbia.spectator.com
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