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	A Man with a Clear Vision Arizona Republic April 16, 2008 http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0416wed2-16.html He might not have his predecessor's charisma, but Pope Benedict XVI knows how to make headlines and a favorable first impression. We didn't know what to expect from this pope. Did he come to America to embrace us . . . or lecture us? Before he even stepped off his plane in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, the pope confronted point-blank the sexual-abuse scandal that many in his entourage hoped he would avoid. "It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their mission . . . to the children. I am deeply ashamed, and we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again. We will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry. It is more important that we have good priests than many priests. We will do everything possible to heal this wound." That message, laying down a marker for the world to judge him on, is consistent with this man's character and moral sense. As the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he was heavily involved in securing Vatican approval for the sweeping reform proposals advocated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Some in the Vatican feared the regulatory and enforcement reforms would bankrupt the church. Without Ratzinger's intervention, it is not at all certain the affable, much-loved Pope John Paul II would have accepted the proposal. John Paul was far more reluctant to intercede in this issue. Indeed, his slowness to confront the sexual-abuse problem in the United States is one of the most telling criticisms of his papacy. Pope Benedict's dictum, a dramatic statement of his sincerity and moral clarity, will help define a man even the Catholics among us have found hard to know. He might be called the reluctant pope. He did not seek the office. In 2005, after John Paul's death, he had planned to retire and return to his first loves: writing, teaching and scholarship. During the election process, he confessed to have prayed to God: "Don't do this to me." He submitted his resignation to John Paul three times during his 23 years as a high Vatican administration, head of the doctrinal affairs. But if he is not personally ambitious, he recognizes the moral authority of his office and the impact it has around the world. His relationship with the U.S. church is instructive. He cannot be happy, of course, that there are so many "former Catholics" in America, more than any other church. Liberal elements do not like his consistently conservative stands on the role of women, for example, or his dim view of secularism, relativism, birth control and abortion. Yet the pope deeply admires the religious tolerance that Americans nurture and the religious feelings that give root to so many of our national values. When he sees the inability of Europeans, especially Germans, to incorporate Muslims into their national cultures, he sees the American experience as the model. Even on this trip, the pope plans meetings with leaders of other world religions. The notion of shepherd is ingrained in the Catholic religion. The pope, vicar of Christ, descendent of St. Peter, tends to his flock. Pope Benedict's visit to America, the first of his papacy, is a pastoral one, not unlike the "getting to know you" visits American pastors used to make a few decades ago. He is welcome. His words will be eagerly heard. His impact, unknown, maybe for years to come.
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