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	America Basks in Benedict's Benediction - Editorial Plain Dealer April 22, 2008 http://www.cleveland.com/editorials/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1208853251142380.xml&coll=2 America' introduction to Pope Benedict XVI went far more smoothly than either the Vatican or American Catholics could have dreamed. It's fair to say the pope won over a significant number of wary American Catholics during his six-day trip to the East Coast. Nicknamed "God's Rottweiler" when he served as the widely beloved Pope John Paul II's fierce guardian of the Roman Catholic teachings, Benedict transformed himself into a gentle shepherd before he even touched down in Washington, D.C. The 81-year-old pontiff voiced his concern about sexually abusive priests while still ensconced in his airplane. Throughout his visit, the abuse suffered by young victims never seemed far from his thoughts. And his surprise visit with a handpicked group of sexual abuse victims offered hope this issue has finally resonated at the highest levels of the church. Predictions from some quarters that the pope would scold American Catholics, an often wayward yet influential congregation, never came close to being true. In almost everything he said, Benedict chose honey over vinegar. He neither smote political liberals (Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a liberal Democrat from California, took Communion at one of the papal masses) nor embraced political conservatives. Instead, he focused on uniting his fractious church and reaching out to other Christians and members of other religions. He did not mention the war in Iraq, which he, like his predecessor, opposes. Yet he did call on nations to use international cooperation to handle conflicts and promote peace - a small rebuke of President George Bush's go-it-alone foreign policy. The pope's most controversial call was to independent-minded Catholics: "Think with the church," he told them; oppose abortion and support a humane immigration policy, traditional marriage and greater help for the poor. By the time Pope Benedict left, American Catholics appeared to have been touched and a little bedazzled by the shy German scholar with the rational yet caring voice. He had made quite an impression on his flock. How well they take his words to heart remains to be seen.
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