UNITED STATES
Catholic Herald (UK)

by Stephen White
posted Thursday, 17 Sep 2015

From annulments to pro-life activism the American Church is blazing a trail for the rest of the Catholic world

In a few days Pope Francis will make his first visit to the United States. He will meet President Obama. He will address a joint session of Congress (something no pontiff has ever done). He will give an address to the United Nations in New York. Every word of his, scripted and unscripted, will be parsed for its political significance. Every gesture will be studied, scrutinised and spun. Cranks will complain, pundits will opine. The Holy Father’s visit is being treated with all the hype and gamesmanship of a major political campaign event.

And that, in part, is understandable. This visit – this Pope visiting at this particular time – ought to be big news, and…