Seminary leader calls papal visit 'masterful performance'
Pope Benedict XVI's apostolic visit to the United States was a masterful performance of head and heart. The pope not only directed a distinct message to a number of different audiences but also conveyed a depth of personal spirituality that gave his words great force.
That, in sum, was the assessment of Sulpician Father Gerald Brown, rector and president of St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park and a past U.S. provincial of the Society of St. Sulpice.
Father Brown was present April 19 at St. Joseph Seminary and College in Yonkers, N.Y., when the Holy Father addressed 30,000 students, including as many as 2,000 seminarians including about 20 from St. Patrick's. Father Brown, whose 12 years as Sulpician provincial gave him a close - up look at the papacy of John Paul II and then - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's role as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, also took time for a close reading of media coverage of the rest of the pope's apostolic journey.
"He had a way of scoping out the nature of the audience he was addressing and speaking to them directly," Father Brown told Catholic San Francisco. "He had a great sensitivity to the audience and spoke in a way that would generate reflection and dialogue.
"It was brilliantly done, I thought."
During the pope's seminary visit, Father Brown was impressed by the enthusiasm of the seminarians. "They were hyped - up in the spirit of John Paul II to hear what the Holy Father had to say to our culture, to our times, to young people," Father Brown said.
Less visible but as impressive was the pope's encounter with a group of handicapped children during a ceremony in the seminary's chapel.
"He would bend down toward each child. He would bless their foreheads, pat them on the shoulders, pat their hands," Father Brown said. "It was just very personal, very tender."
Father Brown said he was reminded of the Joseph Ratzinger he knew during his trips to Rome as Sulpician provincial.
"I found him a very warm, accepting kind of person who really listens, is good at conversations," he said. "I found him really easy and relaxing to deal with."
There are similarities as well as differences to the pastoral style of John Paul II.
"John Paul II was probably a little more introverted and energetic by personality, whereas Benedict at age 81 is going to be a little more limited in energy," Father Brown said. "But he's a man of great love and compassion, which he shared with John Paul II. When he reaches out to someone, you know it from his eye contact, his face and his smile, that he's really being attentive to the person he's talking to."
Benedict seems to absorb energy from his audiences, Father Brown noted. "The pope would have his arms up and he is just smiling like crazy," he said.
"He comes alive," Father Brown said, "almost like a young man."
Father Brown said the pope impressed the media. The coverage was generally highly positive. The priest attributed the reaction in part to the positive way in which pope addressed each audience.
"When meeting with Bush he chose not to make an issue of the war in Iraq, but talked about things he has in common with President Bush, for example, concern for Africa," he said.
Similarly, when the pope addressed priestly sex abuse he spoke of his personal pain rather than casting blame. "He was operating more as a pastor than a political negotiator, calling on the bishops to be pastoral in their approach," Father Brown said.
Father Brown said the pope emphasized time and again that faith has a part to play in the success of the world, that belief and politics can work together.
"He also used the message, 'Don't be afraid,'" Father Brown said. "'Don't be afraid to witness, don't be afraid of the world. Have a sense of hope and make a contribution.""
By Rick DelVecchio
