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Hi, Michael —
Thanks for the question.
You said:
- How do Catholics view the recently-completed
pilgrimage of the Pope to the Holy Land?
Specifically:
- Do they view it as a success or a disappointment?
As a practicing Catholic, I view it
as a wonderful success. I think it
is great that the Palestinian and Israelite
people, or most of them, were very
open to his visit to one of the holiest
places on Earth.
You said:
- Do they resent
political leaders trying to use
the Pope's visit for their own
ends?
No. The Pope, especially one as smart
as this one, knows that political
leaders will use him for their own
political gain . . . Hey, they are politicians.
You said:
- Do they feel that the Pope's receptions,
on the part of his hosts, were gracious
or do they feel there was not a lot to
be desired?
I think, with a few exceptions, his
hosts were gracious, and I hope they
also extended an invitation for a
return visit to their country.
You said:
- Were the expectations
of Israelis and Palestinians in
the Pope's visit reasonable or
too high?
I really can't say; I'm not an Israeli
or Palestinian. I'm just a faithful
Catholic who lives in America.
You said:
As I understand
it, one of the Pope's goals in his
visit was reconciliation with the
other faiths of the Holy Land.
- Do Catholics feel
that he was able to get any closer
to his goal in this visit?
I do. I believe when the Vicar of
Christ for the Catholic Church leaves
a letter of apology on the wailing
wall for Jewish people to read —
asking for forgiveness for all the
previous sins of the Catholic Church
toward the Jewish people, that's
pretty good!
Your brother in prayer, your brother
in Christ,
Mike
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