Pope Benedict XVI's first trip across the Atlantic as pope was a very genuine and spiritually uplifting visit, not just for American Catholics but for the country as a whole.
I enjoyed watching the Pope on EWTN and CNN as he greeted Americans and spoke at various events, celebrated Mass and at the two ballparks, and prayed at Ground Zero. He is an eloquent and inspired speaker and I would have loved to have reported the papal visit in person instead of watching him on TV in Toledo.
I say this now because I may have given the wrong impression the other day when I called the papal trip a "media spectacle." I meant no reflection on the nature of the visit or the pope's importance, but on my own experiences covering major news events. It is a challenge and a hassle to jostle with the world's media on such big stories, but I would have gladly done it if at all possible.
I did get to cover Pope John Paul II's visit to Toronto for World Youth Day in 2002. That was a memorable event and despite the difficulties covering the events I am glad I was there.
PJP2 was an extraordinary man in the right place at the right time and surely will go down in history as one of the greatest world leaders of the 20st century.
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Short summer? It's 35 degrees out right now! Tomorrow it is supposed to get down to 31. The weather has been absolutely crazy. Maybe God is spinning a big wheel up there and sending us whatever it lands on, a completely random selection.
Sylvania, Ohio
April 29, 2008