Some Reflections on Pope Benedict XVI's Visit -- Part One of Two

Editor's note. In Part One I start with the more edifying topic--the visit of Pope Benedict to America. In Part Two, I offer a few thoughts on the squabble between pro-abortion Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on the eve of the Pennsylvania primary. Please drop me a line at daveandrusko@hotmail.com. I'd appreciate your insights.

If anyone knows the invidious power of negative stereotypes it's pro-lifers. That is one reason I flatly refuse to buy simplistic nickel-and-dime analyses of complex individuals that is common currency in the media.

From people I know who've either met Pope Benedict in person or who are close friends with those who have, I knew that the harsh, unpleasant cliché that passed for a portrait of the Pope was completely off base. His trip to the United States last week made clear that he is a brilliant man, blessed with a towering intellect and a pastor/shepherd's heart.

Over the weekend I had a chance to read several of his speeches. The vast intelligence was matched only by the overwhelmingly gentle spirit in which the Pontiff addressed everyone from seminarians to the President of the United States to the United Nations. Let me just take a second to talk about one hugely important component.

As pro-lifers we sometimes talk as if it is a given that everyone agrees that each and every one of us is of infinite importance. But to much of the world, people--especially those devoid of power and influence--are more annoyances that bearers of a divine image.

I thought of that when Pope Benedict addressed the United Nations. Its pious protestations to the contrary notwithstanding, the UN is not exactly a bastion of human rights. On the firstthings.com blog, The Rev. Richard John Neuhaus (who will be NRLC's closing banquet speaker at our convention this July) had this to say about Pope Benedict's speech:

"The Holy See's traditionally friendly disposition toward international organizations, and toward the U.N. in particular, was joined with a lucid and forceful argument that the foundation of such organizations, and, more particularly, of the U.N.'s claim to be the protector of human rights, was without credibility unless there is a firm acknowledgment of the dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God. Faith, reason, and natural law were highlighted in the contention that the U.N.'s 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights,' signed sixty years ago, is not believable unless grounded in transcendent truths about the human person and historical destiny.

"The extended standing ovation from the delegates, and the even more extended ovation following the shorter address to the U.N. staff, was remarkable. It was as though they sensed that the moral charter of the organization--an organization that has been so dismally disappointing on so many scores--had been renewed. The response is the more remarkable in view of the recent history of the U.N. in promoting abortion, population control, and other measures in violation of the dignity of the human person."

One other aspect of the Pontiff's visit, less well known, is the behind-the-scenes response of pro-abortion Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Ca.). It is a testimony to how resistant pro-abortion forces are to any hint that the most vulnerable among us have value.

According to Fox News, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) crafted a resolution welcoming the Pope, "recognizing the unique insights his moral and spiritual reflections bring to the world stage." Apparently Boxer could live with that but not the last ten words of this sentence:

"Whereas Pope Benedict XVI has spoken out for the weak and vulnerable, witnessing to the value of each and every human life."

A Boxer aide told Fox News that these words point directly to "pro-life" language. Boxer extracted her pound of rhetorical flesh and the "offending" ten words were dropped.

(While she was at it, Boxer deleted everything after the word "liberty" in the following sentence: "Whereas Pope Benedict XVI has spoken approvingly of the vibrance of religious faith in the United States, a faith nourished by a constitutional commitment to religious liberty that neither attempts to strip our public spaces of religious expression nor denies the ultimate source of our rights and liberties.")

We will talk more about Pope Benedict's historic visit in the May issue of National Right to Life News. If you are not a subscriber to "the pro-life newspaper of record," call 202-626-8828 and we will get you started with the May edition.

Part Two