Pope Francis Has The Attention Of American Catholics

The pastor at Glenwood’s Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church said he expects members of his parish to join fellow Catholics across the country in celebrating Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States this week.

“We’re always excited when the pope comes to the United States. It’s not something that happens a lot,” Father Dan Siepker said.

Pope Francis arrived in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, the first stop of his East Coast tour that will conclude Sunday at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. His itinerary includes a meeting with President Obama, addresses to both houses of Congress (a papal first) and the United Nations General Assembly, and visits to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center, a school in Harlem and a Pennsylvania state correctional facility. He will preside over Roman Catholic masses throughout the week at cathedrals and basilicas in Washington, New York and Philadelphia.

Just two years into his tenure as the leader of the world’s largest Christian church, Pope Francis has earned the admiration of Catholics and non-Catholics alike for his down-to-earth demeanor and candidness in addressing issues relevant in the 21st Century.

“He’s very personable with people. He just wants to be out there with the people,” Siepker said. “I think another part of his popularity are his twitters and his presence on social media. He is answering phone calls, seeing people one on one much more than what any previous pope did.”

During his visit to the U.S., Siepker  expects the pope to continue talking about many of the issues he’s been addressing over the past two years.

“Certainly, a lot of people have paid attention to what he has to say. His thrust on mercy and forgiveness, not just as people but as a church, is really catching the attention of people,” Siepker said. “We need to be more merciful and reconciling with people in trying to get them to come back to the church.

“I think he’s going to continue to address the sacramentality of marriage and I think he’s going to talk about something he’s addressed recently with his statement on annulments. He wants to get people reconciled back into the church. That is a main emphasis of his.”

Pope Francis has ruffled the feathers of some political conservatives in the U.S. for his statements on capital punishment, immigration, poverty, health care and the environment. Siepker dismisses the criticism, noting these are all issues of morality the church has been addressing for decades.

“The Catholic church has always been opposed to capital punishment. He’s just reiterating that statement now,” Siepker. “He’s continuing to say we need to continue to fight against it on a moral level.”

The environment is expected to be on the agenda when Pope Francis addresses Congress.

“I know a lot of people were upset when he came out with his document on the environment. He had no intention whatsoever of making a political statement,” Siepker said. “If you read the document, it doesn’t make a political statement, it’s making a moral statement – we have a moral duty to care for this earth and everything and everybody that’s on it. That’s what the document says.

“The document serves as a reminder that every little act that we do as individuals affects people a long way out. How we care for the environment around us is going to affect other people. It’s a moral thing, not a political thing.”

Politics aside, Pope Francis’ visit is expected to ignite the faith of American Catholics, even those who won’t see him in person.

Glenwood resident Monica Hughes said those fortunate enough to have an audience with the pope will be moved. She saw Pope John Paul in person on multiple occasions and attended a papal mass in Rome given by Pope Benedict, Francis’ predecessor.

“You feel like you’re very much in touch with Christ when you’re in the pope’s presence,” Hughes said.

One of Hughes’ most memorable papal experiences came in 1993 when she and several other adult chaperones accompanied youngsters from Holy Rosary Church to Colorado to hear Pope John Paul preside over two masses at the World Youth Day celebration.

“When he walked out onto the platform at Mile High Stadium in Denver, it was breathtaking,” Hughes said. “There were 80,000 kids cheering for the Holy Father and yelling ‘John Paul II we love you’ over and over again. It’s something you never forget.

“It was fabulous to see that many kids from a hundred countries be so excited about their faith.”

Hughes said the pilgrimage was a trip of the lifetime for adults and youth alike.

“Our theme song for the trip was 'We Are One Body' and we still sing it once in awhile during our services at church,” she said.  “When we do, it still takes us back to Denver. When the kids got together as a group and experienced something like that, it strengthened their faith.”

Hughes won’t be making the trip to the East Coast this week, but like many Catholics, she’ll be listening closely to Pope Francis’ message.

“People are anxious to hear what he has to say,” Hughes said. “I think his visit will energize the church.”