Christ Our Hope
By Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes
(Clarion Herald – 5/3/08)


The pastoral visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States of America is now history. He came proclaiming the message 'Christ is our hope.' The theme resonated through all of the messages he delivered to various audiences and congregations in the course of six days with us. He came to build on the strengths of the Church and our country. He addressed with depth some of the issues facing us. He always urged us to practical application.

The Pope's words on the South Lawn at the White House noted that from the very beginning the principles governing political and social life were recognized by our Founding Fathers as linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator. It was in this context that the framers of the founding documents proclaimed that all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights grounded in the laws of nature and of nature’s God. He affirmed the strong religious convictions pervasive in American people. He also made clear that the gift of freedom summons us to personal responsibility. Democracy without values can lose its soul. In a world without truth, freedom loses its foundation.

Our Holy Father’s address to the bishops was profound in its insight and breathtaking in its scope. He called us all at the very beginning of his remarks to remember the inscription of Emma Lazarus on our Statue of Liberty calling us to welcome the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. He recognized the remarkable generosity of the American people. He also cautioned us to recognize that material horizons are suffocating when they do not open to the divine and eternal. He saluted the rich cultural diversity and commitment of Catholic laity. He also urged us to recognize the critical importance of offering appropriate education and formation in the faith at every level of life. He urged us to recognize the importance of bringing faith and moral conviction to the public debate. He was not afraid to address the clergy sex abuse crisis scandal.

At the Catholic University of America our Holy Father called those engaged in education to see leading young people to meet Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life, as the central mission. Educators must take seriously the personal struggles of students, the moral confusion in our society and the fragmentation of knowledge. Fidelity to this task not only involves orthodoxy in course content, but also the development of communities of learning that reverberate with the ecclesial life of faith. Academic freedom is an important commitment for Catholic colleges and universities, but does not justify the embrace of positions contradicting faith and the teaching of the Church.

Our Holy Father sought many different ways to encourage young people to turn over their lives to the Lord, no matter what their calling may be. He also urged them to be open to a special call for service in the Church. He extended a hand of friendship to representatives from other Christian churches and from other faiths. He held up the values of genuine dialogue in pursuit of truth that bring together both faith and reason in a truly complementary way.

The surprising special moment for me personally was to be invited at the end of his talk to the bishops to come up and receive a beautiful chalice given to the faithful of New Orleans as an expression of commendation for the religious and humanitarian response the local church made in the post-Katrina period and as an expression of solidarity with the suffering that so many have endured. I received this in the name of so many who led the efforts of recovery and response to those in need in the name of the Church in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. God grant that Pope Benedict's message of hope may strengthen us all!