ShareThisThe first visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States this month will not be a purely social occasion. As the octogenarian leader of a 2,000-year-old church that commands the allegiance of 1.1 billion people worldwide, he can be expected to take a hopeful view of history, and the longest view of all -- eternity.Unlike purely political leaders, the pope does not expect immediate change. Then again, unlike politicians, he has no need to court the electorate and sample public opinion before acting.At the United Nations, he will do more than appeal for world peace. He will press the leaders of all nations to grant religious freedom to their citizens.In meetings with American Jewish leaders, he will celebrate Passover with them, affirming the Old Testament heritage of the Christian faith.Honoring his own national heritage, Benedict will meet in New York with Americans of German ancestry, and join in a prayer service with leaders of other Christian denominations.When he confers with American Catholic educators, he can be expected to insist that every Catholic school and college welcome students without prejudice to their religious faith, but also clearly incorporate Catholic values in their education.In meetings with U.S. Catholic bishops, the pope can be expected to seek assurances that the scandals of abusive priests are at an end, and that seminary education in the United States will ensure American Catholics of a moral and celibate clergy.As a cardinal in the Vatican before his election as pope, Benedict XVI was the man charged with defending Catholic faith, teachings and practices. He is, in short, a traditionalist who brooks no compromise with secularism. Do not expect him to allow priests to marry or permit women to be ordained. Nor will he soften his church's condemnation of abortion and opposition to artificial contraception.Unlike his Polish predecessor, John Paul II, this German pope does not preach in memorable sound bites but in structured paragraphs. Catholic commentators caution that his words may require not only attention but interpretation. Benedict speaks the language of faith, which can strike our ears as either quaint or steeped in scholarship. This pope is, after all, a Catholic theologian.We can expect a great surge of emotion during the pope's public events in Washington and New York. It will stem less from his eloquence than from the hearts of his followers.Today in America, one in every four citizens is Catholic, and most Americans think kindly of this pope. In turn, he is impressed by the overwhelming religious faith of the American people -- Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims alike.It's true that American Catholics are inclined to think for themselves. By and large, they have made peace with contraception, tolerate abortion and accept divorce and remarriage. But they are not secularists. This pope will applaud them for their faith, hope and constancy.(David Yount's "Growing in Faith: A Guide for the Reluctant Christian" (Seabury) is in a new edition. He answers readers at P.O. Box 2758, Woodbridge, VA 22195 and dyount(at)erols.com.)
What the pope hopes to accomplish
Paying taxes unites us. It also divides us. People can pay five and even six times more in state and local taxes than other folks in similar circumstances making similar incomes.
Who's got your number?
In one of the fastest-growing forms of identity theft, crooks are stealing tax refunds by swiping personal information and using it to trick the Internal Revenue Service.
