Texts of the Pope’s homilies and addresses as well as video and audio recordings of the various events are available at the USCCB Papal Visit Site.
So this was the first blogger-era papal visit to the US. Was it a different experience for folks, beyond watching the TV coverage? Did you have a different experience of the visit through what you read and saw online?
I’d love to hear people’s reflections.
Rocco posted a superb reflection on his NY experience. I will read Cardinal Sean’s also when I get off the road.
It is wonderful to have a report directly from sources like these rather than one “intermediated” by committed secularists or those overtly hostile to the Church.
I confess to an overall ignorance of how B16’s trip was received by the country in general because I got my news exclusively from Catholic sources over the last week. I streamlined EWTN (TV is long gone), bounced from blog to blog—where many were even “live-blogging” so that comments were conversational during events, and feedback was strictly through the “holy-holy” prism.
I run the risk of adopting a “ghetto” mentality, I know, but my prayer plate is full. Focusing on my vocation, the needs of family and friends, and writing saps me. I hope he was well-received outsite these circles, but if he wasn’t, it wasn’t because he didn’t make himself abundantly clear. Now we just need the grace to absorb and apply it.
It was nice to be able to access the text of the different talks and homilies as a way to reinforce the lessons Benedict was trying to impart. I spent most of today going back and reading many of his words. All great stuff, that the Church in America needed to hear. I did get to see him briefly on Saturday morning, and I must say that it was a true blessing.
I am a teacher and used a lot of resources for my students (especially the bishop’s site set-up for the visit).
On another note, I attended the mass at Yankees Stadium and found it to be a very solemn and reverent mass. I think having papal masses in a “contained” location makes a difference.
I was grateful for the internet coverage of the Pope’s visit. We don’t have cable, so no EWTN for us, and I wasn’t going to waste my time listening to the mainstream media’s pontificating (so to speak) on the major networks. I listened to a bit of Catholic radio, but mostly relied on the Internet.
I appreciated those bloggers who linked to the the text of the addresses/homilies, although I couldn’t keep up with reading them all and will have to go back and do so. I loved Amy Welborn’s reflections for the NY Times, but many of the commenters were absolutely obnoxious so I had to stop reading the comments. I also appreciated the live-blogging of the folks at the National Catholic Register to get a feel for what it was like to be there on the scene.
I gave up on the papal visit web site when they started removing virtually all the comments entered there. Of course, most were extremely critical of the music at the DC Mass.
So much for sensus fidelum.
Sorry for a dumb question, but I really can’t get, what EWTN is?…