Papal Visit

Today marked a historic day in Catholic history. Pope Benedict XVI celebrated a two hour and fifteen minute mass at Yankee Stadium. It was a very ncie day under a sunny sky with a cool breeze, a eprfect day to brign a closure to his 6 day visit to the UNited States. The estimated crowd of people came to over 60,000 followers of the catholic faith. The purpose was to call for unity among Catholics, to declare that “true freedom” often requires authority and obedience, and to speak out against abortion, an issue over which many American Catholics disagree with the church. This was the third time the papal amss was held at yankee stadium, but will never be again since it is bing knocked down and getting replaced. The pope said in his homily that “authority” and “obedience” are “not easy words to speak nowadays,” particularly “in a society which rightly places a high value on personal freedom.” But, the pope added, “The Gospel teaches us that true freedom, the freedom of the children of God, is found only in the self-surrender which is part of the mystery of love. Only by losing ourselves, the Lord tells us, do we truly find ourselves.”