Papal visit to America

    The entire world watched as Pope Benedict XVI traveled to the United States April 15-20, which included a personal meeting with President George W. Bush. With stops at the White House, Mass at the new Nationals Stadium in D.C., Mass with the U.S. bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, a meeting with interfaith leaders at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, address to Catholic educators at The Catholic University of America, Mass at the new Nationals Stadium, an address to the United Nations in New York City, Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for clergy and religious, a youth rally event at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, a visit to Ground Zero, and a final Mass at Yankee Stadium, it was truly an opportunity for the vicar of Christ to share his thoughts with his American flock.

FOR MORE PAPAL COVERAGE…See the Catholic News Service Web site or the USCCB official papal visit Web site, for more photos and the complete copies of his speeches in English, Italian and Spanish.

He will be ordained a bishop on June 2 by Archbishop José H. Gomez. At 41, Bishop-designate Cantú will be the youngest bishop in the United States. Youthful auxiliary bishops are not new to San Antonio. Archbishop Emeritus Patrick F. Flores was just a few months younger than Cantú when he was appointed bishop by Pope Paul VI in 1970.

Archbishop José Gomez introduced Bishop-designate Cantú at a news conference at the Pastoral Center April 10. The archbishop said, “Bishop-designate Cantú will be a blessing to the people of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. “I met Father Cantú when he was a seminarian and have continued to follow his priestly ministry. While we haven’t worked together before, I am confident he will be a blessing to our archdiocese. His being bilingual and bicultural will make him a perfect fit.”  Full story