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Vatican City: In his first pilgrimage to the United States as pope, Benedict XVI will minister to a Roman Catholic Church that is both troubled and alive with faith.
From the Vatican, the US church is often seen as problematic, consumed by the sex-abuse scandals and populated by "cafeteria Catholics" who pick and choose the religious rules they want to follow, casually adjusting doctrine to meet the demands of their busy lives in an overly permissive society.
But Benedict sees a dynamic church, one that has navigated with fair success the maze of living a faithful life in a secular, materialistic world. For him, the church in America is less of a dilemma and more a potential model, as is the growing role of religion in US society.
Benedict hopes to use his six-day visit, which will include meetings with Catholic seminarians, educators and clergy, as well as two open-air masses, to stress the importance of God in daily life. He is also expected to touch on more sensitive topics such as war, abortion and human rights.
Benedict will also be on a mission to heal still-festering wounds: This is the first visit by a pope to the US since pedophilia cases involving hundreds of priests came to light in 2002. And he will encounter a church that has undergone dramatic demographic change in the last decade, its parish pews filled thanks in large part to Hispanics and Hispanic immigrants.
"He will not be afraid to confront the challenges that confront us all," Father David O'Connell, president of Catholic University of America, said. But, O'Connell added, "his message will be one that is very positive and encouraging, that focuses on the future, not simply examines the past. The goal will be to lift up hope for American Catholics.
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