4/18/08

current event
tile:Pope to visit New York, address United Nations

who:Pope Benedict XVI

what:After a dramatic three days in which he put the country's clergy sexual abuse scandal front and center, Pope Benedict XVI turned his attention Friday to the original purpose of his first U.S. visit as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

when:4/18/08

where:WASHINGTON

why:The setting will contrast dramatically with the intimacy of a meeting Thursday, in which he prayed with weeping victims of childhood sexual abuse by priests.
When Benedict addresses diplomats from around the world, he'll likely touch on several broad themes, said Jo Renee Formicola, a Seton Hall University political science professor who has studied the papacy and international affairs.
Among them: a call for bedrock ethical and moral principles as a guiding force even in pluralistic societies, a human rights agenda that encompasses religious freedom and the sacredness of human life and the responsibility of first-world nations to aid developing ones.

how:The pope will encourage the notion that individuals and states can rise above their own self interests and pursue the common good, Formicola said.
"This is his first real foray onto the world stage," she said. "I think he recognizes this as a historic moment. I don't think it's going to be about divisive issues. It's going to about all the things that unite us -- themes of peace, opportunity, aid and assistance."
The forum also gives Benedict license to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iraq, subjects he avoided at the White House as he stood next to the architect of the five-year-old war.