Spiritual renewal: Benedict XVI says he is 'deeply ashamed' of clergy sex abuse scandal; Valley Catholics plan to see pope in N.Y.

McALLEN - Rev. Rene Angel will walk onto the field of Yankee Stadium on Sunday to help give communion to the throng of Catholics receiving Pope Benedict XVI.

As someone who's also seen Benedict's predecessor John Paul II in person, Angel believes Benedict has fulfilled the pope's duties remarkably.

"After the so-called John Paul the Great, everybody thought (Joseph) Ratzinger was nothing," said Angel, using Benedict's birth name. "I was impressed. After three years, he was able to do so many things."

Benedict arrived in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday and is scheduled to travel to New York City on Friday.

Joining him in New York will be Angel, who leads parishes in McCook and San Isidro, and more than 60 other Catholic students, priests and administrators from the Diocese of Brownsville.

During Benedict's visit to the United States, he will celebrate his 81st birthday, as well as the third anniversary of his pontificate.
Initially, when Ratzinger was elected pope, some Catholics expected to see him act with a more aggressive, conservative style, given his prior position in the Church as one of the Vatican's lead defenders of Catholic doctrine.

Benedict and the Vatican have taken several political stands during his tenure as pope, criticizing the war in Iraq, promoting environmentalism, rallying against consumerism and calling attention to the plight of refugees.

But he's also made some controversial moves, delivering a speech in 2006 that ired Muslims and removing restrictions on a form of Latin prayer calling for Jewish conversion to Catholicism.

To some, Benedict's more moderate positions have come as a surprise.

But Bishop Raymundo Peña, who oversees the Diocese of Brownsville, said Benedict is the same man he's always been.

Peña said he first met the future Pope in the late 1980s, when he came off as kind, personable, intelligent and shy.

"He's more of a teacher or a professor," Peña said at McAllen-Miller International Airport prior to departing for New York City.

Three years after being elected pope, Benedict has received generally favorable views from American Catholics.

More than 80 percent of American Catholics say they are satisfied with Benedict's leadership, according to a poll conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

Catholics living in the Rio Grande Valley seem to echo that sentiment.

"I think he's doing a good job," said Linda Torline, 59, of McAllen. "He had a hard (pope) to follow. He's a different personality - a different character (than John Paul)."

Standing outside the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle, McAllen resident Robert Barela said Benedict has proven himself as a leader. He added that he appreciates Benedict's criticism of the war in Iraq.

"I think he's doing a fine job," said Barela, 56, who was raised Catholic.

In the United States, Benedict plans to visit a Catholic community populated by many so-called "cafeteria Catholics" who do not subscribe to all of the Vatican's views. In 2005, Benedict gave a speech that seemingly derided that position, stating adults must have faith that "does not follow the waves of today's fashions or the latest novelties."

Also facing Benedict is a population of Catholics who do not necessarily place a high priority on regular Mass attendance. The Georgetown survey found that 68 percent of Catholics said they believe they could be good Catholics without attending Mass. More than half of Catholics said they attend Mass just a few times a year or less.

Angel said he's hopeful the papal visit will change that, given the nearly half million people who reportedly sought tickets the Pope's public events in both cities.

"Many Catholics in this country think they are good Catholics, but they don't need to go to Mass; they don't need to go to confession," Angel said. "He's going to remark on this. It's important for us to be closer to God by going to Mass."

While younger Catholics attend Mass less frequently than the older generation, several University of Texas - Brownsville students are among those bucking the trend.

"I want to meet up with people my age and share my experiences," said Andres Lozano, 29, a UTB student majoring in history and pre-law and traveling to New York City for the pope's appearances this week.

"We're so honored to actually see the head of the Church, somebody who has dedicated his whole life to God."

_____

Ryan Holeywell covers PSJA and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.