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Barry U. Students Talk About The Papal Visit
MIAMI SHORES (CBS4) ―
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The people of Park East Synagogue in Manhattan embraced Pope Benedict before, during and after he spoke to them on April 18. The pope became the first pontiff to visit a Jewish house of worship in the United States.
CBS
He's a tough act to follow; nothing could be truer for Pope Benedict XVI, successor to a pope many now call John Paul II. But in his visit to the U.S. this week, many say Benedict is also finding ways to impress and inspire in an understated yet powerful way.
Barry University is a Catholic School with a diverse, multi-religious, multi-ethnic student body. Their Festival of Nations celebration would have brought a smile to Pope Benedict, who addressed a global audience at the U.N. In turn, his trip this week is earning him praise from students here.
"I think it was very good how he talked with the victims assaulted by the clergy, and to get them back in the Catholic tradition and keep their hope," said student Juli Colotti.
"His handling of the abuse scandals, I actually didn't know how he'd handle it so well, and come up and talk about it, and be up front," said student Gaston Arellano.
The favorable impressions are not just from Catholic ranks. Pope Benedict's visit late Friday to a New York synagogue--a historic first in the U.S. for a pope--is earning him praise from South Florida Jewish leaders.
"The rabbi there is a survivor of the holocaust and has a relationship with the Vatican, and this is welcome and seen that way by American Jews," said Rabbi Gary Glickstein, of Temple Beth Sholom.
For centuries there was a wide rift between Judaism and Catholicism, as Jews often felt marginalized and persecuted. It's a rift the Vatican has been working to heal for decades now.
"And it was continued by John Paul, who called Jews his elder brothers and is now continued by this pope, and that is important not just for religious reasons but to unite the world in a positive direction," said Glickman.
Unity; it's a theme the pope has reflected on often this week, both within the Catholic Church and in the larger context of interfaith dialogue, society, and global relationships.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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