HAS THE POPE’S VISIT MANAGED TO STIR THE AMERICAN CONSCIENCE?

I note with interest that the media, seemingly hell-bent on drumming the 2008 Presidential campaigns into the ground, suddenly stopped dead in its tracks when the Alitalia Jet Liner landed in Washington and the Pope emerged. It appeared to me that Fox, for one, did not intend to cover the visit to the extent that it has; I think they were caught off guard when America’s television sets zeroed in on every move the Pope was making. Suddenly, the networks changed their programming and the Pope ended up being in charge of the day.

Just what is it about this guy that has jerked us out of our armchair prognostications about the election long enough to follow his path as he has made his way from Washington to New York, wowing audiences with his every nuance?

Perhaps we are entranced by the pomp and circumstance surrounding his visit? The trumpets announcing his arrivals? The choirs, like angels, singing praise to the Lord? The Popemobile? The fact that leaders from all walks of life and all countries have stopped their daily routines to pay honor and tribute to His Holiness?

To observe his demeanor as he winds his way through the crowds and to the alter, the way he displays gracious humility when in the presence of the President, the world’s ambassadors, and American public is somewhat akin to watching poetry in motion. Yet, he has no hesitation in making it clear that the message he proffers is the most urgent and important business of the week.

Surely, if he had time to catch the late night news, his stomach must have turned many times. On the one hand, the polygamy issues in Texas and Arizona have occupied a fair amount of the remaining news time. So have the teenage beating videos. I’m sure I could make the list of national shames as long as I wanted to. The only major thing missing this week was another Britney saga.

What the Pope seems to be saying is, “Stop this nonsense and get your acts together!” And, we seem to be tuning in.

Could it be that the American sway to the extreme liberal left is being jerked back toward the center spectrum of life? Is it possible that we might be rethinking our obsessions with coke, crack, pot, sex, and other hedonistic indulgences? I read recently that Americans are starting to come back to the religious flocks in droves and the fascination with the Papal visit seems to fit right into that trend.

It may well be that the propriety of our national history is about to be restored, and that we are about to regain our leadership in this world when it comes to ethics and morality. What a breath of fresh air that would be. And, if the message being delivered by the Pope happens to be the nudge that makes it all happen, his visit will most certainly have not gone in vain.

That’s MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.