CV NEWS FEED // In a May 14 editorial, the editors of EWTN’s National Catholic Register (NCR) issued a plea to Pope Francis, entreating the Pontiff to make a visit to the United States.
In light of the current rumors circulating that Pope Francis might be considering a visit to the US in September for the opening assembly of the United Nations, NRC’s editors wrote:
The Catholic faithful of America would like to deliver a heartfelt collective appeal to the Holy Father: If you can indeed fit such a papal trip into your busy schedule, please do visit us this fall!
As CatholicVote previously reported, the Vatican announced in April that Pope Francis would embark on “the longest journey of his pontificate in September,” during which he is set to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. AP News also reported that additional countries could be added to the Pontiff’s journey.
NCR’s editors encouraged Pope Francis not to limit his visit to UN headquarters in New York, which, they point out in their address to him, “falls within the same geographical confines as your earlier trip here to attend the 2015 World Meeting of Families.”
“It’s our fervent hope that you will venture further afield in our nation,” they went on, so that the Pontiff might “experience the beauty, faith and warmth of America and its people,” who are “in desperate need of the salvific love and mercy of Jesus Christ.”
The editors also noted that the visit could help “dispel inaccuracies about the US Church that have been propagated in Rome by some papal advisers,” and by secular press in the US itself.
Specifically, NCR’s editors cite the recent AP News article, “‘A step back in time’: America’s Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways.” The article, they state, mischaracterizes the apostolate group Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) as a “traditionalist organization.”
They continued:
In fact, as the Holy Father will be delighted to discern if he is able to travel more extensively here, nothing could be further from the truth. FOCUS itself is a case in point. A visit to any of the 193 campuses where youthful FOCUS missionaries are in place would provide an opportunity to see how they are drawing college students toward Christ.
Ultimately, they wrote, a papal visit in September “would represent an unparalleled spiritual doubleheader for our nation in 2024,” as the visit would coincide with the conclusion of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival.
“So please, Holy Father,” the editors concluded: “do come to America if you can. We’d love to welcome you once again!”
