An interesting post at the USCCB's papal blog by Judge Michael Merz, the Chairman of the National Review Board. I read his comments with great interest, given his proximity to the issues. He wrote [with my emphases and comments]:

As a National Review Board member, I was delighted with both the tone and content of Pope Benedict’s remarks on the sexual abuse crisis.

First of all, there was the expression of shame, first made on the flight to America and repeated several times. We are deeply ashamed, he said, of this gravely immoral behavior by priests who minister in our name and of our breach of trust with those we should have protected.

What should we do to respond? He told the bishops their first priority should be showing compassion and care to victims. And then he showed how it should be done – by listening to survivors in person. No bishop can ignore his example of meeting personally with victims. But the Church is not just bishops. All of us bear the shame and all of us should attend to healing by listening to survivors’ stories. That is the model pioneered so powerfully by Voice of the Faithful in Boston in 2002. Pope Benedict called on all of us to do that in his homily at Nationals Stadium.

Addressing the bishops, Benedict noted that the crisis had sometimes been very badly handled. To prevent more abuse, he specifically commended safe environment programs – a strong papal answer to those in the American Church who oppose that part of the Charter.

The Holy Father also asked us to look for deeper cultural causes of the crisis. Why did this outbreak of crime against children occur in our Church in our time? To answer that question, we must complete the Causes and Context Study promised in the Charter and now under way, but not yet fully funded. For a fraction of what the papal trip cost the American Church, we can completely fund that study.

Benedict emphasized the crisis calls for a “determined, collective response.” Let that be an answer to any bishop who insists on his right to “govern” his diocese while ignoring the Charter. [This is an obvious dig at Bishop Bruskewitz of Lincoln who still refuses to participate in the audits. The Diocese of Baker also did not participate in the 2006 audits.]

Most importantly, by returning to the crisis repeatedly, Pope Benedict reminded us that the pain of victims cannot be cured by wishful thinking. Each of us must reach out in pastoral concern to make healing happen. We are called to that task by our common baptism.

Here's Judge Merz's USCCB bio:

Judge Michael R. Merz is a United States Magistrate Judge. A native of Dayton, Ohio, he is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He was a Judge, Dayton Municipal Court, 1977-1984, and was appointed a United States Magistrate Judge in 1984. His work has included both court and jury trials in the areas of products liability, securities fraud, employment and housing discrimination, trade secret, trademark, and patent litigation, federal agency litigation, arbitration matters, and prisoner civil rights and habeas corpus cases. Judge Merz was Trustee, National Conference of Christians and Jews, Dayton chapter, 1988-1992, and Chair of the Cincinnati Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, 2002-2003.

He was appointed chairman in 2007.

An excerpt of the Register interview with Msgr. Georg Ratzinger. Via Father Z:

Now your brother has become Pope. How do you remember your last visit with him, at Christmastime?

Usually we celebrate Mass together in the morning. My brother is the main celebrant: The secretaries and I concelebrate. After the Mass there is silent thanksgiving. And then he reads the breviary to me; because of my eye problems, I cannot read the breviary anymore.

We also pray the lauds [morning prayer] and mid-morning prayer together. I have to be content with the Rosary. He reads the whole breviary in Latin.

Then we have breakfast, together with a few others. I go to my room. Often, Sister Christina reads something for me aloud. I listen to a lot of CDs.

A short time before lunch he comes to get me, and we go down together to eat. There we are together, also the secretaries. He pays attention to walks, to movement, because that is important for his physical condition.

I remember that once we were driven by car to the Lourdes grotto in the Vatican Gardens. My condition is too poor to walk there. And there we prayed the Rosary together. And then we talk a little bit and meet again for dinner.

After dinner we watch the news on RAI [Italian TV], then another little walk, compline [evening prayer] and the day ends.

Do you have a lot of time to talk together?

A little, but we spend the meal times together, the Celebration of the Eucharist, the afternoon Rosary and most of Sunday afternoon, after the siesta, especially in Castel Gandolfo.

For example, we sat close to the swimming pool there, [Which JPII had built.] where we read together and talked to each other. ... At the end of the day there is usually little time. But the minutes spent together suffice.

Do you plan another visit?

I will be going down April 22 because on April 24 there is a concert organized by Italian President [Giorgio] Napolitano, and I will attend that. So I will stay a few more days.

Has something changed on a personal level after the election of your brother as Pope?

No. My brother was already 78 years old when he was elected Pope. Our personal relationship had already lasted 78 years by then.

So, fundamentally, nothing changes with regard to that.

But is it possible for you to distinguish your “little brother” from your Holy Father?

Certainly I have respect for him and one has to distinguish between the general human aspect, him being my brother, and the ecclesial one, that he is my superior in that regard. And there he also enjoys my particular admiration.

But in our personal conversation we are just the same as ever.

Do you talk about theology and ecclesial politics?

Hardly. Our conversation is everyday talk, but also remembrances. On ecclesial politics very little, because I generally do not want to interfere in his job and I do not want to influence him in any way.

Issues that are known generally are sometimes taken into the discussion, but generally little.

And theology?

I like reading his works, but talking about it is something different. Sometimes when I have read something, I will ask him about it so that he can explain it to me. But we … are together in a human way and talk about everyday human life.

He asks about people he knows from Regensburg and other places. He wants to know how they’re doing and what they’re up to.

Do you regularly talk on the phone?

It varies; there is no rule — generally, at least once a week.

First he wants to know what has been going on, and I tell him. And then vice versa. We do not talk very long.

What practical benefit is there for you when your brother is the Pope?

Obviously, I see its practical benefit when I visit my brother in Rome: I get very quickly from the airport to the Vatican — and if you know the traffic jams around Rome then you know that this is not easy.

There is also an important dimension in the Eucharist: Here is the Vicar of Christ celebrating Mass. There is a special atmosphere around that. But apart from that everything is similar.

The image you get here is of a caring man who seeks to maintain a serious relationship with his brother despite the many worldwide demands. After the Holy Father's trip to the United States, doesn't this just up his human factor even more? So much for God's Rottweiler!

Gas prices are getting ridiculous, especially for someone like me with a bit of a commute each day. In Newsweek last week there was a cartoon in which Pope Benedict was riding in the popemobile and he passed a gas station and the speech bubble just had a bunch of symbols: "&@*#!" I think most people have that reaction.

Brian has a great post over at his place with a bunch of cartoons. They're hilarious so check them out, especially if you're frustrated with the current state of affairs.

Maybe I just don't keep my eye on these things too carefully, but this surprised me. A statement from the Archdiocese of New York posted at Pope2008:

“The Catholic Church clearly teaches that abortion is a grave offense against the will of God. Throughout my years as Archbishop of New York, I have repeated this teaching in sermons, articles, addresses, and interviews without hesitation or compromise of any kind. Thus it was that I had an understanding with Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, when I became Archbishop of New York and he was serving as Mayor of New York, that he was not to receive the Eucharist because of his well-known support of abortion. I deeply regret that Mr. Giuliani received the Eucharist during the Papal visit here in New York, and I will be seeking a meeting with him to insist that he abide by our understanding.”

I wasn't aware that he actually told Giuliani that he shouldn't receive. Interesting! I'm glad he made the statement public.

John Allen reports:

During the early phases of planning for Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to the United States, some voices advised against visiting America in the middle of the 2008 election, given the inevitable risk of being drawn into partisan politics. One senior Vatican official dismissed those fears with the quip: “When is it not campaign season in the United States these days?”

Apparently, it’s pretty much always campaign season in the Vatican these days too.

That, at least, is the conclusion one might draw from an April 25 article in Le Figaro by Hervé Yannou, the Rome correspondent of the leading French newsmagazine. Sounding an alarm about papal health, Yannou claimed that Benedict appeared weary during his American swing, particularly during his Saturday morning Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. Moreover, Yannou observed, Benedict skipped his regular Wednesday audience after his return from the States, and allowed a funeral Mass for Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo to be celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals. Going further back in time, Yannou also recalled that Benedict XVI did not walk the traditional Good Friday route in Rome’s Colosseum, but rather sat through most of it.

“And,” Yannou wrote ominously, “it’s no secret to anyone that the pope’s heart is fragile.”

Having made a case for declining papal vigor, Yannou suggested that it’s time to begin thinking about the post- Benedict XVI succession. Specifically, he pointed to two cardinals as occupying the pole position to become the next pope: the Italian Tarcisio Bertone, 74, currently Benedict’s top aide as the Secretary of State, and the Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, 72, who in effect was the runner-up to Benedict XVI in the conclave of April 2005.

Read the rest for a well-reasoned argument that this speculation has little basis in reality.

Today's "Ask the Teacher" column from the Boston Globe. I'll let this one speak for itself.

Q. Why does it seem like teachers are constantly fighting for more respect and better salaries? As a grad student pursuing a PhD in history, I originally envisioned college teaching but now find myself drawn to working with high school students, who seem more animated and less set in their ways. However, I'm reluctant to enter a profession where it seems like too much time is spent trying to legitimize one's work. What do you think is behind the public's perception of teachers? Is it accurate or deserved?

M.A., Boston

A. There's more than a measure of accuracy in your assessment of the situation. College professors, lawyers, accountants, and doctors certainly quibble about compensation, but rarely must they lose time validating their work to a doubting public. On the other hand, it seems that teachers do. And, in the process, they may find themselves depicted in the media as collectively and chronically kvetching about salaries, work conditions, and lack of appreciation.

There's no neat explanation of the tendency of some to question the worth of a high school educator. After 15 years in the classroom, these are my impressions. Many outside the profession look at it and can't see beyond summers off and a workday that appears to end with the midafternoon bell. Yes, there are teachers who mail it in and punch the clock. In my experience, however, they are by far the exception.

Like other professions in which nurturing individuals is the priority, teaching takes all the time you're willing to devote to it. It's not uncommon for some teachers to work 10-hour days and spend the weekend prepping and grading. Were you to work out the hourly wage for such a teacher, the modest salary would seem like a mere honorarium. Sure, there's time to lounge by the pool during the summer, but most teachers I know are furthering their education with more grad school courses and workshops, preparing for the next academic year, and supplementing their modest incomes by teaching classes, tutoring, or painting houses.

More disconcerting is the public perception that teaching is a breeze.

"High school? Been there, done that," chirps the cynic. "So, you stay a few pages ahead of the kids and inflate their grades to avoid hearing from parents."

Well, it takes more than the teacher's edition of a textbook to engage and inform a roomful of adolescents. How do you unlock a centuries-old sonnet for a couple of dozen individuals lacking an interest in iambic pentameter and unaccustomed to the pleasure of slowing down - of taking each line, word by etymologically rich word? How do you explain the worth and relevance of the process? Instinct, experience, and, sure, formal education all come into play at such moments. It takes a professional.

Analogy: I've undergone surgery, but I wouldn't perform it on somebody else.

Less conspicuous but more insidious is the increasing tendency of "educated" parents and their children, particularly in more comfortable communities, to treat high school merely as a means to an end. The meticulous plotting of a path to the Ivies begins early and earnestly. Often, and ironically, their children's achievement is divorced from intellectual curiosity. They present a united front of narrowness - in the name of lofty academic ambition. And they recoil at the teacher unwilling to play the role of mere facilitator. Woe to the lowly educator intrepid enough to present a challenge that risks marring Junior's high school transcript. Hell hath no fury like a "helicopter parent" scorned. These folks are sweetness and light when the A's are rolling in and present and prickly when the prospect of a C surfaces. These are the clever folks fond of chortling behind your back, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."

Should you forgo the college professor path, prepare for dealing with these attitudes as well as the well-intentioned but condescending "You teach high school? Good for you!" Such annoyances, though, fade to nothing placed alongside the matchless pleasure of those moments in class when teaching and learning are one. It's both a privilege and responsibility to meet students at a pivotal and impressionable time in their lives. And, yes, it is a labor of love.

If we do our jobs well, our students will become adults who understand the importance of education. They will afford teachers respect and a salary that says we value what you do.

An important news story we should not miss:

ROME - Pope Benedict XVI announced that a round of indulgences will be granted Monday, earlier than previously announced, and should help Catholics cope with temporal consequences of the rise of opportunities for daily sins, such as usury and the lies associated with election seasons, as well as aid a slumping salvific economy.

Critics said they were glad the remissions were about to go out, but suggested that multinational, corporately-backed structures of sin stood to benefit through the indulgences from an easing of conscience, making a trickle-down effect to the average layperson in the pew unlikely.

The salvation-economy stimulus package includes indulgences of 300 to 600 days, to be issued by the Apostolic Penitentiary to all faithful who made their Easter Duty by April 15. Those with lower numbers on their baptismal certificates will receive the indulgences first, reported analysts.

Enjoy the rest of this at the Shrine

One of my students attended the Papal Mass at Yankee Stadium last week with his family and this is what he emailed me about the experience:

What an awesome day. Despite being awake and traveling for 17.5 hours it was incredible. Best part was, they covered up nearly every “Pro-Yankee” bit of memorabilia in the stadium and covered it with the Papal Seal. It was chilly, but there was plenty of stuff going on before the mass to keep us occupied. This includes a concert (with a whole bunch of weird performance things, which I didn’t care for, but there was some good music as well), a wave that was initiated by a group of prep school guys, THEN CARRIED ON BY A CONVENT OF NUNS IN THE UPPER DECK! Those nuns got the entire stadium rocking the wave, and I loved every second of it. I don’t think I’ll ever see as many clergymen together in one place ever again. There were entire sections of priests, BISHOPS, deacons, seminarians, religious (of more orders than I can come up with…), choirs, Knights of Columbus, and Diocese from around the country. Oh and besides all this, the POPE was there also… Mass was beautiful, and music was excellent (which I know you would have appreciated). During the silent parts of the mass in between things there would be someone who would yell out “BENEDICTO!!!” (Italian I think…) and the entire stadium would break into cheers. Dead silent, and you’d hear one single person across the field, and everyone would be cheering! It was so awesome. “BEEEN-e-DIC-to!” Would be chanted, “WE LOVE YOU BENEDICT!” All sorts of good stuff. It was a fantastic experience and I guarantee I’m leaving out a ton of things that happened…

Case in point: Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence who writes of turning 60 in his column for the Rhode Island Catholic: