Cardinal says papal visit, like one in '79, will be 'moment of grace'

Published: 2008-03-24

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The 1979 visit of Pope John Paul II to the nation's capital "was a great gift," as will be Pope Benedict XVI's April 15-17 trip to Washington, said Cardinal William W. Baum. The cardinal, now retired, was Washington's archbishop from 1973 to 1980 and hosted Pope John Paul's visit. He recalled that those who had to prepare for it had only a short time to get ready. "We only had a couple of months!" he told the Catholic Standard, Washington's archdiocesan newspaper, in an interview at his residence. He chuckled and said, "Looking back, I don't know how we did it." Then he answered, "With God's grace!" The first pastoral visit by a pope to the capital of the United States remains a cherished memory for Cardinal Baum, who retired in 2001 after 11 years as head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican office that deals with matters of conscience. Before that he was prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education for 10 years. Cardinal Baum once summarized the 1979 papal visit to Washington as "a moment of grace."

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