One of the last men you'd expect to be hit by lightning would be Pope John Paul II; but these days he's a human lightning rod. All the good and ill of Western civilization seems to end up on his doorstep.
Pop singer Sinead O'Connor tore his photograph to shreds on national television to protest abusive fathers. Abortion and birth control advocates have become just another inconvenience of the pope's travel agenda. In Denver, the pope will be greeted by "Dignity" (an ecumenical group in favor of women being ordained priests), Operation Rescue (militant anti-abortionists), gay rights activists and many others."I don't know how much of it will be positive," says The Rev. Warren E. Schoeppe, S.J., of Brigham City. "But it will give the pope a chance to restate his position about such things."
Indeed, the pope's visit to Denver may be a rallying point for protesters, though the devout in Denver still greatly outnumber the dissatisfied. According to Newsweek magazine, 500,000 pilgrims will fly, ride and drive into town this weekend. That's the very population of Denver. More than 3,000 members of the media have been given credentials. Some 1,200 Utahns have officially registered with the local diocese to attend, though many more people from the state will be showing up. Congregants will be there from every state and a dozen countries.
"It's like Woodstock, except there were no services at Woodstock," volunteer Julia Geisman recently told USA Today.
Pre-Denver festivities in Salt Lake City alone included a gathering of 3,000 kids at Utah State Fair Park where contemporary Christian singers entertained and Keith Fournier, a Catholic evangelist, spoke with the fervor usually found at revivals. In fact, the theme of World Youth Day itself seems to be "A Catholic Revival."
Denver promises to take the passion and energy to higher levels. Young Catholics all over the West are feeling a Rocky Mountain high.
After arriving in Denver today, the pope will meet with President Clinton, learn the agenda and immediately begin ministering to the youth.
As the pontiff told a gathering of young people at the 1985 World Day of Peace: "Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid of your own youth and of those deep desires you have for happiness, for church, for beauty and for lasting love. . . . When I look at you, the young people, I feel great gratitude and hope."
All the pope's personal appearances in Denver will be geared to that theme.
"What we're all hoping is that the youth come away from the pope's visit with a greater sense of God, and a sense they are supported by their church," says Kathy Hodges, who handles communications for the Salt Lake Diocese.
And to ensure that teens who return from Denver don't drift, the diocese is encouraging extensive follow-up programs.
"Many of the local parishes don't have youth programs," says Mike Harmon, associate director of youth services for the diocese. "We're pushing the fact these kids will make a fine core group to get a youth group going. We want to build on the excitement."
And "Excitement" is a good word for the atmosphere in Denver. The city is mile-high over the visit. Posters featuring the pope blare out: "The World Comes to Denver in '93." Cattle pens and parking garages have been cleaned up to house the campers. Porta potties (called "Vati-Cans") have sprung up in places where "Pope Sightings" might be expected and signs tacked to homes read "Across the street from the pope!" Some of the richer pilgrims are renting private homes for $20,000 just to be within earshot of his message.
In short, this is the "Holy Invasion," a new crusade - the pope's only United States stop this year. In his most recent U.S. visit in 1987, he visited nine cities.
The media is everywhere asking questions. Yet behind all the "where, when and who" questions lurks another: What does all this mean? Has the Pope become just another popular icon? And will the distortion surrounding his visit cause more harm than good?
"The media, the promoters - perhaps even the city of Denver - have really played on the celebrity aspect of all this," says Schoeppe. "I've seen four pages of fine print just listing the souvenirs available.
"On the other hand I do think some good could come of it. If all the interest serves to show all those people who are negative about religion how many of us in this country take it seriously, well, that can be positive."
And why the pope instead of some other religious leader?
One answer is the grandeur of the Catholic Church itself. Sooner or later, all Christianity - all religion, in fact - must come to grips with Rome and the pope. The Catholic Church is the repository for perhaps the most celebrated religious music (Handel, Bach), theologians (Augustine, Aquinas) and living symbols of piety (Mother Teresa). The pope is the caretaker of it all. For intellectuals and artists, Rome has always been seductive. And judging from the response to the pope's Colorado visit, that seductive quality is being felt all across America.
The pope is - as Bishop Weigand has pointed out - a tremendous symbol, even if people refuse to follow his counsel.
*****
Chart
Catholic Church
Statistical Profile in 1992
U.S. Worldwide
Parishes 19,581 215,805
Priests 51,358 403,173
Nuns 97,751 882,111
Elementary students 1,948,457 24,114,467
Secondary students 602,856 12,440,898
College students 633,480 1,134,183
Catholic hospitals 624 5,675
Baptisms 1,128,376 18,131,469
Marriages 322,550 3,980,061
Total Catholics 55,337,316 928,500,000
Percent of Population 22 18
Source: Scripps Howard News Service