Reprinted from South Texas Catholic with permission:

Byline email address: By Paula Goldapp
STC Editor
Byline email address: By Liz Riggle
STC Correspondent

Bishop Carmody presided at the April 26 confirmations at Corpus Christi Cathedral. He is pictured wearing, for the first time in the diocese, the red vestments given to bishops for the celebration of Mass with Pope Benedict XVI at Nationals Stadium in Washington, DC. (Photo by STC Liz Riggle)   
 
Bishop Edmond Carmody returned to the Diocese of Corpus Christi with a sense of hope, and a new set of vestments— a chasuble and mitre— to be exact, after traveling to see Pope Benedict XVI in Washington D.C. The U.S. bishops met with the pope during a special meeting and also celebrated Mass with him at Nationals Stadium.

“He came to this country filled with love for the people and great respect for the people,” said Bishop Carmody in an interview with the South Texas Catholic upon his return. He noted that the theme of the papal trip, “Christ Our Hope,” set the tone for the pope’s entire stay in the U.S.

“This man was prepared to come here,” said the bishop, who added that the pope’s two papal encyclicals, on hope and love, were “really the standard that guided him in this country.

“So, he was coming with a lot of desire and a lot of love and a lot of respect for the country,” the bishop said.

“He realizes that the United States is a country of great faith. We are known all over the world as being a very religious people here. Nearly everybody in this country believes in God. He is very impressed by the very fact that we are trying to bring a little bit of our faith and faith values into public discourses. That is rare in the world today.”

Bishop Carmody said that another factor that impresses the pope “is that American Catholics are very loyal to the See of Peter. They are very faithful to that.”

The pope also realizes “that people in this country have to realize that they have a great influence in the world.”

Bishop Carmody explained that “what he is saying to us then is let your light shine before the world. If you can have that great influence in the world, let your light shine before the world. And he emphasized that we have to let our light shine because of our generosity.”

He noted that this generosity was expressed to all people after the hurricanes Katrina and Rita, following the attack on the twin towers, and in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.

The bishop said the pope pointed to the good the Catholic Church in the U.S. has done and emphasized the importance of institutions such as Catholic schools, which need to be maintained and expanded. Bishop Carmody was especially struck how the pope “affirmed people in this country…People have a pride in belonging to worshipping community. Because of that he calls us to make all things new in Christ.”

The pope stressed the importance of having sound information in the faith. “That cannot be overstated,” said the bishop. “We have to know our faith. …There has to be a real knowledge of the Lord.” He said this is critically important in the areas of ethical values and challenges experienced today.

Taking to heart the holy father’s words that the “pastoral care of the family falls on the bishop,” Bishop Carmody agreed and said, “We have to put resources and personnel into helping the family.” He noted that in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Father James Vasquez works full time in family life ministry.

“Healthy families bring about peace and justice and love,” said the bishop. He said that within the family unit there is the ability to care for the youth, the sick and the elderly.

The pope’s emphasis was that the family is the primary place for evangelization. “The sad thing today is that marriages are not being respected like they should be,” said the bishop, referring to people living together without marriage. He said children are “denied the great security of family in those circumstances.”

The pope also “talked to us about the abuse of minors. He dealt with that many times,” Bishop Carmody said. “He went on with a powerful statement that it is our God-given responsibility as pastors, that being us bishops, to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with love and concern to those who were seriously wronged. Then he went on to say that most of the clergy do great work. They are dedicated, loyal and committed. Only a very small few betrayed the trust. He dealt with that many times.”

Overall, Benedict “had a message of hope,” said Bishop Carmody. He said the pope stressed that “secularism is not the answer to the deep needs of the human heart. The things of the world do not satisfy the needs of the human heart. It’s only Christ who satisfies. If we open our hearts to Christ, Christ will give joy to the world.”