|
April 16, 1997 THINKING
OF YOU Most
Reverend Theodore E. McCarrick, Archbishop of Newark, tells
of his visit to Sarajevo along with I'm not traveling as much as I did several years ago, although I still have a chance to live through some very special experiences. One of these has to be the Holy Father's visit to Sarajevo this last weekend. There were a number of memories from the visit which will remain with me a long time, such as the seven hour journey over the mountains to arrive at that historic capital, driving through the rugged beauty of that battered land through towns whose names were so familiar because of what they had suffered. This time, unlike past visits, I was able on Saturday to join a short tour of the area with some visiting bishops from Europe and to see again the spot where the Grand Duke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated providing the spark which was to ignite the conflagration of the First World War. Arriving at Sarajevo's Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in anticipation of the Pope's coming last Saturday night, we heard the news of the discovery of the explosives under a bridge which his vehicles were to cross and we passed many minutes waiting with concern lest there be other undiscovered dangers. When the Holy Father finally arrive the tension was dissipated and he took time to greet each of the bishops who were present. I was happy to give him a laugh when I used few words I know in Croatian to welcome him. The faces of the people as the Pope spoke to them in their own language told an unforgettable story. Hanging on his every word, they listened for his assurance of solidarity and love as well as for the challenge to deeper faith and trust and to their own need to forgive the horrors of the past. The most vivid of the memories was the Eucharist in the sports park. I kept thinking of the weather we faced in Giants Stadium in October of 1995. Here in Sarajevo, we found a blinding snowstorm and bitter cold. It snowed so heavily at times that there seemed to be at least a half inch of snow gathered around my feet. The Holy Father was trembling from the cold. We all were. And when the snow would stop for a time, a warm sun shown for a few minutes, giving us hope before the clouds and the snow returned. But the Holy Father continued his prayers and continued his homily. He had waited too long to visit this part of his family to cut short his message or to leave them without the comfort of his words. Before I returned to Rome on Sunday evening, I was in the Archbishop's House when the leaders of the Muslim and the Jewish community came to meet Pope John Paul II. Since I had known them from prior journeys, it really gave me a sense of the truly historic nature of this extraordinary visit. There is no doubt in my mind that John Paul II is the unique moral leader of our society. The secular powers of this world and their media may not be pleased with the directness and the uncompromising power of his teaching, but his is the one voice that echoes the teaching of the Gospel and gives real hope to a very troubled world. You can be sure that as I concelebrated Mass with him last Sunday in the snow covered stadium, I offered it for all of us in the Church of Newark, thinking of you and of the blessings which we have so abundantly received.
|
