U.S. Vatican envoy prepares way for the pope

Cathy Lynn Grossman in USA Today: Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the veteran Vatican diplomat who serves as the Holy See's U.S. ambassador, knows exactly why the world will see — but not hear — Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the bedrock at Ground Zero during the pope's first visit to the USA. The silence is Sambi's idea. "This will be a moment of solidarity with those who died and their families. He will walk alone to indicate the loneliness of those who went to their deaths and the loneliness of the survivors." It is Sambi's job to know what is required, spiritual or political or trivial, to make a success of the shy, scholarly pope's visit. | Read more...

Related:

• NY1's Shazia Khan: One of the most important visits the pope will make during his U.S. trip will be to St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., where he will conduct a rally for seminarians and youth — encouraging young people to seek vocations within the church.

Photo: Joe Brier for USA Today