Pope Benedict XVI's Visit to CUA

Throughout March and April, Very Rev. David M. O’Connell, C.M., CUA president, participated in numerous interviews related to the pope’s visit. Father O’Connell appeared on EWTN-TV’s “The World Over” on March 28. His 15-minute interview led off the broadcast. Father O’Connell was quoted in a March 30 National Catholic Register article about “Catholic University and College Students Welcome the Pope Day,” describing how students from area universities were being invited to view the pope as he visited the CUA campus.

In the last two weeks of March, Father O’Connell was interviewed about the papal visit by the International Herald Tribune, Boston Catholic TV, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Le Figaro, the Washington Times and the Associated Press.

During the first week of April, Father O’Connell was interviewed by CBS 3 (Philadelphia), Wall Street Journal, German Public Radio, and ARD German TV. He was a guest on the Sunday, April 6, broadcast of CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."

He was quoted in an April 9 Washington Times article about preparations at CUA and the expected nature of the pope’s address on Catholic education.

Father O’Connell was interviewed by Hearst TV on April 11. He was a guest on Fox News Channel’s “Weekend Live” on April 13 to discuss the papal visit. A portion of a taped interview he conducted for CBS News Radio aired that day and on April 15.

Father O’Connell was featured in Q-and-A articles about the pope in the April 13 editions of National Catholic Register and Our Sunday Visitor. He was quoted in the April 13 Tampa (Fla.) Tribune and Philadelphia Inquirer about Pope Benedict XVI.

Father O’Connell appeared on the “Diane Rehm Show” on April 14 and discussed the pope’s visit on NECN-TV (Boston) the same day. He was quoted in the Los Angeles Times that day about the Holy Father’s anticipated message and relationship with the United States.

He discussed the pope’s personality in an Associated Press article that was picked up across the country.

Father O’Connell and several students were featured in an April 14 WUSA-TV story about the preparations at CUA.

Father O’Connell was a guest on CNN with anchor Wolf Blitzer April 15, 16 and 20. On each of those days, he appeared live in several segments of the program to discuss the pope’s visit to the United States, and specifically to CUA.

On April 15, Father O’Connell was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article about the pope’s anticipated message during his speech to Catholic educators at CUA.

Father O’Connell discussed the visit on WNBC-TV (New York), WABC-TV (New York) and CBS 3 TV (Philadelphia) , WTTG-TV (Washington, D.C.), WCBS-TV (New York), WHDH-TV (Boston) and WOR-AM (New York) on April 15.

Father O’Connell, Rev. Kurt Pritzl O.P., dean, philosophy, and CUA students Kevin Dolan and Christopher Pierno appeared on WNYW-TV (New York) on April 15.

Father O’Connell was featured on Vatican Radio on April 18 discussing the challenges Catholic colleges face while trying to maintain their religious identity and was quoted in an April 18 Washington Times article about the papal address to Catholic educators at CUA.

Frank Persico, vice president for university relations, who was present for Pope John Paul II’s visit to CUA in 1979 and was co-chair of the CUA papal visit committee in 2008, gave several interviews in April, including: WLVI-TV (Boston), WTTG-TV, WUSA-TV (both Washington , D.C.), WHDH-TV (Boston),WCBS-TV (New York) and Cox News Service.

News Channel 8 and Voice of America interviewed Persico and Craig Parker, associate vice president and general counsel, about their experiences during Pope John Paul II’s visit to CUA in 1979.

CUA architecture students J.P. Mikolajczyk and Ryan Mullen were the focus of numerous news stories in April that reported on their work designing the altar, pulpit, lectern and chair used during Pope Benedict XVI's celebration of the Mass on April 17 at Nationals Park. WRC-TV, WUSA-TV, WJLA-TV, News Channel 8 (all Washington, D.C.), Religion News Service, Washingtonian, Capital (Annapolis , Md.), the Knights of Columbus Web site, the Associated Press, “Good Morning America,” WBZ-TV (Boston), WFXT-TV (Boston), Washington Times, Catholic Online, WFMZ-TV (Allentown, Pa.) and Sinclair Broadcasting Group were among the many outlets that interviewed the students in the last month.

Peter Osgood, a senior biology major who was the winner of the papal essay contest on Catholic education that afforded him the opportunity to greet the pope as he arrived on CUA’s campus, gave several interviews about his essay and his encounter with the Holy Father, including: Wellsville (N.Y.) Daily Reporter, WTOP-AM (Washington , D.C.), WJLA-TV, WUSA-TV, News Channel 8 (all Washington, D.C.), “Good Morning America,” Washington Times, Catholic Courier (Rochester, N.Y.), Zenit News Agency, National Catholic Register, Finger Lakes Times (Geneva, N.Y.), Medill News Service and CNN.

Listed below, mostly in chronological order, are other media interviews related to the papal visit.

Dean Hoge, professor emeritus, sociology, was quoted in a March 11 Westchester (N.Y.) Journal News article about the priest shortage and how the pope may respond to the problem. He also was quoted in a March 29 Washington Post article about how non-Catholics view Pope Benedict XVI.

Junior Joan Soloman, sophomores Liz Henaghan and Kelly Nawrocki and freshman Lauren Power were featured in a March 20 Dialog (Wilmington , Del.) article about the pope’s visit to CUA.

Rev. Joseph Komonchak, professor, theology and religious studies, was quoted in a March 24 Journal News (Westchester , N.Y) article about the personality and identity of Pope Benedict XVI. The article was picked up by USA Today.

Monsignor Kevin Irwin, dean, theology and religious studies, and Holger Zaborowski, assistant professor, philosophy, were interviewed for a March 31 News Channel 8 (Washington, D.C.) story about the biographical background of Pope Benedict XVI.

"A Common Morality for the Global Age," a symposium held at CUA, was the subject of an April 1 Catholic News Service article. The symposium, held in response to a request from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became Pope Benedict XVI, was held on campus March 27-30.

NBC’s “Today Show” recorded a segment about the papal visit with several CUA students on April 4.

Christopher Fullam, a junior architecture major, was quoted in the Eagle (Reading, Pa.) on April 4 and April 18 about the chair he and three other CUA students designed for the pope’s use at CUA. He also was interviewed April 5 by Channel 69 Reading about the chair.

William Dinges, professor, theology and religious studies, was quoted in an April 5 Richmond Times-Dispatch article about the changes in the direction of the Catholic Church in the United States.

Monsignor Kevin Irwin, dean, theology and religious studies, participated in numerous media interviews in April regarding the pope’s visit. He was quoted in an April 6 Star-Ledger (Newark , N.J.) article about the differences between Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

He appeared in an April 9 News Channel 8 story about the personality of Pope Benedict XVI in comparison to Pope John Paul II.

Monsignor Irwin was quoted in an April 12 Newhouse News Service article about the personality differences between Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

He was interviewed by Bloomberg Radio and Fox News on April 14 and NPR’s “All Things Considered” on April 15.

Washington, D.C. television stations WJLA, News Channel 8, WTTG and WUSA aired stories April 7 about a rehearsal by the CUA choir that was preparing to sing for Pope Benedict XVI when he arrived to deliver his address on campus. ARD German TV, Bloomberg News Service and the Washington Times also covered the CUA choir.

Student Jose Urquilla was interviewed about the papal visit by Univision on April 7.

Rev. Joseph Wiseman, O.S.B., associate professor, theology and religious studies, was interviewed by Voice of America on April 8 about the interfaith meeting the Holy Father was scheduled to hold at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. Father Wiseman also was quoted in an April 17 Catholic Star Herald (Camden, N.J.) article about the pope's visit to the United States.

Tori Engelstad, a senior architecture major, was profiled in an April 8 Monitor (Trenton, N.J.) article. Engelstad was part of the team that designed the papal altar used during Mass at Nationals Park. She was quoted in a similar April 10 Asbury Park (N.J.) Press article.

Helen Alvaré, associate professor, law, student Susan Baumert, James Brennan, provost, and Monsignor Kevin Irwin, dean, theology and religious studies, were interviewed by Voice of America on April 10 about the papal visit.

Sophomore Jeff Nowak was quoted in an April 11 Catholic Observer (Springfield, Mass.) article about Massachusetts residents having a chance to view the pope during his U.S. visit.

Holger Zaborowski, assistant professor, philosophy, was interviewed about the visit by N24 German TV on April 11.

Local TV stations WRC, WUSA, WTTG and WJLA, along with Fox El Paso, the Examiner, the Catholic Standard, N24 German TV and Bloomberg News Service covered the April 11 delivery to CUA of the chair the pope was to use at the university. Father O'Connell was on hand to welcome the arrival of the chair as were its designers — CUA students Javid Farazad, Christopher Fullam, Doug Pettit and Siobhan Steen. The April 13 issue of the National Catholic Register also noted the students who designed the chair for the pope’s visit to CUA.

Helen Alvaré, associate professor, law, participated in a Knights of Columbus television panel discussion previewing the pope’s visit on April 13. The same day she was quoted in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about the papal visit. She appeared on “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” on April 15 to discuss the pope’s visit.

William D’Antonio, adjunct professor, sociology, was quoted in an April 14 New York Times article about the problems facing the Catholic Church in anticipation of the papal visit.

Sophomore Jonathan Jerome was quoted in an April 14 Wall Street Journal article about the problems facing the Catholic Church during the pope’s visit to the United States.

Stephen Schneck, associate professor, politics, was quoted in an April 14 Reuters article about the policy differences between the pope and President George W. Bush.

Students Brendan Koeth, Megan Lynch, Christine Shaw and Karina Valenzuela were interviewed by NY 1 Television (New York) about campus preparations for the papal visit.

Rev. Joseph Komonchak, professor, theology and religious studies, was quoted in an April 15 Washington Post article about the personality of Pope Benedict XVI and the message he was expected to deliver to the United States.

Students Luigi Alvarado and Adrian Negron and Rev. Mark Morozowich, associate dean for seminary and ministerial programs, theology and religious studies, were interviewed by NY1 Noticias (New York) on April 14.

Father Morozowich also was quoted in an Associated Press article about souvenirs of the papal visit. The article was picked up by several news outlets across the country.

Provost James Brennan was interviewed about the Holy Father’s visit by WLS-TV (Chicago) on April 14. Brennan also was quoted in an April 17 Baltimore Sun article about the balance between religious identity and academic freedom at Catholic schools.

WJLA-TV (Washington, D.C.), the Washington Times and Belgian TV covered the candlelight rosary ceremony held in anticipation of the pope’s visit at CUA on April 14.

Kurt Martens, assistant professor, canon law, discussed the papal visit on VRT Belgian TV on April 14 and Dutch Catholic Television on April 15.

Student Matt Tixier was interviewed April 15 by KABC-TV (Los Angeles) about his anticipation of seeing the pope.

Students Brenna Hanson, Jon Laird, Brian Niemiec, Peter Osgood and Anna Reed were quoted in an April 15 Washington Times article about their excitement of viewing the pope.

William D’Antonio, adjunct professor, sociology, was interviewed by CBS on April 15.

Student Katelynd Mahoney discussed her anticipation of viewing the pope on WFLD-TV (Chicago) on April 15.

Student Rob VanBenschoten discussed his excitement as he awaited the Holy Father on WXIA-TV (Atlanta) on April 15.

Eve Kornhouser, adjunct professor, music, discussed the anticipated effects of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit on News Channel 8 (Washington, D.C.) on April 15.

Heather Maschi, student, discussed preparations on campus on WJLA-TV (Washington, D.C.) on April 15.

Senior Joanna Berry and Sophomore Mark Koury contributed brief essays to the WUSA-TV (Washington, D.C.) Web site about how Catholicism has impacted their lives.

Victor Nakas, associate vice president for public affairs, and sophomore Alec Davis were quoted in an April 16 Chronicle of Higher Education online article about security and logistical preparations on campus.

Rev. Paul Sullins, associate professor, sociology, discussed the papal visit on WRC-TV (Washington, D.C.) on April 16.

Rev. Anthony Pogorelc, S.S., counseling associate at Theological College and Life Cycle Institute associate fellow, served as a commentator on WTTG-TV on April 16 during the station's coverage of the pope's trip to the White House.

Christopher Seibt, a master’s candidate in philosophy, was the focus of an April 16 Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) article about his second-place entry in CUA’s papal essay contest. Seibt’s essay won him a seat in the Great Room of the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center when the Holy Father delivered his speech at CUA.

Senior Catie Picou appeared on CNN on April 16 to discuss her anticipation of the papal visit.

Columbia magazine and Fox 9 (New York) covered the April 16 all-night prayer vigil held in anticipation of the pope’s arrival on campus.

Colleen Hyland, a junior psychology major, and Katherine Lathan, a senior music major, were quoted in an April 17 Mercury (Pottstown , Pa.) article about their upcoming roles in the pope’s visit. Hyland was a volunteer working in the Great Room of the Pryzbyla Center. Latham sung at the Mass at Nationals Park.

Freshman Joe St. George was interviewed by NPR on April 17 about attending Mass at Nationals Park.

Martha Cruz Zuniga, assistant professor, business and economics, was interviewed by WGN-TV (Chicago) on April 17 about the number of Hispanic Catholics in the United States.

Lucia Silecchia, professor, law, was quoted in an April 17 Newsweek article about the pope’s views on the environment.

Seniors Sarah Ferry, Emily Goudreau, Natalie Pyle and Sarah Raminhos were featured in an April 17 Catholic News Service article about their opinions of Pope Benedict XVI and their experience seeing him enter the Pryzbyla Center.

Freshman Bobby Niebler was quoted in an April 18 Newsday (Long Island , N.Y.) article about the pope’s visit to Washington , D.C.

Students Brian Freiberger, Matthew Gittens, Beth Kramer and Kaylee Rattie were quoted in an April 18 Washington Post article about how young people view Pope Benedict XVI.

CUA students Olivia Buthod, Anne Chriszt, Paraic Maher, Dean Petrone and Emily Viano were quoted in an April 18 New York Times article about the role Catholicism plays in the lives of students on CUA’s campus.

Ahmad Iravani, adjunct professor, law, was interviewed by WUSA-TV April 18 about the interfaith meeting Pope Benedict XVI held at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.

Law student Rachel Sanford was quoted in an April 18 Toledo (Ohio) Blade article about local residents who participated in the pope’s visit to Washington, D.C.

Student Lucy Consler was quoted in an April 18 Catholic Courier (Rochester, N.Y.) article about her experience seeing the pope at CUA.

Law student Sean O’Donnell was quoted in an April 19 World Magazine article about security precautions during the pope’s visit.

Lisa Gulino, a doctoral student in ministry, was featured in an April 19 Sun Chronicle (Attleboro, Mass.) article about her experience seeing the pope in Washington, D.C.

Junior Ryan Reilly was featured in an April 20 Burlington County (N.J.) Times article about the Tower blog he helped maintain during the pope's visit.

William D’Antonio, adjunct professor, sociology, was quoted in an April 21 USA Today article about the effects of the pope’s trip to the United States.

Father John Chen Guang Qian, who is pursuing a licentiate in sacred theology at CUA, was quoted in an April 23 Catholic News Service article about the Mass he concelebrated in Washington, D.C., during Pope Benedict XVI's visit.

To read some of the articles mentioned above, click here.

In addition to all of the individual interviews listed above, Catholic University's Mall area (adjacent to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception) was the site for numerous live and taped reports by all the major TV networks in the United States on April 16 and 17.

Architecture and Planning

Miriam Gusevich, associate professor, was quoted in an April 20 Capital (Annapolis , Md.) article about plans to redevelop Annapolis. A team of CUA architecture and planning professors and graduate students submitted a proposal for the city’s future development.

Business and Economics

Maria Sophia Aguirre, associate professor, was quoted in a Feb. 17 Our Sunday Visitor article about how the weakened U.S. dollar has impacted the work of charitable organizations overseas.

Canon Law

Rev. Philip Brown, assistant professor, was quoted in an April 13 Naples (Fla.) Daily News article about the dedication of the oratory on the campus of Ave Maria University.

Rev. Robert Kaslyn, assistant professor, was quoted in an April 5 Columbia News Service article about marriages performed by Internet-ordained ministers.

English

Rosemary Winslow, associate professor, was featured in an April 2 Street Sense (Washington, D.C.) article about teaching homeless women how to write poetry.

Law

Helen Alvaré, associate professor, was quoted in a March 12 Denver Catholic Register article about the Living the Catholic Faith Conference which took place in Denver March 7-8. Alvaré delivered the keynote address at the
conference.

Suzette Malveaux, associate professor, appeared on “Art Fennell Reports” on CN8 TV in Philadelphia on April 28 to discuss lethal injection as a form of capital punishment.

Elizabeth Winston, assistant professor, was quoted in an Apri 28 National Law Journal article about whether the patent appeals judges for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office were unconstitutionally appointed.

Philosophy

Michael Pakaluk, visiting associate professor, wrote a column for the March 7 Pilot (Boston) article about the work of author and commentator William F. Buckley.

Politics

Maryann Cusimano Love, associate professor, wrote a column for the April 7 issue of America about Catholic peacebuilding around the world. Her column, “Morality Matters,” appears regularly in the magazine.

Stephen Schneck, associate professor, was quoted in an April 1 Time article about the Democratic presidential primary race in Pennsylvania.

Schneck also was quoted in an April 1 Canwest News Service (Toronto) article about the effect of the Monica Lewinsky scandal on Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Schneck was quoted in an April 9 Bloomberg News Service article on Iraq and the November presidential election.

He was quoted by the Bucks County Courier Times April 12 in an article on Catholics and voting.

Sociology

An April 1 Catholic News Service article detailed a study by Dean Hoge, professor emeritus. The study found that many young adult Catholics are interested in church ministry but find it difficult to connect their careers with available ministries.

Hoge was quoted in an April 3 Plain Dealer (Cleveland) story about the increase in financial donations to the Church.

Rev. Paul Sullins, associate professor, was quoted in an April 16 Newsday (Long Island , N.Y.) article about priests who are ordained at a later age.

Father Sullins was quoted in an April 25 Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle article about the decline in enrollment at Catholic schools.

Theology and Religious Studies

Monsignor Kevin Irwin, dean, was quoted in a March 30 Naples (Fla.) Daily News article about the dedication Mass at the Ave Maria oratory in Naples.

John Grabowski, associate professor, was quoted in an April 25 Tidings (Los Angeles) article about Catholic adolescents and the Church’s teachings on human sexuality.

Students

Mike Asplen and Layla Calderon, law students, were quoted in a March 19 Washington Post article about students who camped out at the Supreme Court to hear arguments about the legality of the D.C. gun ban.

WRC-TV (Washington, D.C.) aired a story April 22 about CUA students who went to Pennsylvania to assist in the Democratic presidential primary election.

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