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Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, center, who led the U.S. delegation to Pope Benedict XVI's April 24 inaugural Mass in St. Peter's Square, and Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele arrive for the Mass. Both politicians said they were impressed with the pageantry of the ceremony and with the new pope's views. (CNS photo by Nancy Wiechec) (April 26, 2005)

Lt. Gov. Steele believes Pope Benedict XVI will be teacher

April 28, 2005
By George P. Matysek Jr.
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Local News, News

On his return to Maryland from representing the United States on a three-member presidential delegation to Pope Benedict XVI’s April 24 installation Mass in Rome, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele said he was deeply impressed by the new Holy Father’s spirituality. The lieutenant governor believes Benedict XVI will be a “teaching pope” who challenges Catholics and non- Catholics alike to resist the “dictatorship of relativism.”

“John Paul II wrapped his arms around us and said, ‘Be not afraid,’” Lt. Gov. Steele told The Catholic Review. “Cardinal Ratzinger takes us by the hand and says, ‘Learn, listen, understand.’ It’s what parents do every day, particularly when their children fall and hurt themselves.”

A parishioner of St. Mary, Landover Hills, and a former Augustinian seminarian, the Republican lieutenant governor said the new pope will “help us understand what our faith means to us.” The Holy Father will call Catholics to the “classroom of our faith,” Lt. Gov. Steele said.

The lieutenant governor said he was impressed with the way Pope Benedict XVI responded to criticisms several years ago from those who pushed for the church to “keep up with the times” by relaxing its teachings on such issues as contraception and abortion.

“Cardinal Ratzinger told us to look at the churches that have done that,” Lt. Gov. Steele said. “Where are they today? They continue to struggle.”

The pope’s recent warnings about the dangers of relativism are important to all people, regardless of their religious beliefs, Lt. Gov. Steele said.

“The dictatorship of relativism is something that needs to be confronted and challenged,” he said. “We need to gird ourselves for that challenge. Those who lead are going to be examples for all of us.”

Lt. Gov. Steele said he was honored to be selected by President George W. Bush to represent the United States. He was joined by Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Carl A. Anderson, chief executive officer of the Knights of Columbus. Accompanying members of the delegation were Helen Alvare, associate professor of law at Catholic University of America, and Frank Hanley, president emeritus, International Union of Operating Engineers.

The lieutenant governor called the installation liturgy “breathtaking.”

“It was a stunning moment for any Catholic to confront your faith like that and see the majesty of it and see the power the faith has over you,” he said. “ You really do feel a part of the universal church.”

“I take advice from the leader of my church very seriously,” Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida said at a press conference the afternoon before the Mass.

“I also have a duty to uphold the laws of the state. I don’t believe this necessarily has to be in conflict,” he said, adding that religious leaders have a right to take a stand on political issues. “This helps not just Catholic governors, but others as well,” said Gov. Bush, who in 1996 became a Catholic, which is the faith of his wife, Columba.

Asked how he reacts when his views might go against those of church leadership, as in the Iraq War or on capital punishment, the governor admitted the divergence caused him concern.

“ I get uneasy when the Vatican writes me letters when a death penalty case is about ready to take place in Florida. That gives me pause. It makes me pray harder,” he said.

Benedicta Cipolla, Catholic News Service, contributed to this story.

Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org

Copyright © 2005 Catholic Review Media

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George P. Matysek Jr.

George Matysek, a member of the Catholic Review staff since 1997, has served as managing editor since September 2021. He previously served as a writer, senior correspondent, assistant managing editor and digital editor of the Catholic Review and the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

In his current role, he oversees news coverage of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and is a host of Catholic Review Radio.

George has won more than 100 national and regional journalism and broadcasting awards from the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association, the Catholic Press Association, the Associated Church Press and National Right to Life. He has reported from Guyana, Guatemala, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

A native Baltimorean, George is a proud graduate of Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School in Essex. He holds a bachelor's degree from Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore and a master's degree from UMBC.

George, his wife and five children live in Rodgers Forge. He is a parishioner of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland.

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