The author did some research and discovered that Christopher did indeed go to the Vatican on June 2, 1994 when President Clinton met Pope John Paul. He corrected his column to say that that “(Hillary) Clinton is the only secretary of state since Richard Nixon’s first secretary of state, William Rogers, to bypass the Holy See.”

Along with a number of U.S. seminarians from the North American College and Americans living in Rome or working at the Vatican, I met President Clinton and his wife that June day. Joined by then U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Ray Flynn and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, then secretary of State, the Clintons came to the Sala Clementina – the Clementine Hall – to greet us after meeting the Holy Father.

I have a photo of my meeting with the president, sent to me by Ambassador Flynn. I also have several photos of the Clintons posing with staff members of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, along with their newborns. Six babies had been born in the months prior to the Clinton visit!

When I wrote about the new Aleteia web site yesterday, I mentioned the press release announcing “A Moment with Mary” when various individuals and groups – pilgrimages, seminarians, Religious sisters, etc. - will pray the rosary daily, Monday through Friday, from the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica at 4 p.m.

I went to the square shortly after 4 this afternoon and took these photos:

In this photo, a pigeon has a moment with St. Peter!

TO KNOW GOD THE FATHER IS TO KNOW A FATHER’S LOVE

Addressing pilgrims in a packed Paul VI Hall today, Pope Benedict continued his general audience catechesis on the Creed and reflected on what we say when we pray “I believe in God, the Father Almighty.”

He began by noting that “it is not always easy today to talk about fatherhood. Especially in the West, where broken families, increasing work commitments, the concerns of trying to balance the family budget as well as the distracting invasion of the mass media in daily life can prevent a peaceful and constructive relationship between fathers and children.” He added that, “At times, communication becomes difficult, trust can be lost and relationships with the father figure can become problematic. And without adequate models of reference, even imagining God as a father becomes problematic.” He said this was especially true for people who have experienced overly authoritarian or absentee fathers.

But, said the Holy Father, the Bible helps us overcome these difficulties by telling us about a God who shows us what it truly means to be a "father, … a loving, patient and forgiving father who is also Almighty.”

He told the faithful that, “as Father, God accompanies our existence with love, giving us His Word, His teaching, His grace, His Spirit. ...If He is so good as to 'make His sun rise on the bad and the good and … rain to fall on the just and the unjust', then we can always, without fear and in complete faith, entrust ourselves to His forgiveness as Father when we choose the wrong path."

“Only the truly powerful can endure evil and show compassion,” explained Benedict XVI. “Only the truly powerful can fully exercise the power of love. And God, to whom all things belong because He made them all, reveals His strength by loving everything and everyone, patiently awaiting our conversion because He wants us as His children.

Pope Benedict concluded: “Saying, I believe in God the Father Almighty, in His power, in His way of being a father, is always an act of faith, conversion, transformation of our thoughts, our love, our whole way of life".

After the weekly audience, the Holy Father wonderfully summed up his catechesis with the following tweet: "Every human being is loved by God the Father. No one need feel forgotten, for every name is written in the Lord's loving Heart."

NEWS IN BRIEF

PAPAL CONDOLENCES: A day after the devastating fire in a discotheque in Brazil that killed 231 young people, Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone sent a telegram in the Pope’s name to Archbishop Helio Adelar Rubert of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where the fire occurred. "Shocked by the tragic death of hundreds of young people. the Pope asks that you express his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, sharing in the sorrow of all those who mourn them. He entrusts the dead to God, the Father of mercy, and prays for the comfort and restoration of the wounded and for the courage and consolation of all those affected by the tragedy. He sends his apostolic blessing to all those who are suffering and those who are assisting them."

INDULGENCES FOR DAY OF THE SICK: Pope Benedict has granted a Plenary Indulgence to the faithful participating in the 21st World Day of the Sick to be celebrated February 7 to 11 in Altotting, Germany, according to a decree from the Apostolic Penitentiary. Signed by Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de Castro and Bishop Krzysztof Nykiel, respectively penitentiary major and regent of this tribunal, the Plenary Indulgence will be granted under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer in keeping with the intentions of the Holy Father), applicable also to the souls of deceased faithful:

HOLY SEE-ISRAEL COMMISSION MEETS: Tuesday the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel held a plenary meeting in Jerusalem to continue negotiations pursuant to Article 10 para. 2 of the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel. The delegations were headed by Daniel Ayalon, deputy minister of Foreign Affairs and by Msgr. Ettore Balestrero, under-secretary of the Holy See for the Relations with States. A Vatican communique said, “the negotiations took place in a thoughtful and constructive atmosphere. The Commission took notice that significant progress was made and looks forward to a speedy conclusion of the Agreement. The parties have agreed on future steps and to hold the next plenary meeting in June 2013 at Vatican City.”

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