In 1870, the king of Italy captured Rome and declared it the new capital of Italy, ending papal control of the city. For many years afterward, the pope was called a “prisoner of the Vatican.” In fact, once elected, the pope rarely, if ever, left Vatican City. Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) was the first modern pope to journey on pastoral visits outside of Rome, but only within Italy. His successor, Pope Paul VI, was the first pope to travel internationally. And we recall the legendary globetrotting of Pope John Paul II.

    Why does the pope visit different countries around the world? Each bishop visits the parishes in his diocese to meet with his people, to celebrate Mass with them, and to have the opportunity to directly teach them. In all of this, he is a sign of unity for the people of God under his care. The bishop is also the sign of the unity of the local church with the universal church. It is important that, from time to time, all of us experience that unity by seeing the Bishop of Rome, the successor of Peter, who is the visible sign of universal unity.

   Pope Benedict XVI’s pastoral visit to the United States from April 15 through April 20, 2008, will take him to Washington, D.C., and to New York City. This will be the first papal visit to the United States since Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1999. On April 16, his 81st birthday, Pope Benedict will first visit President Bush at the White House, then gather with all the bishops from this country at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The next day, he will celebrate the Eucharist at the Washington Nationals baseball stadium.

   The next day the pope will travel to New York City, where he will address the United Nations, visit “Ground Zero” at the site of the former World Trade Center, and celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium. The visit of the Holy Father will be a unique opportunity for us to renew our unity as a local church and our unity with the church throughout the world.

   This will be the eighth trip outside of Italy for the pope, but this visit will not be his first to the United States. Before being elected pope, Benedict XVI traveled extensively as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and I recall one of his visits to a conference I attended in Dallas in the 1990s.

   Pope Benedict XVI has chosen “Christ Our Hope” as the theme for his six-day pilgrimage to the United States. In all likelihood, his messages will further develop what he wrote in his encyclical, “Spe Salvi” (“In Hope We Were Saved”), in 2007. “Let us put it very simply,” he said in his encyclical released last November 30, “man needs God. Otherwise, he remains without hope.”