April 5, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Swaziland: Journalism: Television: Religion: Philly.com: For MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews, the death of Pope John Paul II is "a chance for me to connect spiritually with my church."
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April 5, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Swaziland: Journalism: Television: Religion: Philly.com: For MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews, the death of Pope John Paul II is "a chance for me to connect spiritually with my church."
| RPCVs and Friends remember Pope John Paul II Tony Hall found the pope to be courageous and capable of forgiving the man who shot him in 1981, Mark Gearan said the pope was as dynamic in person as he appears on television, Maria Shriver said he was a beacon of virtue, strength and goodness, and an RPCV who met the pope while serving in the Solomon Islands said he possessed the holiness of a man filled with a deep love and concern for humanity. Leave your thoughts here. |
For MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews, the death of Pope John Paul II is "a chance for me to connect spiritually with my church."
For MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews, the death of Pope John Paul II is "a chance for me to connect spiritually with my church."
Gail Shister | Matthews' Vatican assignment is a spiritual one, too
By Gail Shister
Inquirer Columnist
For Philly-born MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews, the death of Pope John Paul II is "a chance for me to connect spiritually with my church."
Matthews, 59, a former altar boy who grew up "in a very Catholic world" in the Northeast, has been in Rome since Saturday, spearheading MSNBC's coverage.
In case you're wondering, Catholicism "is a very good religion to die in," according to Matthews. "You have confidence that you've led your life in a way to prepare yourself for this."
The speed-talking host of Hardball (7 p.m. weekdays) says he's a believer. Still, he lives "in the real Catholic world," where feelings about complicated social issues are sharply divided.
"There's no doubt in my mind I believe in my religion," Matthews says. "At the same time, you live in a world of skepticism, and you share in that skepticism. You believe in what you see."
Matthews and his four brothers grew up in a deeply structured Catholic environment. Parochial school (and occasional corporal punishment) during the week, confession on Saturday, church on Sunday. No questions asked.
"In my family, it was perceived as a normal thing in the '40s, '50s and '60s to give up one or two kids to the religious orders and the priesthood," Matthews says. Two of his aunts became nuns.
Back then, "we heard a lot about hell and purgatory... . You accepted everything. That was the gothic church. Today, it's the church of love."
That church elects its first new pope in 26 years, Matthews says. A total of 117 cardinals will vote, up from about 40 last time, he adds.
"It will be like an Olympics. Everybody will be from different countries, speaking different languages. This will be a brand-new situation. Nothing's locked in. It will be hard to cover."
Way tougher - and deeper - than a political convention, he says.
"The election of a politician may affect your tax rate or who's going to war, but in the Roman Catholic Church, especially in this turbulent time, the election of a pope affects your life and your death.
"It matters to people's souls, their lives, the deepest concepts of who they are."
Matthews will remain in Rome through the Pope's funeral Friday.
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| RPCVs and Friends remember Pope John Paul II Tony Hall found the pope to be courageous and capable of forgiving the man who shot him in 1981, Mark Gearan said the pope was as dynamic in person as he appears on television, Maria Shriver said he was a beacon of virtue, strength and goodness, and an RPCV who met the pope while serving in the Solomon Islands said he possessed the holiness of a man filled with a deep love and concern for humanity. Leave your thoughts here. |
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Story Source: Philly.com
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Swaziland; Journalism; Television; Religion
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