Claremont President Receives General Audience with Pope Benedict XVI

Read the L.A. Times story

Read President Campbell's personal account of the experience.


Jerry D. Campbell, president of Claremont School of Theology, attended a general audience with Pope Benedict XIV as a member of the Los Angeles Council of Religious Leaders delegation.

Pope Benedict used the occasion to comment on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

The delegation was led by Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, executive vice-president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, and The Most Rev. Edward Wm. Clark, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Bishop Mary Ann Swenson of the California-Pacific Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, is also a member of the delegation. She is seen in a Reuters photograph of the event (see below).

The delegation received prima filia seats at the front of the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, which seats 10,000 people. Seated near the delegation were bishops from Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan and Romania, as well as the NASA astronauts from a recent Space Shuttle mission.

Rabbi Stewart Vogel, president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, and Rabbi Diamond reflect on the group's experience at the Vatican at the Board of Rabbis Web site.

Since his appointment as Claremont's president in 2006, Campbell has been aggressive in participating in interfaith dialogue in Southern California and beyond.

A Papal General Audience
Jerry D. Campbell

On January 23, 2008, Religious Leaders of Greater Los Angeles attended a General Audience with Pope Benedict XVI. A General Audience is a time for the Pontiff to appear before, recognize, and bless special guests of every variety along with the Catholic faithful from Rome and throughout the world. The auditorium known as Paul VI Audience Hall was set up to accommodate 9,000, and every seat was taken.

It was a first-time experience for this life-long United Methodist who found it to be a profoundly moving religious occasion with a few pleasant surprises. Along with the recently returned to earth astronaut crew of U.S. space shuttle Atlantis, a group of Italian mayors, some newlyweds, and many other special guests, we were seated in the first few rows of the auditorium. The leaders of our delegation and our high-ranking clergy officials were seated in the first row. This arrangement made it possible at the conclusion of the General Audience for the Pope to come down from the large stage and greet them personally on his way out. A few high ranking Roman Catholic clergy, some with parts to play later in introducing guests, were seated in a group of chairs on stage well to the left of center. At center stage, in front of a modern sculpture of Christ rising, stood a single high-backed armchair reserved for Pope Benedict.

After we were seated, it was necessary to wait for about an hour and a half for security to be satisfied, for the auditorium to be filled, and for the Pope to arrive. During this time, a most remarkable scene unfolded. This great audience of strangers sharing a spontaneous and unifying spirit of good will broke into a party-like time of celebration and anticipation. Thousands greeted those around them, some fingered their rosaries, voices and laughter filled the air, and a municipal band from an Italian city broke into a rousing march. The band also played a few Christmas hymns and the Italian national anthem as the large crowd sang along enthusiastically.

Anticipation of the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI was palpable. As the top of the hour neared, many crowed toward the central isle. But suddenly a voice from the crowd cried out, "Il Papa," and Pope Benedict entered from the stage door on the crowd's left. The auditorium erupted in great shouting, cheering, and applause, which continued for some time after Benedict XVI had reached his seat at center stage. When the auditorium finally grew quiet, the Pope delivered a message on the topic of a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Following the message, the many special guests, delegations, and pilgrim groups were introduced one by one. As the groups were recognized, the Holy Father recognized and welcomed each one. In these special moments of recognition, we witnessed a number of spontaneous outbreaks: high school groups cheered; nuns waved colorful scarves, the band played, and a couple from South America sang a hauntingly beautiful a cappella rendition of Ave Maria. One can imagine this moment being the high point of life for some of the pilgrims-a once in a lifetime chance to express one's faith by sharing with the Holy Father. And all the while, Pope Benedict XVI sat attentively, encouragingly, and often with a wide smile.

After the recognitions, Pope Benedict XVI blessed all of us, and did so in six different languages. His blessing extended to our families and others for whom we brought special concerns, and he also blessed the objects we may have brought for that purpose. Most touchingly the General Audience concluded with the blessing of many handicapped individuals who were invited to cross the stage, most in wheel chairs, to receive the Holy Father's personal attention.

As Pope Benedict XVI left the stage, came down, and greeted the leaders of our Los Angeles delegation, I could not help but feel that with both his message and his warm welcome he had affirmed our interfaith agenda. That is what we had hoped. And I suspect that he similarly responded to the thousands of other hopes represented in the hall that day.

Jerry D. Campbell
President, Claremont School of Theology
January 2008