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As Pope Benedict XVI's arrival in the United States approaches, the media is chock full of pieces outlining the challenges the pope faces in America, and trying to anticipate what he might do or say to address them. Perhaps it's fitting that the last word before the curtain goes up, however, should belong to Benedict himself.

By that, I'm not referring to the brief video message to the American people from the pope released by the Vatican this week. Instead, I have in mind the various reflections on the United States offered by Joseph Ratzinger over the years, much of which dates from the period before his election to the papacy.

By DENNIS CODAY, NCR staff writer

In introducing himself to his new diocese, the bishop--designate of the Little Rock, Ark., diocese said that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired him to courage and action, which eventually led him to seek ordination to the priesthood.

“I learned from Dr. Martin Luther King [that] being a faithful Christian requires more than just saying your prayers and trying to get your own soul into heaven,” said Fr. Anthony B. Taylor.