Long looks at the Pope, but a glimpse of the man

A papal visit is a lot like a royal wedding — a television spectacle that requires vivacious but respectful commentary and a lot of talk about pageantry and the personality behind the throne. Pope Benedict XVI’s first official visit to the United States comes closer to Prince Charles’s second wedding, to Camilla Parker Bowles, than his first, the 1981 extravaganza that starred Diana — and not just because both this pontiff and Ms. Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, have endured the same tabloid nickname, Rottweiler.

The pope’s six-day visit lacks the thrill and historic drama that coloured Pope John Paul II’s trips to the United States, but the occasion is still momentous enough to pump up the live shots, telegenic priests and papal biographers. Non-stop coverage provides a dizzyingly catholic look at the Roman Catholic Church, seamlessly binding together the thorniest Vatican troubles — paedophile priests, shrinking parishes, non-observant believers — with papal mystique and fun Vatican facts.

As the pope’s plane landed at Andrews Air Force base on Tuesday, a CNN correspondent on the scene reported Benedict’s statement that he felt “deeply ashamed” of priestly child abuse while also noting that this pope plays the piano (mostly Mozart), prefers Fanta to wine, and is, as the reporter put it, “more human than you think.”

His is apparently a temperament more suited to small audiences than big crowds, better in camera than on camera. But the pope’s mission in Washington and New York does not break new ground so much as it repeats momentous steps taken by John Paul II, from addressing the United Nations to holding rock-concert-size Masses in sports arenas. But because he is the first pope to visit the United States after the sexual abuse scandal, much attention will be focused on his personality and his efforts to minister to the North American church. And Benedict hinted at his pastoral style by first addressing the issue aboard his plane en route, far from maddened crowds and obtrusive close-ups.

So far, at least, giving viewers a better sense of his character has required some improvisation.

Cable news channels and the networks interrupted their regular programming to provide live coverage of the pope at the White House as he read his speech precisely and evenly in a slight German accent. He graciously shook hands with cabinet members and elected officials (Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, kissed his ring). The pope, who turned 81 on Wednesday, smiled winningly when the crowd broke out in a ragged version of “Happy Birthday.” He looked pleased — he smiled and stretched out his arms to well-wishers — when the soprano Kathleen Battle led a more expert rendition of the song. But it provided, at best, a fleeting look at the pope. TV commentators tried to compensate, extolling the excitement of the crowds and the geniality of the guest of honour. One anchor declared that the pope looked “thoroughly overjoyed.”

So were some commentators. On Today on NBC, the newest co-anchor, Kathie Lee Gifford, discussed what the pope’s arrival meant to her. “I was doing my Pilates when his plane touched down, and nothing usually keeps me from that, you know,” she said. Ms. Gifford, who is not Catholic, added: “I was moved. I just teared up.”

The visit is a news event that also serves as a kind of running infomercial for the Vatican: theologians and priests recruited to provide their expertise about the papal mission also relish the opportunity to move beyond scandals and advance the church’s message. Or their own message. On Fox News, Shepard Smith underlined the religious congeniality between President Bush and the pope, whom he described as an “honorary Republican.” And Msgr. James Lisante, a Fox News contributor, told Mr. Smith that he detected a political message buried in the pope’s speech. “If Senator Obama or Hillary Clinton are listening to the speech and want the Catholic vote, and they clearly do, then they have to know what the Holy Father is saying: ‘The sanctity of life is very important to us,’” he said. And if they do not pay attention, Monsignor Lisante warned, “then we can’t take you seriously either.”

(Actually, it was Mr. Bush who said “all human life is sacred.” At the White House, Benedict did not mention the church’s position on abortion or birth control, although he used language indicating his opposition to abortion later in the day.)

Throughout their coverage, commentators struggled to give viewers a better sense of the elderly man in the white robes. “He’s a shy, modest man,” said David Gibson, a Benedict biographer. “Less a showman than a scholar.” Cardinal John P. Foley, an American who was the Vatican’s chief of communications for years, summed up Benedict’s character as “clarity with charity.” On the “CBS Evening News” on Tuesday, the Rev. Thomas Williams resorted to American vernacular. “He’s a really nice guy,” he said.