Earlier this week Cardinal Sean O'Malley invited Pope Benedict XVI to Boston during his planned 2008 visit to the United States. The Pope has planned a trip to visit the United Nations in New York and O'Malley suggests that a short trip up from the NYC in the pope-mobile might be in order. The Globe quotes O'Malley as saying "Given everything Boston has been through, having the Holy Father come, I think, would be a great joy and sense of affirmation to us as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of our church." Given everything Boston has been through? Yeah, that's an O'Malley-ism for the clergy sex abuse scandals that have been trouble for the archdiocese of Boston over the past number of years, a black mark that has yet to fade.

Boston is the fourth largest US diocese in the Catholic Church, O'Malley was elevated to Cardinal just last year, and they've just sold their chancery grounds on the Brighton/Newton line to Boston College in favor of relocating to an office park in Braintree south of the city. The last time, the only time, a Pope has visited Boston was in 1979 where a crowd of 400,000 came to see Pope John Paul II on the Boston Common (four times the number who showed for Judy Garland's biggest concert - ever, in the same location). There's a lot of hand kissing and, well, we don't want to get ourselves in trouble here, before the Secretary of State of the Vatican makes an official announcement of the Pontiff's itinerary. But since Cardinal O'Malley is a blogger and a podcaster we invite him, and you, to click in on the EventFul demand () for Pope Benedict XVI to come to Boston, hopefully sometime in 2008 to help celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Church in the Hub. We just hope that the Pontiff isn't relegated to the swanky (ahem) new digs in Braintree but can make nice and visit O'Malley in the cathedral in the South End and perhaps even a public appearance on the Common – or dare we suggest a successful use of City Hall Plaza?