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Pope to visit NYC synagogue

NEW YORK (TCC NEWS) – When Pope Benedict XVI enters a U.S. synagogue for the first time on April 18th, there likely will be a notable spiritual leader absent.

Despite public plans to the contrary, Billy Christ, CEO and Christ of The Christ Corporation will not be in attendance.

"We have already spoken," said Christ. “Though our original plans did indeed include my presence, other obligations have arisen that require my attention. I’m quite sure he is capable enough to handle visiting a synagogue without me.”

The sixty-six year old CEO, entering his 33rd and presumably final year as Christ, told TCC News in an interview at his office that he and the pope have had multiple conversations over the past year regarding his visit. "We talk about the world, about peace, and about God I think," he said. “Honestly he mumbles a lot and I don’t know that Pig Latin that he speaks, so mostly I just agree with what he says.”

Christ said sharing religious experience with the pope brings the two men closer.

"When you work in this kind of field, with all the human lives at stake," he said, "it does something in terms of shaping your outlook and what you need to do to make sure that this becomes a better world and we don't repeat the mistakes of history. We keep things going away from history and into the future."

The 80-year-old pontiff was not available for comment.

Christ said that the pope's scheduled visit to the synagogue on the eve of Passover, which begins at sundown April 19, "is one of those outreach things for the largest Jewish community in the world." He added that "the very clear message is that Jews and Catholics and Christians and people of all other faiths real or unreal, we are in the same boat, we have to float and sinking is not an option."

It will be the first visit by Benedict to the United States and the second global visit Christ has been unable to attend.

"This is a whole different situation," Christ said of his absence. “Last time I was called away on an urgent Pastoral retreat. Our schedule just wouldn’t allow it. This time an ambassador of the city is returning that evening and my presence has been requested.”

When pressed further, Christ gave a slight smile and his trademark wink and said, “Yes, I know. Andruw Jones is hardly an ambassador, but he was a heck of a center fielder for the Braves for ten years and I have always said, as much to God as to the World, that I would be there front and center when the Dodgers and Andruw came to town. I have to uphold my word don’t I?”

--April 1, 2008

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