Likewise there is great respect and affection toward the pope from American Catholics, with 74% giving him a “Favorable” rating with only 11% “Unfavorable,” according to a recent Pew Forum survey. If there were 10 times the number of tickets for his masses at the Nationals Park and Yankee Stadium, there would still be more people wanting to go. Catholics respect the office and admire the person whom they see as a holy man of principle and conviction, even if he is not the charismatic figure that John Paul was.

Americans as a whole give Benedict a 52% favorable rating, down from 76% for John Paul II. Most of the difference is due to those who say they don’t know Benedict well enough to rate him. I would expect his ratings among Catholics and non-Catholics to rise as a result of his visit.

This is not to say that the U.S. church is without problems. It is still recovering from the sexual abuse crisis, which devastated the lives of thousands of children and their families. The crisis is costing the church billions of dollars, which will result in cut backs in education, social services and pastoral ministries. There was also a high price paid in episcopal credibility, although the bishops have made great progress in making the church a safer place for children. Undoubtedly the pope will speak to this crisis, expressing sorrow for the harm done to children and encouraging the bishops in their efforts to protect children. He may even meet privately with some victims.

In addition, the church is losing members. A recent Pew study found that one third of Catholics born in the U.S. have left the church. The church is having problems keeping young adult Catholics. American Catholics Today reports that 56 percent of Catholics under 40 years of age say “I could be just as happy in some other church.”

Church officials should not be misled by the thousands of kids who cheered John Paul at World Youth Days. Either they were not representative of their generation, or they liked the singer but not the song. After cheering, they went home and did not necessarily follow his teachings. “Young Catholics see these specific moral teachings—especially regarding sexuality and marriage—as peripheral to the faith, and well-educated young Catholics see them as even more so,” according to American Catholics Today.

And it is not just young Catholics. Over half of Catholics agree that “The Catholic religion has no more spiritual truth than other major religions.” This is an example of the “relativism” that Benedict condemns. These views do not stop Catholics from going to church, but they do weaken their commitment to the church.

How do Catholics look at their religion? American Catholics Today sums up their findings:

In every assessment, Catholic laity reported that sacraments and charity toward the poor were central to their understanding of Catholicism. Devotion to Mary the Mother of God was almost as central. In 2005, we asked about belief in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, and it came out highest of all. By contrast, other elements came out consistently low: specific moral teaching about the death penalty, abortion, and labor unions and specific Church rules, for example, saying that only celibate men could be priests.

The church needs to develop new ways of preaching and explaining the gospel in a way that is understandable and inspiring to people in the 21st Century. Simply repeating old formulas will not work. The pedagogy of teachers lecturing and students memorizing does not work anymore. One must begin with the students where they are, with their doubts and questions.

It is the job of theologians to come up with new ways to explain the Gospel message. This requires hard work, creativity and freedom to experiment. Vatican attempts to cut off discussion of certain topics have not been helpful. It is better to let the theologians debate and criticize each other until the truth emerges. What the pope says at the Catholic University of America about Catholic higher education will be very important. He needs to stress Catholic identity while at the same time respecting academic freedom.

Benedict, like any good scholar, understands that ideas matter. This is why relativism upsets him so much. But most people, especially young people, do not live in the realm of ideas. They judge things by their immediate experience and by their results. Their first question is not “is it true?” but “is it interesting?” Their second question is, “does it make a difference?” They judge people not by their words but by their actions.

Can the Catholic Church make the Gospel and Jesus interesting for this generation? Can the Catholic Church show that the Gospel and Jesus make a difference? If we cannot do these two things, then we will never gain their attention long enough to talk about truth.

Pope Benedict will have many important things to say to U.S. Catholics, and we hope they study his words. But after he goes back to Rome, Catholics will live their faith at the parish level. If parishes are welcoming and alive with Spirit-filled, loving Christians, then there is hope. If they are places of sharp boundaries and disputes, then they will be empty pews.