This morning 7 leading Catholic intellectuals and academics held a tele-press conference for the media in anticipation of Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming visit to America. Click on the panelist name link to hear each opening statement (or right-click and select "Save As" to download). The Panelists were Alexia Kelley, Executive Director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good; Rev. Tom Reese, SJ, Senior Research Fellow at Georgetown University’s Woodstock Theological Center; Rev. Charles Currie, S.J. President of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities; Rev. David Hollenbach, University chair in Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College; Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love of the Catholic University of America; Rev. Richard Ryscavage, Director of the Center for Faith in Public Life at Fairfield University; and Sr. Camille D’Arienzo, RSM a Sister of Mercy of the Institute of the Americas, living in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York.

The panelists spoke about the purpose and expectations of the papal visit, as well as the papal message American Catholics can expect to hear. To listen to the press conference in its entirety click here. (Please note that this mp3 file is 13.5 MB - right-click and select Save As... to save the audio file to your computer).