The day began with an early morning interview on a talk radio show, with a man call Bill Press. I am told he is one of the few liberal talk radio shows in this country. The interview was a real pleasure. Similar to the one with Maureen Fielder on the previous day, I was speaking to someone who knows about religion and the issues around the Catholic Church. That interview is available, I am told, on Youtube under Bill Press.
Today began for me with a press conference in the Press Club. Being there was a wonderful experience. It is a very imposing and luxurious place. The walls are full of photographs of so many of the great people of American media in the past. We were received by the President of the Club, and generally treated like royalty. The President, who is Jewish, chaired the press conference. And when it was all over we had lunch in the Club.
Last evening I had my first official engagement of my US tour. I am beginning here in Washington. A group of about a dozen representatives of various different reform groups gathered at the house where I am staying, and we had a long discussion on the Church, the tour, and the sort of issues that are likely to surface here in the States. The immediate thing that strikes me as different from Ireland is the sheer size of the country.
