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Pope Benedict XVI makes waves with
his first papal visit to US
22 April, 2008: Pope
Benedict XVI marked the conclusion of
his first papal visit to the United
States by celebrating an open-air Mass
at the Yankee baseball stadium in New
York, which was attended by 55,000
people.
The Mass at the Yankee stadium was
the Pope’s last official public
appearance of a 6-day visit to the
United States, which the Pontiff
himself termed as “a pilgrimage of
peace and justice.”
A special throne with the papal
seal was erected for Pope Benedict XVI
above second base of the
packed-to-capacity stadium. About 600
priests and deacons occupied rows of
seats along the sides of the
diamond-shaped field.
According to BBC, there was a
“party atmosphere” at the Pope’s final
engagement at the Yankee baseball
stadium, with both clergy and lay
members of the Church taking part in
Mexican waves ahead of the arrival the
supreme head of the universal Catholic
Church.
While the huge crowds present at the
Yankee stadium greeted the Pope by
waving yellow and white handkerchiefs,
the official papal colours, Jazz
musician Harry Connick Jr and gospel
singer Kim Burrell performed prior to
the Mass.
The BBC report said that the demand
for free tickets for entry into the
stadium far exceed supply.
Earlier, Pope Benedict XVI had visited
Ground Zero in New York, the site of
the September 11, 2001, attacks, and
prayed for the rescuers and victims of
the attacks, as well as “those whose
hearts and minds are consumed with
hatred.”
A group of 24 people representing
families of the victims were present
at the ceremony at Ground Zero, where
Pope Benedict lit a single candle to
commemorate the dead. The Pope also
chatted with each of the 24 people.
Pope Benedict’s tour of the United
States had attracted intense media
attention as well as huge crowds,
leading to observers describing the
papal visit as “a great success.” The
visit also coincided with the third
anniversary of his election to the
papacy and also his 81st birthday.
Before boarding the chartered Alitalia
plane – nicknamed Shepherd One – at
New York’s John F Kennedy
International Airport for his flight
back to Rome, Pope Benedict XVI said:
“May God bless America.”
Present at the Pontiff’s farewell were
United States Vice-President Dick
Cheney, former President Bill Clinton
and his wife and Democrat presidential
hopeful Hillary Clinton.
During his 6-day US visit, in which
Pope Benedict XVI was greeted by large
crowds at the three Masses he
celebrated, in a step that is
unprecedented and which surprised
many, he repeatedly expressed
unreserved regret for the ugly scandal
of sexual abuse by the Catholic clergy
in America.
Yet another highlight of the Pontiff’s
US tour was the personal welcome given
by United States President George W
Bush when the Pontiff landed at
Andrews Air Force, near Washington,
DC.
Pope Benedict XVI’s US itinerary also
included a speech at the United
Nations headquarters as well as
personal address at a rally in New
York when he told the a gathering of
about 30,000 Catholic youths about his
growing up under the “monster” of
Nazism.
“With a candour that correspondents
say has been a hallmark of this
visit,” BBC reported, “the Pope spoke
publicly for the first time about
being forced to join the Hitler Youth
and being conscripted into the Nazi
army.
Pope Benedict XVI also became the
first leader of the Roman Catholic
Church to call at a Jewish place of
worship in the United State when he
paid a visit to a synagogue in New
York.
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