Shepherd One is now airborne, taking Pope Benedict XVI on a 7 1/2 hour flight back to the Vatican.

About 3,000 people, many of them immigrants from around the world, gathered at JFK Aiport in New York to see the pope off.

Vice President Dick Cheney paid tribute to the pope and American Catholics.

"Pope Benedict XVI has stepped into the history of our country in a special way,'' Cheney said.

The pope, in his remarks, reflected on the highlights of his trip, and wished America well.

"These days that I have spent in the United States have been blessed with many memorable experiences of American hospitality, and I wish to express my deep appreciation to all of you for your kind welcome,'' he said. "It has been a joy for me to witness the faith and devotion of the Catholic community here.''

This will be the final dispatch of this pope-visit blog. Thank you for reading, and feel free to send comments to Michael Paulson, the Globe's religion writer. And you can find all of our coverage, including video, here.

Pasted below is the full text of the pope's remarks at the JFK Airport farewell ceremony. Click on "full entry" to read the remarks.

In Pope Benedict XVI's final homily of this six-day trip to the US, he paid tribute to the 67-million member Catholic Church in the US, which, for all its troubles, remains one of the most vibrant and important in the world.

"Our celebration today is also a sign of the impressive growth which God has given to the church in your country in the past two hundred years,'' Benedict said, while celebrating Mass for 57,000 at Yankee Stadium. "From a small flock like that described in the first reading, the church in America has been built up in fidelity to the twin commandment of love of God and love of neighbor. In this land of freedom and opportunity, the church has united a widely diverse flock in the profession of the faith and, through her many educational, charitable and social works, has also contributed significantly to the growth of American society as a whole."

Benedict repeatedly acknowledged the bicentennials of five American archdioceses, including Boston, during the Mass, and Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston concelebrated the Mass in recognition of the anniversary.

"Today we recall the bicentennial of a watershed in the history of the church in the United States: its first great chapter of growth,'' Benedict said. "In these two hundred years, the face of the Catholic community in your country has changed greatly. We think of the successive waves of immigrants whose traditions have so enriched the church in America. We think of the strong faith which built up the network of churches, educational, healthcare and social institutions which have long been the hallmark of the church in this land. We think also of those countless fathers and mothers who passed on the faith to their children, the steady ministry of the many priests who devoted their lives to the care of souls, and the incalculable contribution made by so many men and women religious, who not only taught generations of children how to read and write, but also inspired in them a lifelong desire to know God, to love him and to serve him."

Although the day had been heavily overcast, the sun broke through during the Mass, and the boisterous crowd was silent throughout the homily, which was interrupted only by the rumble of passing subways.

The pope twice alluded to the church's opposition to abortion, placing it in the context of its charitable works, saying "the Catholic community in this nation has been outstanding in its prophetic witness in the defense of life, in the education of the young, in care for the poor, the sick and the stranger in your midst.'' And then, talking about the importance of "unchanging truths" of Christian faith, he said, "they are the truths which alone can guarantee respect for the inalienable dignity and rights of each man, woman and child in our world -- including the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother's womb." The first time the homily was interrupted by applause was when the pope mentioned "the unborn child.''

When the pope finished the homily, the crowd shouted "Viva!" and "Benedetto!" He responded by waving before turning to the profession of faith and the remainder of the Mass. The prayers of the faithful were said in English, Italian, Polish, French, Tagalog, Croation and Igbo, and the pope read several paragraphs of his homily in Spanish, in recognition of the diversity of the Catholic population in this country.

The Mass was the last major event of the pope's six-day trip to the US. From Yankee Stadium, he is to return to Manhattan and then travel to JFK Airport, where a crowd of 3,250, many of them immigrants, are gathering to see him off on his 8:30 p.m. return flight to Rome.

by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

All blog posts on the pope's visit are here.

The full text of the pope's homily is below; click on "full entry.''

Globe reporter Tania deLuzuriaga is embedded with the Boston pilgrims at Yankee Stadium; she was barred from bringing a laptop inside but banged out this dispatch on her BlackBerry:

Mass is about to start here in Yankee Stadium and there's an aura of anticipation in the air.

The bishops are filing in and most everyone is seated.

We arrived just before noon, after waiting in the security line for 40 minutes. Chaos ensued as people looking for their seats converged with those looking for the bathroom or a snack. Yes, while it was prohibited to bring food, among other things, into the stadium, the concessions are in full operation, a prospect that may enable some to celebrate their first Mass while eating popcorn.

The seats for the Archdiocese of Boston are located in an upper tier of the park, but right behind home plate.

"They're great seats," said Tim Higgins of Easton, who is attending the Mass with his wife and two children. "The archdiocese really took care of us."

The crowd is tremendously diverse. Knights of Columbus in feathered chapeaus and satin capes wander by girls in tight jeans and flip flops. And senior citizens in their Sunday best rub elbows with priests in black cassocks and men in Yankees windbreakers.

"It's all different people, and all different languages," said Philomene Pean, a Haitian immigrant who lives in Everett. "It's amazing."

By Tania deLuzuriaga, Globe Staff

To read all of our dispatches about the papal trip, click here.

For the third time in history, a pope today will celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium, and the crowd is huge and exuberant.

The crowd of 57,000, many of whom have been here since 9 a.m., was entertained by Stephanie Mills, singing songs from "The Wiz" as well as Supremes covers, and Harry Connick Jr., who said that now, when he's asked whether he's a practicing Catholic, he can say, "I can't practice any better than this -- I'm playing for the pope!" After the singing, the perimeter of the field was surrounded by young men and women clad in white, holding aloft giant, fluttering, paper birds. There are also a variety of high school bands and several choirs performing as priests process onto the infield.

The stage set for the liturgy is spectacular -- a diamond of white, yellow, and purple constructed over the infield, with yellow and white ribbons billowing inward toward the pitcher's mound, above which the papal crest is suspended. The flower-bedecked sanctuary rises just above second base; the gold and red seal of Pope Benedict XVI is hanging over a throne from which the pope will preside. The outfield is being unused. It's overcast and in the high 50s here.

Most of the worshipers in the stands got tickets through parishes in New York and four other archdioceses that are marking bicentennials this year, Baltimore, Boston, Louisville, and Philadelphia. The crests of those dioceses are hanging in the stadium, and their archbishops, including Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, will concelebrate the Mass. Those dioceses also got extra allocations of tickets for the Mass, and there are 3,000 Bostonians here.

The stadium is surrounded by security. I came in on a press bus from Manhattan, and as we were escorted by police through the perimeter, we could see that the streets around the stadium are barricaded with orange dumptrucks weighed down with sand. There are heavily armed security personnel outside and inside the stadium. Security closed off the stadium at 1 p.m., and said they wouldn't allow anyone in starting 90 minutes before the Mass.

The crowd is shouting, waving, and screaming as the pope prepares to enter the field in his popemobile, and the Mass will begin shortly.

This is the third papal Mass at Yankee Stadium -- which the Yankees say is a record for any US venue. Pope Paul VI said Mass here in 1965, and Pope John Paul II in 1979 (that was also the year he visited Boston).

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

To read all of our dispatches about the papal trip, click here.

Greetings from Yankee Stadium. Your intrepid correspondent was welcomed to the press box by a Yankees official who, upon hearing I worked for the Boston Globe, immediately blurted out, "I'm sorry.'' And then (and I am not making this up) the Yankees press staff handed me a statement on the pope from George Steinbrenner.

Just to show how objective I can be, here's what The Boss has to say: "The visit by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is wonderful for New York, our nation, and indeed the world. His message of brotherhood rings loud and clear. We welcome him to Yankee Stadium with respect, reverence and enthusiasm.''

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

To read all of our dispatches about the papal trip, click here.

NEW YORK -- Eighty feet below street level, surrounded by cranes, backhoes, pipes, and jagged rock, Pope Benedict XVI clasped the hands of survivors and relatives of those killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and asked God to "bring peace to our violent world."

Commemorating the dead where the World Trade Center once stood, the 81-year-old pontiff said not a word, save for his prayer for peace. The 30-minute ceremony was as brief as it was stark.

As a thick, cold fog shrouded lower Manhattan, the pope’s bullet-proof Mercedes descended to ground zero, down a ramp lined with the flags of the Vatican, New York City, New York State, New Jersey, and the Port Authority. At the base of the pit, a small crowd was assembled, including 16 relatives of the dead as well as a handful of city and Port Authority police officers and firefighters who had responded to the attacks.

Emerging from his vehicle wearing a white overcoat to stave off the cold, the pope walked into the center of the crowd. Silently, he knelt and prayed at a gold and white kneeler set before a pool of water and gravel. Then he lit a candle emblazoned with the papal seal and spoke his prayer aloud.

"God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world, peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the nations of the earth," he said, in part. "Turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred."

After the prayer, the pope sprinkled holy water in four directions, blessing the site. Then Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York introduced the guests to the pope, one by one. They were men and women, with the officers in dress blues. Many knelt and kissed the pope’s ring or clasped his hands and spoke.

"Today was an incredible experience to get to actually talk to the pope and ask him to bless the ground that we’re on, because we lost so many beautiful people that day," said Salvatore Cassano, a New York City firefighter who is now chief of department and was incident commander on Sept. 11.

Casssano, who is 63 and a 39-year veteran of the department, said he kissed the pope’s ring and the pope told him: "God bless you and God bless the department."

"That was really important for us," he said in an interview afterward. "We suffered so many heavy losses, it was nice to get the personal blessing from the pope, directly, for the people that we lost and the people that are still helping to protect the city."

Desiree Gerasimovich of New Jersey, whose sister, Pamela Boyce, was working on the 92d floor of Tower One and was killed in the attack, also met the pope and kissed his ring. She called it a "wonderful moment, a surreal moment."

"I don’t know if you ever find closure, but days like this make it a little bit better," she said afterward. "A lot of people are trying to embrace this new pope, because everybody just knows John Paul, and him coming to this site and being here in New York shows how close he is to the people."

The Archdiocese of New York gave each of the 24 people who met the pope a rough-hewn cross made from steel salvaged from the towers and a white candle emblazoned with a papal seal.

"It was very moving in many ways," said Carter Brey, the principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, who played Bach suites as the pope entered ground zero. "It was moving to be down there. It was moving to be near the families of the victims. It was a little bit surreal, as well, to be in such close proximity to the pope. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

In addition to the relatives and survivors, cardinal and politicans witnessed the blessing. They included Governors Jon Corzine of New Jersey and David A. Paterson of New York and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York. All seemed moved.

"This was a very important moment for all New Yorkers," Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said afterward. "This is sacred ground for New York and of course to have the pope visit it was very, very special for all of us, not just the people of the Catholic faith."

-- by Michael Levenson, Globe Staff.

We'll be blogging all day right here.

To read the full text of the pope's blessing at ground zero, click on "full entry."

Globe reporter Tania deLuzuriaga is embedded with a busload of about 40 pilgrims who left Boston early this morning to attend this afternoon's papal Mass at Yankee Stadium. Here's her first dispatch:

HEADING SOUTHWEST ON I-84 -- Some are dozing, others are reading, and the girls from St. Ann parish in Dorchester are singing along with the Von Trapp family “Doe -- a deer, a female deer…” as "The Sound of Music" plays aboard our bus headed for the Bronx.

Two buses chartered by the Catholic Foundation left Boston College High School at 6:30 this morning, loaded down with weary travelers and seemingly enough food to feed most of Yankee Stadium. Before departing, the Rev. Thomas S. Foley, the pastor at St. Ann’s, led the group in a prayer for a safe journey. “May it be a wonderful experience in faith,” he said. Foley, who did not make the trip, left the bus with a shout of “Vive el Papa!”

A congenial atmosphere took root as soon as we boarded the bus, with strangers swapping stories and sharing snacks. The girls from St. Ann’s, many of whom spent the night together at a sleepover, are a bit sleep-deprived and giddy about their big day, which may explain why they spontaneously broke out in the song, “Our God is an Awesome God” complete with the corresponding sign language, about a half-hour into the trip.

“I slept five hours last night,” said Rae-Anna Muise, 13, of Dorchester, who was lying across two seats flipping through a Seventeen magazine with her friend Michelle Olson, 14, sitting on top of her.

While the girls' giggles and singing dominate the back of the bus, it’s much quieter up front where most people are dozing or reading. Clara Garcia has been knitting most of the trip. The 60-year-old Guatemalan immigrant said she’s excited about the prospect of her first papal Mass.

“I didn’t think I had any chance of getting tickets,” said Garcia, who attends St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Jamaica Plain.

But while the mood on the bus is somewhat subdued, many expect that to change once we arrive.

“I think once we get there it’s going to be a different thing,” Garcia said. “I think I’ll feel something very heavy inside that’s going to make me a better person.”

We'll be blogging all day right here.

NEW YORK -- Rusted metal pipes. Backhoes. Cranes. Construction trailers. Buckets of concrete. Very little has been done to dress up ground zero in preparation for Pope Benedict XVI, who is due to arrive here at 9:30 a.m. for a stark and somber prayer service.

A thick, cool fog is hanging over lower Manhattan, shrouding the tops of the skyscrapers. Ground zero is a construction site -- an approximately four-story-deep pit of jumbled rock and concrete, dark, grey puddles, and backhoes. To one side, a small area has been marked with orange cones. A tarp there is covering, for now, a pool of water and raw earth where the pope plans to kneel and pray. He then plans to light a candle and sprinkle holy water on the site.

A group of 20 -- survivors and relatives of people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, as well as police and firefighters who responded to the attacks -- will then light candles from the pope’s candle and receive his blessing. No remarks are planned and the staging will bring the pope face to face with the rawness of the tragedy.

This event is the first of two major public events today, the sixth and final day of Pope Benedict XVI's trip the United States. The pope will also say Mass for nearly 60,000 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Benedict then departs for Rome tonight after a departure ceremony at John F. Kennedy International airport.

The Globe has four journalists covering the pope today. Michael Levenson is at ground zero, Michael Paulson is at Yankee Stadium. And we've embedded reporter Tania deLuzuriaga and photographer Dominic Chavez on a bus with some of the 3,000 pilgrims from Boston heading to the stadium Mass; Tania is going to attempt our first Blackberry blogging, since it sounds like she's going to be barred from carrying a laptop into the stadium. This item was written by Levenson. We'll be blogging all day right here.

Good morning.

Pope Benedict XVI has wrapped up a boisterous rally with 25,000 seminarians and young people at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, and is now heading back into New York City, where he will spend the night at the Upper East Side residence of his ambassador to the UN.

On Sunday, the final day of his six-day trip to the US, he is planning to pray at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan, and then to celebrate Mass for 57,000, including 3,000 Bostonians, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston will be a concelebrant of the Mass, in recognition of the fact that this year marks the bicentennial of the Archdiocese of Boston.

And then, at about 8 p.m., before a crowd of about 3,000, Benedict is to board Shepherd One at JFK airport for the long flight back to Rome.

Below is the full text of the pope's address at Dunwoodie, as the seminary is often called because of the section of Yonkers in which it is located. To read the text, click on "full entry.''

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley grew emotional today as he recounted to reporters the dramatic and unprecedented meeting earlier this week between Pope Benedict XVI and five people from Boston who had been sexually abused by priests.

Asked how difficult the meeting was for him personally, O’Malley paused for a long moment and appeared to tear up.

“Just seeing the book makes a great impact,” he said, referring to a handmade book he gave the pontiff listing the names of nearly 1,500 alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston. As the pope slowly turned the pages, the cardinal mentioned that some of the victims died from suicide or drug abuse.

“I know the Holy Father was touched by it as well,” he said, speaking at a news conference at Boston College’s Silvio O. Conte Forum where the Boston Catholic Men’s Conference was held today.

By Tania deLuzuriaga, Globe Staff

Pope Benedict XVI is now out at St. Joseph's Seminary, in the Dunwoodie section of Yonkers, where he is attending a rally with thousands of seminarians and young people. Globe reporter Michael Levenson is there, too, and sends this report:

From a distance, the rally resembled a rock concert -- tens of thousands of youth gathered in a sun-splashed field. They were packed in elbow-to-elbow in many places. There were concession stands selling chicken fingers and French fries and bottled water. The teens were splayed out on towels and beach blankets. They wore T-shirts emblazoned with messages such as "JC Rules" and "Christ Our Hope."

They all faced a giant concert-style stage set. The stage was framed by two Jumbotron-style screens, two giant white flags printed with the Vatican seal. And the stage was backed by a giant portrait of Christ ascending, giving off rays of light.

The teens danced and sang as musical acts performed. They included the Rev. Stan Fortuna, a Fransciscan friar who played electric guitar, sang Catholic-themed pop songs and led the exuberant crowd in chants of "Benedetto! Benedetto!" and "Christ Our Lord! Christ Our Lord!" The MC was the comedian Mo Rocca, who had audience members cheer when he called out their countries -- Czech Republic! El Salvador! The biggest star was American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson, who performed her hits as well a spiritual number called "Up To The Mountain."

"It's really empowering to see youth -- especially from across the nation come together for a cause," said Sarah Doyle, 18, of Worcester, Mass., who was one of 45 Boston University students who made the pilgrimage to the event in matching red T-shirts. "Especially as a freshman, it's very encouraging."

"It's such a blessing to see that our church is this strong," said Leo Gameng, 21, a BU junior from Chicago. "All the young people here are showing we believe in our God and our Heavenly Father."

"It's packed for the right reason," said Veronica Checo, 18, of Brooklyn, who was with a group of Brooklyn youth all wearing T-shirts that read "Too Blessed to Be Stressed." Her friend, Tito Gary, nodded and chimed in, "Packed for Christ,"

"It's amazing. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience right now. It's so many people joining together. It's wonderful," said Jen Churik, 17, of Long Island.

As the crowd waited for Benedict, the Jumbotron screens showed an educational video about Catholic teachings on marriage.

At 5:15 p.m, the pope arrived, ferried in the popemobile around the perimeter of the field. As organ music filled the air, the youngsters cheered and waved yellow and white kerchiefs -- the Vatican colors. The pope smiled and waved at the youth, many of whom ran to the edge of the field to get close to the popemobile.

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

The scene at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 51st Street: Overhead, a hovering helicopter. On every rooftop, a battery of snipers. Along the streets, metal barricades, and an amazing array of law enforcement with bullhorns, dogs, earpieces, and a variety of weaponry. No cars on one of the busiest arteries in Manhattan. Just a sea of people, many of them waiting for hours and hours, hoping to catch a fleeting glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI.

That's what I encountered when I emerged at midday from the Mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral -- a sort of eerie anticipatory calm, with no traffic, no kiosks, just a long stretch of Catholics waiting to wave their Vatican flags and their pre-printed signs, "Welcome Benedict XVI.''

I watched the popemobile from the cathedral steps, alongside a group of priests and nuns who had attended the Mass inside, and although the pope-parade was brief, there was no missing it. First there was the huge roar of 30 motorcycles. Then there was the scream of people who realized the pope must be coming. Then some youngsters started chanting his Italian nickname, "Benedetto! Benedetto!" A 20-year-old woman standing in front of me, Sisan Walker of Miami, started repeating, "Oh my God! There he is! Oh my God!" She was so excited she couldn't hold up the piece of pink cardboard on which she had scrawled, "We (heart) Benedict XVI'' in magic marker - instead she handed it to a nearby priest who started waving it in the air. Walker and her friend, Doriana Vega, 22, of Mexico, had travelled to New York just to glimpse the pope from a sidewalk -- they had no tickets to the Mass today or tomorrow -- so they had arrived at 5:30 a.m. and waited 8 hours to watch him drive by.

The motorcycles were followed by a few police cruisers. And then came the white popemobile, surrounded by a huge number of police, Secret Service, and who knows what other kinds of law enforcement, some on foot and some in black limos, black SUVs and black vans. The popemobile, manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, looks kind of like a pick-up truck with a giant, bulletproof, rectangular glass bubble sitting on the truckbed.

Inside the glass was the pope, Benedict XVI, smiling and waving, as well as his ever-present personal secretary, Monsignor Georg Ganswein, who has become a bit of a heartthrob in the Catholic blogosphere, and the archbishop of New York, Cardinal Edward M. Egan.

The popemobile drove slowly past the Banana Republic and Faconnable stores that are across from the cathedral in Rockefeller Center, and then, the glass-enclosed pontiff passed the H&M on the next block, receded from sight, his movement followed by a sea of human arms, holding cameras and cellphones in the air, tracing the arc of the pope's path uptown.

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

One observation from this morning's Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral: Rudy Giuliani, the twice-divorced former mayor of New York, took Communion. HIs reception of the consecrated host was clearly visible to me and all the other reporters in the cathedral because it was captured on television cameras broadcasting the Mass to the press seats to the side of the altar. After the Mass, Giuliani, who is a Republican, confirmed his decision to take Communion, despite being married outside the church, to Reuters Vatican correspondent Phil Pullella.

Giuliani's action follows the declaration earlier in the week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat who supports abortion rights, that she intended to take Communion during the papal Mass at Nationals Park on Thursday.

The decisions by Giuliani and Pelosi, of course, are hardly unusual -- large numbers of Catholics who have remarried without an annulment or who support abortion rights routinely take Communion, despite church rules prohibiting that. But the question of whether politicians who publicly violate or oppose church teachings should take Communion became an issue during the 2004 presidential campaign, when an abortion-rights-supporting Catholic, Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, was the Democratic nominee, and the issue continues to resurface from time to time. The church's actual position on the denial of Communion remains somewhat unsettled -- a handful of bishops have suggested they would deny Communion to abortion-rights-supporting politicians, but most, including Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, have said they do not wish to politicize the Eucharist in that way.

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

One striking feature of this morning's homily at St. Patrick's Cathedral: Pope Benedict XVI made a reference to Nathaniel Hawthorne, the acclaimed 19th century American novelist from Salem, Mass.

Who knew? Benedict is obviously widely read -- he is an accomplished theologian and a prolific writer -- but any fondness for American literature is news to me. But Rachel Zoll, the talented religion writer for the Associated Press and a proud native of Salem, spotted the Hawthorne reference in the homily immediately, and kindly called it to my attention.

Benedict was using the architecture of the cathedral as a metaphor, for reflections on the vocations of the clergy and nuns who make up the congregation today, and, when he turned to the windows, said, "many writers – here in America we can think of Nathaniel Hawthorne – have used the image of stained glass to illustrate the mystery of the church herself."

After the Mass, I promise to go grab a copy of "The Marble Faun" to see what he's talking about.

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

The pope has just finished delivering his homily here at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, in which he addressed himself to 3,000 rapt clergy and nuns gathered in the grand Gothic cathedral on Fifth Avenue.

"The spires of St. Patrick’s Cathedral are dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the Manhattan skyline, yet in the heart of this busy metropolis, they are a vivid reminder of the constant yearning of the human spirit to rise to God,'' Benedict said.

He devoted a few sentences to the sexual abuse abuse crisis, which, among its many impacts, has seriously damaged the morale of many priests around the country.

“Within the context of our need for the perspective given by faith, and for unity and cooperation in the work of building up the church, I would like say a word about the sexual abuse that has caused so much suffering,’’ Benedict said. “I have already had occasion to speak of this, and of the resulting damage to the community of the faithful. Here I simply wish to assure you, dear priests and religious, of my spiritual closeness as you strive to respond with Christian hope to the continuing challenges that this situation presents."

Then the pope alluded to comments that his predecessor, John Paul II, made in 2002. At that time, John Paul II said, “we must be confident that this time of trial will bring a purification of the entire Catholic community, a purification that is urgently needed if the church is to preach more effectively the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its liberating force.’’

This morning, at St. Patrick’s, Benedict echoed that language, saying, “I join you in praying that this will be a time of purification for each and every particular church and religious community, and a time for healing. I also encourage you to cooperate with your bishops who continue to work effectively to resolve this issue. May our Lord Jesus Christ grant the church in America a renewed sense of unity and purpose, as all – bishops, clergy, religious and laity – move forward in hope, in love for the truth and for one another.”

In addition to the abuse issue, Benedict in his homily mentioned the divisions within the Catholic Church.

“For all of us, I think, one of the great disappointments which followed the Second Vatican Council, with its call for a greater engagement in the church’s mission to the world, has been the experience of division between different groups, different generations, different members of the same religious family,’’ he said. “We can only move forward if we turn our gaze together to Christ! In the light of faith, we will then discover the wisdom and strength needed to open ourselves to points of view which may not necessarily conform to our own ideas or assumptions. Thus we can value the perspectives of others, be they younger or older than ourselves, and ultimately hear 'what the Spirit is saying' to us and to the church. In this way, we will move together towards that true spiritual renewal desired by the Council, a renewal which can only strengthen the church in that holiness and unity indispensable for the effective proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world.’’

I've posted the full text of the homily below (click on "full entry").

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

Pope Benedict XVI is getting a rapturous welcome here at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. He was greeted on the cathedral steps by Cardinal Edward M. Egan and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and repeatedly turned to stretch his arms out toward the crowds on the streets outside.

The cathedral is swarming with security -- there are men in black suits with earpieces everywhere. Outside, I saw fire and police apparatus for blocks surrounding the cathedral. There are metal barricades lining the streets, and vehicle traffic is largely barred.

After the pope, wearing a rich white mozzetta, walked through the cathedral and its sanctuary, he prayed before the blessed sacrament in a chapel, and then descended into the cathedral's lower level to vest for the Mass in white and gold. As he processed again through the cathedral, the congregation repeatedly rose in applause.

Egan, delivering an official welcome to the pope at the start of the Mass, described St. Patrick's, which is on Fifth Avenue and is a favorite stop for many tourists, as "a beloved house of prayer for not only Catholics across the nation but also for visitors of all faiths, races and cultures from every corner of the globe.'' He referred to the pope as "our supreme shepherd,'' asked Benedict to "confirm us in our faith,'' and said, speaking for the clergy and nuns gathered here, "we pledge to you our loyalty and our love.'' That generated another round of cheers, in response to which Benedict smiled, nodded, and stretched his arms out toward the congregation.

The Mass has begun.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York -- born in Boston and raised in Medford -- has just greeted the congregation here at St. Patrick's Cathedral and welcomed the pope to the nation's largest city.

"It says everything about America that a small-town, middle-class kid named Bloomberg could grow up and be asked to welcome the pope,'' Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg began his brief remarks by thanking the Catholic clergy and parishes for their role in the city. "So many New Yorkers look to you for wisdom and guidance,'' he said.

Bloomberg is Jewish, and the city has a large Jewish population, which the mayor alluded to in his brief remarks, mentioning that tonight is the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

"New York is buzzing, and Pope Benedict couldn't have picked a better time to come,'' he said. "A beautiful spring weekend, the 200th anniversary of the archdiocese of New York, and, to top it all off, it's Passover.''

Bloomberg noted that the pope has been greeted everywhere by sunshine, and said, "I don't know if the pope is responsible for the fantastic weather we have, but, as Cardinal Egan (of New York) told me, there are no accidents.''

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

Today is the penultimate day of Pope Benedict XVI's trip to the US, and, after a day focused on geopolitics and interfaith relations, he's turning his attention back to internal church audiences. Today is also the third anniversary of Benedict's election as pope.

I'm blogging from a chapel to St. Therese of Lisieux on the left side of the altar in the grand St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. There are about 3,000 people gathering here for a 9 a.m. Mass that the pope is going to say for priests, deacons, and nuns; he's expected to touch on the impact of the abuse crisis on clergy. The Cathedral of Saint Patrick Choir is singing a Bach composition, "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring,'' as the congregation works its way through security and takes its seats.

Among those who just walked by: Rudy Giuliani. And in the press box: the writer Peggy Noonan.

"It's a tremendous blessing, to just walk from the West Side over, to see all the people on Fifth Avenue waiting to see the pope, and to see the people, music playing, praying, banners for the pope,'' said Deacon Don Gray of Holy Family parish in New Rochelle, N.Y., who is vested, like the other clergy here, in a white alb with a stole representing the Archdiocese of New York. "It kind of spurs you on in your faith, to see so many people that follow the Lord. It's an unbelievable experience.''

After the Mass, the pope is to take his one spin through Manhattan in the popemobile, along Fifth Avenue, and big crowds are already lining the route. And then this afternoon, the pope heads out to Dunwoodie, a neighborhood of Yonkers, where the New York archdiocesan seminary is located. There he is to bless a group of about 50 youth with disabilities, and their caregivers. And then he is to attend a "rally" with seminarians and young people, also at the seminary; among the crowd are expected to be about 150 from Boston, many of them from either St. John's Seminary in Brighton or Blessed John XXIII Seminary in Weston.

More later.

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

(Reuters/Jason Reed)

Several readers have e-mailed to ask about a flag with stars and bars that they saw in a picture on Boston.com from the White House welcoming ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI. The readers thought it was a Confederate flag and were concerned. I double-checked with the White House this morning, and it turns out it's the state flag of Mississippi. If you're curious what the confusion is about, I've posted images in our Q&A section, which is here.

If you have a question, feel free to e-mail.

The two videos below offer some reaction to the meeting Pope Benedict XVI held with Boston victims of the clergy abuse scandal yesterday.

NECN's Jim Braude gets analysis on the pope's meeting.

Pope Benedict XVI this morning is on the move to New York City, having wrapped up his three-day visit to Washington, D.C., with his historic meeting with clergy sexual abuse victims yesterday afternoon and then a speech to educators and an interfaith gathering.

This morning is the speech that drew the pope to these shores in the first place: an address to the United Nations. This is a big moment for a pope -- John Paul II spoke at the UN twice, in 1979 and 1995, and Paul VI spoke at the UN in 1965. (Sorry, but the Vatican has posted the older speeches only in Italian.)

Benedict talked about his expectations for the speech during his remarks at the White House Wednesday morning, where he said, "On Friday, God willing, I will have the honor of addressing the United Nations Organization, where I hope to encourage the efforts under way to make that institution an ever more effective voice for the legitimate aspirations of all the world’s peoples. On this, the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the need for global solidarity is as urgent as ever, if all people are to live in a way worthy of their dignity – as brothers and sisters dwelling in the same house and around that table which God’s bounty has set for all his children."

New York, of course, is greeting the pope with tabloid headlines. The Daily News splashes this morning with "The Pope of Hope," while the New York Post goes for a rebus, featuring the letters NY, an image of a heart with the papal seal inside, and a picture of the pope, along with the words, "Pope's Big Apple Weekend.'' Of course, inside, the Post gives the pontiff the tabloid treatment, featuring stories with the headlines "Papal audience for perv-priest victims" and "Cathedral cab bursts into fiery inferno.''

In New York I'll be joined by my colleague Michael Levenson, who took a look around yesterday while I was wrapping up in DC; if you missed his look at preparations, here it is.

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

Reaction to the pope's meeting with abuse victims from Boston is starting to come in. Here are some samples:

"This is a small, long-overdue step forward on a very long road. We're confident the meeting was meaningful for the participants and we're grateful that these victims have had the courage to come forward and speak up. But fundamentally it won't change things. Kids need action. Catholics deserve action. Action produces reform and reform, real reform, is sorely needed in the church hierarchy. Some talk is OK. A meeting is better. Decisive reform is crucial. We do vulnerable children a severe disservice if we set extraordinarily low expectations for a brilliant, experienced, powerful global leader like the pope. In the Gospel of Luke, we're told 'To whom much is given, much is expected.' The pope has been given the reins of a vast, wealthy, powerful global monarchy. He must use those reins to safeguard the vulnerable." Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach CA, southwestern regional director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP)

“This is a welcome first step. We hope that all the bishops will make themselves available to survivors in their diocese, listen to their stories and treat them with the respect and compassion they deserve. We need to bring closure. Meeting with a victim is a transformative experience and we hope that the pope is transformed by it and now takes the additional steps needed to attain closure. First, hold accountable the bishops who knowingly transferred abusive priests and demand their resignations. Second, insist that survivors be treated with justice and kindness rather than as litigants. Finally, address the underlying issues that caused the sexual abuse crisis in the first place: the culture of clerical secrecy and the lack of meaningful lay involvement in decision making.” Dan Bartley, president, Voice of the Faithful

"I was not a victim but very much affected by the crisis. This goes a very long way to make up for Cardinal Law. Kudos to Cardinal O’Malley for his efforts." Carolyn E. Stys, a former Milton resident now living in Virginia

"The pope has been hiding this abuse issue for 20 + years as it was his job to do so before he became pope. The only reason he is meeting with a few hand picked victims is because Catholics are sick and tired and have stopped giving to the church. Please don't fool yourself into thinking this is anymore than a PR move as that is all that it is! This is by far not over in my eyes. I hope I'm wrong." Paul Livingston, San Diego

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

NEW YORK -- An organist played through the entire scale, filling the vast nave of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick with the shrillest high notes and the biggest, deepest basses, as he tuned up the 78-year-old, 9,000-pipe organ that will serenade Pope Benedict XVI. Outside, workers on their hands and knees scrubbed the stone steps, while a newly hoisted Vatican flag fluttered in the breeze.

In New York, there was a palpable sense of excitement and anticipation today as the city geared up for the pope’s visit. Workers went into cleaning and decorating mode, wheeling ficus trees into the cathedral and washing away the last remnants of grit as they prepared for the pope to arrive Saturday morning to celebrate Mass for priests, deacons, and members of religious orders.

"You can see a lot more activity and excitement -- maybe the word is more of an awakening," said Chuck Leonard, a 65-year-old investment banker and regular parishioner at the cathedral who stopped by to say a prayer to St. Jude. "When he comes, it’s almost like a lightning bolt. It’s a very positive effect."

Margie and David Acker were among 33 pilgrims who had come from the Diocese of Savannah, Ga., to see the pope celebrate Mass on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. "We’re going to see our Papa!" Margie Acker exulted during a visit to the cathedral. "I love him. What a gift to us. He’s a shepherd for all of us -- for all denominations."

Their friend and fellow pilgrim from Georgia, Betsy Lindsay, reached into her pocketbook and produced a large ticket to the Mass, printed in gold ink and stamped with an image of the pope. "We feel like Willy Wonka," Lindsay said. "We’ve got the golden ticket."

By Michael Paulson
Globe Staff

WASHINGTON _ Pope Benedict XVI, in a dramatic move likely to alter forever the image of his pontificate, met this afternoon with five victims of clergy sexual abuse from Boston.

The private meeting, which was first reported by the Globe this afternoon and has since been confirmed by the Vatican, was brokered by Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston.

The meeting took place at the papal nunciature, which is the home of the pope's ambassador to the United States. The meeting did not appear on the pope's schedule, but took place during the window between a Mass this morning at Nationals Park and a talk that he is to deliver later this afternoon to Catholic educators gathered at Catholic University of America.

A papal spokesman told the Associated Press that O'Malley presented the pontiff with a notebook listing the names of more than one thousand abuse victims from the Boston archdiocese.

The meeting between a pope and abuse victims is a huge development in the clergy sexual abuse crisis that has roiled the Catholic Church since 2002, when the Globe started publishing a series of stories about abuse by priests. The pope at the time, John Paul II, did not visit the United States after the crisis broke -- he traveled to Canada and Mexico but flew over the United States without stopping in 2002 -- and neither he nor Benedict is known to have met with abuse survivors prior to today, despite repeated requests from victims.

O’Malley facilitated the visit with victims after the pope declined his repeated entreaties to visit Boston. O’Malley had argued that the pope could best directly address the abuse issue in Boston, viewed by many as the epicenter of the crisis, but the Vatican cited the pope’s age and health in deciding to limit his travels to New York, which is the home of the United Nations, and Washington, which is the seat of the US government.

In an interview with the Globe last Friday, O’Malley said a papal visit with victims “is really his call.’’

“I am convinced that he is very aware of the needs of our country and certainly wants to be helpful to the church in the United States by his visit,’’ O’Malley said.

Asked again last night about the prospects for a papal visit with victims, O’Malley said, cryptically, “nothing has been announced.’’

But in the Friday interview, O’Malley said he has found meeting with victims to be very helpful.

“I think it has been very positive, in helping to understand the serious damage that is occasioned by child abuse,’’ he said. “I think in the past, people were not aware of the long-range effects. And, certainly, if you have the opportunity to meet with survivors, it becomes very apparent that this kind of tragic activity in their childhood often marks a person for life and is a source of great distress.’’

O’Malley also said meetings with victims can help some reconnect with their Catholic faith.

“It also, I think, has given me an opportunity to try and reach out to survivors and to help them to realize that in the Catholic Church we have a great sorrow for what happened to them,’’ he said. “And many of the survivors themselves, in my experience, are looking for a way to reconnect with the church. Some have walked away from the church, but others have a real desire to have a relationship with the church.”

The victims – including men and women, all of them abused as minors by priests in the Boston area – met with the 81-year-old pontiff at the papal nunciature, which is the Vatican’s Embassy here, for about a half hour. They were accompanied by O’Malley.

None of the participants could immediately be reached for comment.

But David Clohessy, the national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a telephone interview, "It’s a very long-overdue small step forward, especially if it leads to reform. Talk can produce change or complicity. We hope it's the former. But the cold, hard reality is no child is safer tomorrow than they are today.''

Others were more sanguine. Carolyn E. Stys, a lay Catholic who grew up in Milton but now lives in Virginia, e-mailed after reading about the meeting to say how delighted she was. "I was not a victim but very much affected by the crisis,'' she said. "This goes a very long way to make up for Cardinal Law. Kudos to Cardinal O’Malley for his efforts."

The scale of the abuse is still the subject of some controversy, but the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which did a study for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, found that 4,392 priests had been accused of abusing 10,667 individuals between 1950 and 2002. The crisis led in December 2002 to the resignation of Cardinal Bernard F. Law of Boston, who was criticized for failing to remove abusive priests from ministry; John Paul II named Law to oversee a prominent basilica in Rome, and appointed O'Malley to replace him as archbishop of Boston.

Today’s meeting caps a remarkable start to Benedict’s first papal trip to the United States, in which the 81-year-old pontiff has repeatedly discussed the abuse crisis. His comments have been criticized by victim advocates, who want him to go further by disciplining bishops who failed to remove abusive priests, but the remarks have nonetheless been striking for their detail and frequency.

"This is a huge step forward,'' said the Rev. Keith F. Pecklers, a professor of theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. "We basically were told before he arrived that he would probably address this topic at one event, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and now we've had three references, plus this meeting, which is hugely significant. It means he is trying to communicate that he's taking this very seriously, and that it's the fundamental issue in the US church right now in terms of trying to move forward. He wants to give a clear signal to America that he gets it.''

In his most recent comments, in a homily delivered at a Mass at Nationals Park this morning, Benedict told 46,000 worshipers “to assist those who have been hurt.’’

“I acknowledge the pain which the church in America has experienced as a result of the sexual abuse of minors,’’ he said. “No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse.’’

His remarks this morning followed a lengthy discussion of the abuse crisis last night in a speech to the 350 American bishops, who gathered to meet with the pope at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in northeast Washington.

“Among the countersigns to the Gospel of life found in America and elsewhere is one that causes deep shame: the sexual abuse of minors,’’ he said after vespers in the basilica crypt. “Many of you have spoken to me of the enormous pain that your communities have suffered when clerics have betrayed their priestly obligations and duties by such gravely immoral behavior.’’

Most strikingly, Benedict echoed a comment made by Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, saying, “responding to this situation has not been easy and, as the president of your Episcopal Conference has indicated, it was ‘sometimes very badly handled’.” He urged the bishops to work on prevention measures, but also said that most clergy “do outstanding work.’’

Benedict, who was previously not known for his concern about this issue, made clear that the issue is of concern to him on Tuesday, when he chose to take, as the first of four pre-submitted questions from reporters, a query about the abuse crisis.

“It is a great suffering for the church in the United States, for the church in general, and for me personally that this could happen,’’ he said on the plane, dubbed Shepherd One. “If I read the histories of these victims, it’s difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betrayed in this way their mission to give healing and to give the love of God to these children.

We are deeply ashamed, and we will do all that is possible that this cannot happen in the future.’’

Benedict has a long and complex history with the abuse crisis. He also has a deep familiarity with the crisis, because in his previous post as prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, he was in charge of the office that oversaw the abuse cases that were referred to Rome by dioceses around the world. Early in the crisis, when he was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he appeared to minimize the scope and seriousness of the crisis. But just before he was elected pope, he referred to abusive behavior as “filth.’’ And, after being elected pope, he removed from ministry a prominent Mexican priest, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, who was repeatedly accused of sexual abuse but was not disciplined by Pope John Paul II.

Michael Paulson can be reached by e-mail at mpaulson@globe.com.

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For the third day in a row, Pope Benedict XVI this morning directly addressed the clergy sexual abuse crisis that has roiled the Catholic Church in the United States.

In the homily he has just delivered at a sun-drenched open-air Mass in the brand new Nationals Park stadium in Washington, Benedict told about 46,000 worshipers that he understands the suffering the crisis has caused.

"I acknowledge the pain which the church in America has experienced as a result of the sexual abuse of minors,'' he said, his voice low, somber, and measured as he read his comments about the abuse crisis in heavily accented English. "No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse.''

Benedict is rapidly making it clear that he views the abuse crisis as a major issue in the United States; the first statement he made on the plane here Tuesday was about the abuse issue, and then he addressed it again in detail when speaking to the bishops last night.

This morning, he addressed his concerns about the crisis to laypeople.

"Yesterday I spoke with your bishops about this,'' he said. "Today, I encourage each of you to do what you can to foster healing and reconciliation, and to assist those who have been hurt. Also, I ask you to love your priests, and to affirm them in the excellent work that they do. And above all, pray that the Holy Spirit will pour out his gifts upon the church, the gifts that lead to conversion, forgiveness, and growth in holiness."

As he has done in his previous remarks on this issue, Benedict urged "loving pastoral attention" for victims, as well as measures to prevent future abuse.

"Nor can I adequately describe the damage that has occurred within the community of the church,'' he said. "Great efforts have already been made to deal honestly and fairly with this tragic situation, and to ensure that children -- whom our Lord loves so deeply, and who are our greatest treasure -- can grow up in a safe environment. These efforts to protect children must continue."

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

The full text of the pope's homily is below.

By Kate Augusto, Globe Correspondent

Pupils at St. Patrick School in Roxbury may not have been able to take a field trip today to Nationals Park in Washington D.C., where Pope Benedict XVI is celebrating Mass with more than 45,000 people. But 45 students were still part of the crowd.

The first- and eighth-grade classes at the Catholic grammar school are watching the Mass on television in their classrooms to share in the papal visit, said principal Mary Lanata.

“It’s getting caught up in the excitement and being a part of the [45,000] people in the baseball stadium,” Lanata said. “This is living history."

It's another stunningly beautiful day in Washington -- sunny, with a projected high of 76 -- and the brand new Nationals Park, which opened last month, is the setting for Pope Benedict XVI's first public Mass in the US. I'm in a press box on the sixth floor level here -- from my seat I can see the domes of the Capitol and the Library of Congress, and to my right and left are stadium seats packed with an estimated 46,000 people.

On the field are 14 cardinals and 250 bishops and 1,300 priests and some very lucky laypeople. Of course, there's sacred ground, and then there's sacred ground -- the infield has been fenced off to protect the grass for baseball, so the seating is only in the outfield and the stands. The altar, in the outfield, was designed by students at the Catholic University of America here in Washington.

Around the stadium, people lined up to buy $20 Benedict T-shirts and other souvenirs. In the stands I met Ann Johnson, 49, of Bel Air, Maryland, who came to the Mass with her daughter and her sister.

"I saw Pope John Paul II in Baltimore, and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world when he came out in the popemobile -- I can't describe it to you because I feel like I'm going to cry,'' she said. "The pope does so much good for the world. This pope is so new, everyone is curious to see the kind of relationship he'll have with folks here. I'm looking forward to seeing him.''

Janae Zarate, 21, of Fresno, said she flew out with a group from the Neocatechumenal Way, a Catholic movement, because "I wanted to hear the word of the Lord.'' Zarate said she saw Benedict once before, at World Youth Day in Cologne in 2005. "He gives a sign of hope that there's something else out there, beyond what we see every day in our life,'' she said.

Vern Heeren, 65, and his wife, Carole, 62, told me they converted to Catholicism five years ago, drawn in by the magnetism of John Paul II. The Lincoln, Calif., couple said they got tickets to the Mass from their parish. "It just seemed like a wonderful opportunity,'' Vern Heeren said. "We didn't think there was any possibility we could do something like this.''

Benedict arrived around 9:30, and took a brief spin around the perimeter of the field in his popemobile. There are four choirs performing, with a total of about 500 singers.

The pope is now seated in his throne, and the crowd is cheering. The Mass is about to begin.

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

Good morning from Nationals Park, where the pope is scheduled to say Mass for about 45,000 people starting at 10 a.m.

For those of you who want to watch from home, Boston Catholic Television is airing the Mass, and the US bishops conference is streaming it here. Last night, I watched the pope's vespers service at the National Shrine on streaming video, and, while it wasn't exactly hi-def TV, it was pretty great -- it seemed like they had a camera in every corner of the shrine -- and the commentary, not surprisingly, was quite detailed and filled with insider-y observations.

I also got an e-mail from Comcast, saying that, if you want to watch the Mass on your own schedule, digital cable customers can watch the Masses (the one here this morning and the one Sunday at Yankee Stadium) for free through April 27. Here are the details, sent along for the from Comcast's Marc Goodman:

The pope's speech tonight to the bishops was a blockbuster -- 6,000 words delivered over an hour, about half devoted to answering three pre-submitted questions from bishops -- and a reminder of what his former students are always talking about -- it was rich and wide-ranging and frank and provided a lot of fodder for further discussion.

After the speech, Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston phoned to give me his reaction -- he was seated up front with the other cardinals. Here's what he said:

"It touched on every theme imaginable, which I’m sure that he will continue to unpack during the rest of his trip here. It was quite an address. I think that there weren’t any surprises, but the fact that he was so thorough -- that's his way -- and that he included so many different themes and tied them all together. It was so artful. He is a born teacher.''

I asked the cardinal what message he took from the speech, and he said, "Certainly the call to rededicate ourselves to the values of the Gospel, and to evangelize, to help our people to rediscover the riches of the Gospel. I think it was a pretty hopeful address, at the same time recognizing the many challenges that the church faces in our country and in the world.''

As for the pope's lengthy discussion of the abuse crisis, O'Malley said, "I was not at all surprised. I expected him to address that. He was certainly very aware of how focused we have been on the problem in the US, and how much people have suffered. He also recognized the efforts that have been made to create safe environments for our people.''

I'll have a story in tomorrow's paper, but for those of you who just want to read the pope's words, I'm posting the (very) full text below:

US Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, has just issued a statement about the papal visit. Kennedy, of course, is one of the most prominent Catholic politicians in the world, and his brother, the late President Kennedy, was the only Catholic ever elected president. Ted Kennedy differs with church teachings on a variety of matters, but still has praise for the pope. Here's his statement:

“Pope Benedict’s visit to the United States is a remarkable opportunity for Catholics and for all Americans to reflect on how we can come together to bring healing to the entire world and to all people of every faith. It’s a very difficult time for our country and the world, and I’m hopeful that the power of faith and unity will be a lasting legacy of our role in the Pope’s visit.”

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

I just got off the phone with my colleague Farah Stockman, who works in the Globe's Washington bureau, and she covered the pope's first popemobile ride in the US, which whisked Benedict XVI from the White House to the nunciature, where he is now having a birthday lunch with the American cardinals (except for Cardinal Bernard F. Law, the archbishop emeritus of Boston, who stayed in Rome...)

Farah watched from the corner of 17th and Pennsylvania, just by the White House, and said it was quite a scene. She describes a mix of devout Catholics, anti-Catholic protesters, and curious tourists, all thronged side-by-side trying to get a lunch hour glimpse of the man of the hour.

Some folks had gathered as early as 7 a.m. to get a good spot, while others just stopped by to see what the fuss was about. A group of Baptists held "Trust Jesus" signs as a young man shouted anti-Catholic vitriol through a megaphone; he eventually was encircled by members of the Neocatechumenal Way, a Catholic group that likes to sing and managed to drown him out. At a nearby park, encircled by police tape, were members of the ever-present Westboro Baptist Church, best-known for their anti-gay slogans and their protests at military funerals, but apparently also hostile to Catholics; they were surrounded by counter-protesters. And Farah's corner also featured a group of anti-celibacy protesters. Welcome to Washington!

At one point, a scream went up from the crowd, but it turned out just to be a group of bicycle cops; when the fleet of motorcycles started whizzing by, though, the crowd knew the moment was at hand. The popemobile, a white, bulletproof glass enclosed Mercedes-Benz, moved by at a good clip, but Benedict was clearly visible, smiling and waving. People in the crowd gasped and shouted; some hoisted kids into the air or stood on chairs at the nearby Au Bon Pain.

And then, as fast as he arrived, the pope was gone.

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

The White House has now also released a transcript of the remarks by the president and the pope made on the South Lawn. Here you go:

"PRESIDENT BUSH: Holy Father, Laura and I are privileged to have you here at the White House. We welcome you with the ancient words commended by Saint Augustine: "Pax Tecum." Peace be with you.

You've chosen to visit America on your birthday. Well, birthdays are traditionally spent with close friends, so our entire nation is moved and honored that you've decided to share this special day with us. We wish you much health and happiness -- today and for many years to come. (Applause.)

As the pope left the White House a little while ago, the two leaders (President Bush and Pope Benedict XVI) issued a joint statement about their meeting. Here it is:

"JOINT STATEMENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND HOLY SEE

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and President George W. Bush met today in the Oval Office of the White House.

President Bush, on behalf of all Americans, welcomed the Holy Father, wished him a happy birthday, and thanked him for the spiritual and moral guidance, which he offers to the whole human family. The President wished the Pope every success in his Apostolic Journey and in his address at the United Nations, and expressed appreciation for the Pope’s upcoming visit to “Ground Zero” in New York.

During their meeting, the Holy Father and the President discussed a number of topics of common interest to the Holy See and the United States of America, including moral and religious considerations to which both parties are committed: the respect of the dignity of the human person; the defense and promotion of life, matrimony and the family; the education of future generations; human rights and religious freedom; sustainable development and the struggle against poverty and pandemics, especially in Africa. In regard to the latter, the Holy Father welcomed the United States’ substantial financial contributions in this area. The two reaffirmed their total rejection of terrorism as well as the manipulation of religion to justify immoral and violent acts against innocents. They further touched on the need to confront terrorism with appropriate means that respect the human person and his or her rights.

The Holy Father and the President devoted considerable time in their discussions to the Middle East, in particular resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict in line with the vision of two states living side-by-side in peace and security, their mutual support for the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon, and their common concern for the situation in Iraq and particularly the precarious state of Christian communities there and elsewhere in the region. The Holy Father and the President expressed hope for an end to violence and for a prompt and comprehensive solution to the crises which afflict the region.

The Holy Father and the President also considered the situation in Latin America with reference, among other matters, to immigrants, and the need for a coordinated policy regarding immigration, especially their humane treatment and the well being of their families."

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

Greetings from the White House's South Lawn, where the crowd of thousands is now dispersing after an elaborate welcoming ceremony. The president and the pope have gone into the Oval Office to meet, and next time we see the pontiff he'll be taking a ride on his popemobile through the streets of the capital.

The day is picture-perfect here in Washington, sunny and clear and in the high 60s -- a little too warm, apparently, for some in the crowd -- three girl scouts standing in front of me fainted over the course of the welcoming ceremony, and one by one they were carried off or escorted to medical help by nearby Marines.

Security was unbelievably tight -- at one point I thought I saw the orchestra walk by with big violin cases on their backs -- a reporter who apparently spends more time in the big city than me informed me that those were not violins, but guns.

I saw the ceremony from a penned in area packed with press; most of the visiting Catholics were similarly penned in to various sections of the lawn, and some watched from bleachers. As is common for these visits, many held pairs of Vatican and US flags; I did see some cute little girls with handmade signs reading "We love you Pope Hope!"

Karen Hawk, a 59-year-old Holyoke native who now lives in Centreville, Virg., told me she came to the White House today because she viewed this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the pope. "It's fabulous,'' she said. "In my lifetime this is the only time I will get this close to the pope. And I'm from a long line of Irish Catholics." Like many in the crowd craning to see, she had one regret "I'm just a little too short.'' Her son, 37-year-old Charles Hawk, said he also thought Red Sox nation needed to show a little gratitude, given its successes. "We figured as Red Sox fans we should pay homage,'' Charles Hawk said.

Jaime and Zoraida Fonalledas told me they flew up here from their home in San Juan, Puerto Rico, just for a chance to see the pope. They're active in the Knights of Malta, and they saw John Paul II during his stop in Puerto Rico in 1986; here they're also planning to go to Mass with the pope at Nationals Park tomorrow. "We wanted to hear his words of peace and unity and love,'' Zoraida said. "And people here are so happy.''

I'm being evicted from the lawn (not just me -- everyone -- the event is over). More later.

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

So I'm sitting on a driveway in front of the press briefing room, next to the West Wing, where you see all those televised press conferences. Next to me on the asphalt are Tim Russert and Matt Lauer. A parade of visitors is streaming by, including the Knights of Columbus with their plumes, a troop of boy scouts, a sea of bishops, Catholic school students, and various religious leaders, including Greek Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios. Other reporters claim they just saw Barney, or some Bush family dog (Miss Beazley?), but I'm staring at my screen (blogging for you, dear readers) and missed the story (well, at least the Scottish terrier angle). Lots of local color -- I saw Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston entering the White House gates, and Imam Talal Eid of Boston just walked by; at the pressroom I ran into various folks from home, including John Norton, of the Catholic publication Our Sunday Visitor, who hails from Shrewsbury, and a producer, Patti Hanley, who shoots for Religion and Ethics Newsweekly (a PBS program -- check your local listings) who is an Adams native and confesses she has a Red Sox tattoo, although she won't say where.

The only news so far is that the White House has released the menu for the dinner tonight that the pope is skipping. Here's what His Holiness will miss: Morel-encrusted Diver Scallops, Ramp Spatzle, Angel Hair Asparagus Bisque, Duo of Veal, White Truffle-Potato Dumplings, Baby Carrots and Boletus Mushrooms, Heirloom Lettuces and Candied Pumpkin Seeds, Spring Squash Carpaccio, Styrian Pumpkin Oil Vinaigrette, Raspberry Crisp and Mint Coulis.

Even though the pope won't be there, all the Catholics on the Supreme Court will, including Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Alito, and Thomas. And the big name tonight will be Tommy Lasorda, the former Dodgers manager.

Good news! I just saw the terrier.

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

Today, Pope Benedict XVI’s first full day in the United States, is also the pontiff’s 81st birthday, and the day will feature a mix of pomp and substance.

The primary birthday celebration will be a lunch with the American cardinals – including Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston – at the nunciature, which is the Embassy Row manse of the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States. No word yet as to what will be on the menu.

But the two weightiest events of the day are a morning visit to the White House, at which the pope will meet privately for about 45 minutes in the Oval Office with President Bush, and an afternoon session with all the American bishops, at which the pope will deliver an address.

At the White House, a welcoming party of as many as 9,000 people are expected to gather on the South Lawn for what presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino described as “one of the largest arrival ceremonies ever held at the White House.’’ All the bells and whistles the White House can muster will be on display, including a 21-gun salute, a Marine band playing the national anthems of the Holy See and the United States, trumpets and flowers and, of course, dignitaries galore, including Vice President Dick Cheney, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, the Harvard law professor Bush chose to be his representative to the Holy See. The American soprano Kathleen Battle, who has had a long professional association with Boston Symphony Orchestra music director James Levine, will sing "The Lord's Prayer" -- a song choice that Perino yesterday explained by saying "many people across America and across the world say that prayer in order to provide themselves comfort and confidence in getting their day started. And so we think it's perfectly appropriate."

Perino had quite a bit to say about expectations for the visit yesterday, and you can read more about that here.

The day promises to be picture perfect – the forecast for Washington today is sunny with a high of 69.

After the White House meeting, Benedict will take his first spin through town in his white Mercedes-Benz popemobile.

This evening, Benedict will lead a vespers service with the US bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where he will also deliver a speech to the bishops.

The White House is holding a dinner in honor of the pope's visit, but he's not attending. Instead, at about 7:30 tonight, it's back to the nunciature for sleep.

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

Pope Benedict XVI touched down here at Andrews Air Force Base at about 3:50 p.m., and is now en route to the nunciature, the home of his ambassador to Washington, where he will spend the night.

He was greeted under a cloudless sky by a crowd of about 1,000 folks, many of them Air Force employees and their families, but also a lot of kids from a local Catholic high school, Archbishop McNamara, who had spent the day waiting on several reviewing stands set up along the tarmac.

The Alitalia plane dubbed Shepherd One, adorned with US and Vatican flags on its nose, taxied along a runway and pulled up in front of the reviewing stands precisely at 4 p.m., as scheduled. An honor guard and a variety of prelates and other dignitaries lined a red carpet rolled up to the plane's forward door. The pope, dressed in white robes and clutching his skullcap in his hand lest it blow away, waved and smiled. President and Mrs. Bush, joined by their daughter Jenna, greeted him as he descended. As he neared the crowd, he wiggled his fingers as he waved, but he did not approach the reviewing stands, and he made no public remarks.

The crowd was enthusiastic, waving flags and cheering. "It was amazing,'' said Vincent Harrington, a 16-year-old high school junior who was taking photos of the pope on his cellphone. "I got so many good pictures.''

The pope has no public events tonight. Tomorrow, his 81st birthday, he is to meet with President Bush at the White House, where as many as 12,000 people are to gather on the lawn to greet him -- the largest crowd at the White House during the Bush administration. The pope then is to take his first popemobile ride in the United States, to the nunciature, where he will have a birthday lunch; tomorrow late afternoon he is to meet with the US bishops.

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all blog entries on the papal visit, go here.

The media -- several hundred of us -- have now arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, just outside of Washington, to wait for the pope. There is a high school band warming up, and a few sun-drenched reviewing stands filling up mostly with Air Force employees and their families. Many of the kids are holding the yellow flags of the Holy See, as well as the stars and stripes, to wave when they see the president and the pope.

I managed to find two women from Massachusetts, both of them serving in the Air Force, both of them excited to see the pope, but also to see the president. "I've been in the Air Force for 22 years, and I have not been this close to my boss before,'' said Master Sergeant Barbara Poirier, 41, of North Attleborough. I wasn't sure whether she was referring to the pope or President Bush, but it turns out she meant the president, who is coming to Andrews to greet the pope. This will be the first time the president has gone to the airport to welcome a visitor (I mean in an official capacity, obviously). Poirier was seated next to Tech Sergeant Jennifer Taylor, 29, of New Bedford, who called this afternoon "a once in a lifetime experience, to see the pope and the president,'' Taylor said she had visited the Vatican as a tourist, but had missed seeing the pope.

A helpful Air Force official, noting that I was combing through the crowd of several hundred looking for New Englanders, kindly pointed out a guy in the back row wearing a Red Sox cap. That turned out to be Don DeSaulniers, 56, a retired civilian Air Force employee originally from Bellingham, but now living in Lusby, Md. Don was relatively taciturn, noting obliquely that his cap was causing him a lot of trouble, but his wife, Barbara, said the couple had considered going to see the pope at Nationals Park, but that the chance to watch from the tarmac meant they'd get a better view.

I also found an Arlington native in the crowd, Joyce Kearney, now of Laurel, Md., who told me she considered it "a blessing" to be able to be here. "I've lived to be 68, and I'm finally getting to see a pope,'' she said.

To read all the pope visit blog posts, check out this site.

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

Greetings from Maryland, where I'll be blogging about the pope's visit today. The pope, Benedict XVI, is en route now from Rome Fiumicino, aboard a chartered Alitalia Boeing 777 dubbed, for the moment, Shepherd One. This is the pope's eighth trip during his three years in office, and his first to the US.

I'm on board a bus packed with reporters, driving from the Westin City Centre, which is the official media hotel, out to Andrews Air Force Base. Security is so tight that we had to gather on the sidewalk six hours before the pope is scheduled to arrive; happily, the Secret Service German shepherds did not eat the Wheat Thins I put in my messenger bag to help me get through the afternoon. There are multiple buses of media, and we're being escorted by a small motorcade of police -- which makes the trip much faster. Once we arrive at the tarmac, we'll be allowed to interview members of the Bishop McNamara High School band, from Maryland, which is going to play while the pope alights, and any dignitaries that are here to greet the pontiff. But we've been instructed not to cross the carpet on which the pope and President and Mrs. Bush will walk.

There are more than 5,000 reporters and other media folks credentialled to cover this trip, from all over the world. The other day, I was interviewed by the Dutch evening news. In the security line this morning I saw a reporter with a Vatican flag coming out of his green baseball cap. There are a lot of Catholic outlets represented, as well as the secular folks, and a lot of new media pioneers -- photographers wielding video cameras and reporters with blogging duties and so on. There are also a lot of interest groups critical of the pope who have gathered in Washington to call attention to their concerns; I ran into Barbara Blaine and Peter Isely of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests on an Amtrak train yesterday; today they're having a vigil at a parish where an abusive priest was stationed.

The pope is already making news -- in his traditional in-flight remarks to reporters, he used the most personal, and arguably the strongest, language yet used by a pontiff in reference to the abuse crisis, saying he is "deeply ashamed" by the abusive behavior of priests. Survivors are already reacting -- in Boston, attorney Mitchell Garabedian gathered some of his clients to comment, and Peter Isely, a SNAP official, immediately issued a statement calling for action rather than words, saying, "Benedict has done essentially what John Paul II did - make a few vague, brief remarks about the continuing crisis, and nothing more."

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

To read all the posts on the papal visit, go here.

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

As Catholics anticipate the arrival next week of Pope Benedict XVI on his first papal trip to the US, Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley today sought to lower expectations for the 80-year-old pontiff, declaring in an open letter to area Catholics, "the Holy Father is not a celebrity or a rock star."

"He is a Shepherd and represents Christ, the Good Shepherd, who commanded Peter: 'Feed my Sheep','' wrote O'Malley, who is the Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston. "Pope Benedict is coming to feed us in our hunger for God and for truth."

O'Malley is planning to travel to Washington and New York to be with the pope, who is scheduled to visit those cities next week. And another 3,000 Boston Catholics are planning to travel to New York on April 20 for a Mass celebrated by Benedict XVI at Yankee Stadium.

"I write this letter to ask you to pray for the spiritual success of the Holy Father’s visit,'' O'Malley said. "At the same time, I urge all my fellow Catholics to listen attentively to the message that the Pope will address to us."

To see all pope visit blog entries, visit this site.

The Globe's religion writer, Michael Paulson, is fielding questions about the pope and his visit to the US. If you have a question, please send it along.

Two questions on a similar topic about the welcoming ceremony at the White House:

Q. What’s with the confederate flag?? Who’s flying it and why is it allowed at the white house lawn?? Esp. in a pic with the pres and the pope.. So distasteful. -- C.M., Boston
Q. I'm curious about the decision of the Pope and Mr. Bush to appear jointly in front of a Confederate flag yesterday while speaking at the White House. I'm also surprised at the media's lack of coverage of this curious and, in my opinion, disgraceful act, and any explanation of what possible meaning we should take from it. -- D.S., Weymouth

A.These questions were triggered by the following photo, which ran on Boston.com:

I figured this must be a state flag, but I e-mailed the White House to check; it turns out the image is from the state flag of Mississippi, which resembles the stars and bars. Here's an explanatory photo that the White House was kind enough to send along.

Q: I have heard a rumor that the disgraced former Cardinal of Boston, Bernard Law, may be accompanying Pope Benedict on his visit to the USA, April 15 - 20. Have you heard anything to that effect? Just wondering -- 'cause if it is true, that would explain why the Pope did not agree to visit Boston while on this trip -- he's afraid of violent protests. Could you check into that -- and give Boston Globe readers a 'heads up' if there is any truth to this rumor?
-- DO, Stoneham

A: I checked this out, and I'm told that Cardinal Law, who now lives and works in Rome overseeing a basilica there, is not accompanying the pope to the US.

For full coverage of the papal visit, check out boston.com/pope.