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2008 visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the United States

January 01, 1970

Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States took place from April 15, 2008, to April 20, 2008. It was his only visit to the United States. It was officially titled the "Apostolic Visit to the United States of America and to the Seat of the United Nations". It was the sixth official papal visit to the United States since the U.S. established full diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 1984.[1] In addition to his 1979 visit, Pope John Paul II visited the United States in 1987, 1993, 1995, and 1999. Pope Francis visited the United States in 2015.

The ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House at which the Pope was formally received.

The Pope's visit included meetings with President George W. Bush, an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, a visit to Ground Zero, and Masses at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., and Yankee Stadium in New York City, among other activities.

Preparation edit

The visit was announced on November 12, 2007 by Archbishop Pietro Sambi to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.[2]

Visit edit

April 15 (Washington) edit

 
Pope Benedict arrives at Andrews Air Force Base
 
President Bush greets Pope Benedict XVI at Andrews Air Force Base

The Pope arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington on April 15, 2008, greeted by President Bush and cheering crowds. This was the first time any president had gone to the base to greet a foreign dignitary, as presidents customarily wait for visitors at the White House.[3][4]

April 16 (Washington) edit

 
Pope Benedict waves to the crowd on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.
 
Pope Benedict meets with George W. Bush in the Oval Office.

The Pope was formally received at the White House on April 16. Over 9,000 people gathered on the South Lawn of the White House, including thousands of members of the public who got free tickets in a lottery-type drawing, and another 4,000 without tickets to the ceremony lined the streets around the White House to see his motorcade.[5] The crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to the Pope, who turned 81 years old that day. The Pope addressed the crowd in English, saying he had "great respect for this vast pluralistic society" and ended by saying "God bless America".[5] In his speech, Bush said the visit was a reminder to Americans to "distinguish between simple right and wrong", saying, "We need your message to reject this dictatorship of relativism and embrace a culture of justice and truth." He told the Pope that in America, "you'll find a nation that welcomes the role of religion in the public square...[I]n a world where some evoke the name of God to justify acts of terror and murder and hate, we need your message that God is love. And embracing this love is the surest way to save man from falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism."[6] After the ceremony, Bush and the Pope met in the Oval Office, where Bush presented him with a birthday cake.

During their private meeting in the Oval Office, the Pope expressed his concerns to Bush about the Iraq War and illegal immigration in the country.[5]

Afterwards, the Pope went to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where he addressed American bishops. Bush hosted a state dinner at the White House later that evening for visiting cardinals, bishops and various dignitaries.

April 17 (Washington) edit

The Pope celebrated Mass at the newly built Nationals Park in Washington, home to the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team. 46,000 people attended the Mass at the stadium, which has an official seating capacity of about 41,000. 200,000 requests for tickets, which were free, had been submitted prior to the mass.[7] Those in attendance included 14 cardinals, 250 bishops, and 1,300 priests.[8] The altar was set up in the outfield and live video of the Mass was shown on the scoreboard. In his homily, the Pope urged American Catholics to "foster healing and reconciliation" in the wake of the child sex abuse scandal.

After the Mass, he went to the Catholic University of America to address representatives from American Catholic universities, diocesan schools, and others about the role of the Church in education. After that, he went to the university's Pope John Paul II Cultural Center to meet privately with about 200 representatives of Judaism, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism to promote interfaith dialogue.[9]

April 18 (New York) edit

The Pope addressed the United Nations General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York. He praised the UN as a defender of human rights, but cautioned that it must be acknowledged that human rights come from God.[10][11]

He made a historic visit to a Jewish synagogue in New York, the first visit by any Pope to a Jewish place of worship in America.[12] The visit fell on the eve of Passover. He said he found it "moving to recall that Jesus as a young boy heard the words of Scripture and prayed in a place such as this."[13]

April 19 (New York) edit

The Pope visited St. Patrick's Cathedral, where he celebrated Mass. In his homily, he spoke of the child sex abuse scandal and called for healing.[14]

He met with disabled children and their families then led a youth rally of over 20,000 teenagers and young adults at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York.[15]

April 20 (New York) edit

The Pope visited Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center towers which were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. He prayed for the victims of the 9/11 attacks and met with a small group of relatives of the victims as well as a handful of first responders and survivors. He blessed the site, lit a candle,[16] and gave a prayer for the dead. He prayed for "eternal light and peace" for those killed and for healing for their families.[17]

The Pope said Mass to a crowd of nearly 60,000 at Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees. Over 200,000 had requested tickets, which were free, for the event.[18] The New York Times said the crowd "roared with all the sustained excitement of spectators at a pennant-clinching game."[19] The altar was set up on second base.[20] In his homily, he said the unwavering truth of the Catholic Church's message guarantees respect for the dignity of all human life, "including the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother's womb."[citation needed] The Mass marked the third time a Pope had visited the stadium, a record for any venue in the United States. (Pope Paul VI celebrated Mass at the stadium in 1965, and Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass there in 1979.[21]) MLB changed the Yankees schedule to accommodate the Mass, resulting in the Yankees playing 18 of their 20 games in April on the road, the most in one month in MLB history.[21]

 
The Pope speaks at the farewell ceremony hosted by Vice President Cheney.

Vice President Dick Cheney hosted a farewell ceremony for the Pope at John F. Kennedy International Airport attended by 3,000 people.[22] After a final speech, he boarded a specially chartered Alitalia plane with the callsign "Shepherd One" and touched down at Rome's Ciampino International Airport at 10:40 AM local time.[23]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Parker, Jennifer; Blakemore, Bill (April 15, 2008). "Bush Embraces Pope Benedict XVI". ABC News. from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  2. ^ "Pope Benedict XVI to Make First Visit to U.S. in April". Fox News. November 12, 2007. from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  3. ^ . WKTV. April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  4. ^ "Pope Benedict XVI comes to America". The New York Times. April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c MacAskill, Ewen (April 16, 2008). "Thousands gather to greet Pope at White House". The Guardian. from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  6. ^ "Pope pushes Americans to create a more just society". The New York Times. April 16, 2008. from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  7. ^ Elsibai, Nadine "Pope Benedict Says Mass Before 47,000 in New Washington Stadium" Bloomberg April 17, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  8. ^ Paulson, Michael "The scene at Nationals Park" The Boston Globe April 17, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  9. ^ Linskey, Regina "Pope meets interreligious leaders, says dialogue discovers truth" 2011-05-27 at the Wayback Machine Catholic News Service April 17, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  10. ^ Rodgers, Ann "Pope touts human rights at U.N." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 19, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  11. ^ Gorski, Eric Pope: Respect for human rights key to solving problems, CBS News/Associated Press (April 18, 2008).
  12. ^ "Pope urges global unity on crises" BBC News April 19, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  13. ^ Jones, Charisse "Pope makes historic visit to synagogue" USA Today April 18, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  14. ^ Zoll, Rachel "At St. Pat's, Pope prays for healing from sex abuse scandal" USA Today April 19, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  15. ^ Bradley Hagerty, Barbara "Pope Delivers Serious Message to Young Catholics" NPR April 20, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  16. ^ Staff Writer. "Pope Benedict XVI blesses Ground Zero". Daily News. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  17. ^ Dolmetsch, Chris "Pope Benedict XVI Visits Ground Zero, Calls for Peace" (Update4) Bloomberg April 20, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  18. ^ Hinckley, David "Final papal visit to Yankee Stadium will pack 'em in" New York Daily News March 30, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  19. ^ Vitello, Paul "After Ground Zero Prayer, Pope Ministers to 60,000 in Stadium" The New York Times April 21, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  20. ^ "Mass at Yankee Stadium caps Pope’s U.S. visit" NBC News April 21, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  21. ^ a b Hoch, Bryan "Yankee Stadium set to host Pope" MLB.com April 17, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  22. ^ "Pope departs U.S. with a call for peace" 2012-01-18 at the Wayback Machine CNN April 20, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
  23. ^ "Pope arrives home from US trip" 2011-05-20 at the Wayback Machine Google News April 20, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011

January 01, 1970
2008, visit, pope, benedict, united, states, pope, benedict, visit, united, states, took, place, from, april, 2008, april, 2008, only, visit, united, states, officially, titled, apostolic, visit, united, states, america, seat, united, nations, sixth, official,. Pope Benedict XVI s visit to the United States took place from April 15 2008 to April 20 2008 It was his only visit to the United States It was officially titled the Apostolic Visit to the United States of America and to the Seat of the United Nations It was the sixth official papal visit to the United States since the U S established full diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 1984 1 In addition to his 1979 visit Pope John Paul II visited the United States in 1987 1993 1995 and 1999 Pope Francis visited the United States in 2015 The ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House at which the Pope was formally received The Pope s visit included meetings with President George W Bush an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City a visit to Ground Zero and Masses at Nationals Park in Washington D C and Yankee Stadium in New York City among other activities Contents 1 Preparation 2 Visit 2 1 April 15 Washington 2 2 April 16 Washington 2 3 April 17 Washington 2 4 April 18 New York 2 5 April 19 New York 2 6 April 20 New York 3 See also 4 ReferencesPreparation editThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it March 2011 The visit was announced on November 12 2007 by Archbishop Pietro Sambi to the U S Conference of Catholic Bishops 2 Visit editApril 15 Washington edit nbsp Pope Benedict arrives at Andrews Air Force Base nbsp President Bush greets Pope Benedict XVI at Andrews Air Force Base The Pope arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington on April 15 2008 greeted by President Bush and cheering crowds This was the first time any president had gone to the base to greet a foreign dignitary as presidents customarily wait for visitors at the White House 3 4 April 16 Washington edit nbsp Pope Benedict waves to the crowd on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D C nbsp Pope Benedict meets with George W Bush in the Oval Office The Pope was formally received at the White House on April 16 Over 9 000 people gathered on the South Lawn of the White House including thousands of members of the public who got free tickets in a lottery type drawing and another 4 000 without tickets to the ceremony lined the streets around the White House to see his motorcade 5 The crowd sang Happy Birthday to the Pope who turned 81 years old that day The Pope addressed the crowd in English saying he had great respect for this vast pluralistic society and ended by saying God bless America 5 In his speech Bush said the visit was a reminder to Americans to distinguish between simple right and wrong saying We need your message to reject this dictatorship of relativism and embrace a culture of justice and truth He told the Pope that in America you ll find a nation that welcomes the role of religion in the public square I n a world where some evoke the name of God to justify acts of terror and murder and hate we need your message that God is love And embracing this love is the surest way to save man from falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism 6 After the ceremony Bush and the Pope met in the Oval Office where Bush presented him with a birthday cake During their private meeting in the Oval Office the Pope expressed his concerns to Bush about the Iraq War and illegal immigration in the country 5 Afterwards the Pope went to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception where he addressed American bishops Bush hosted a state dinner at the White House later that evening for visiting cardinals bishops and various dignitaries April 17 Washington edit The Pope celebrated Mass at the newly built Nationals Park in Washington home to the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team 46 000 people attended the Mass at the stadium which has an official seating capacity of about 41 000 200 000 requests for tickets which were free had been submitted prior to the mass 7 Those in attendance included 14 cardinals 250 bishops and 1 300 priests 8 The altar was set up in the outfield and live video of the Mass was shown on the scoreboard In his homily the Pope urged American Catholics to foster healing and reconciliation in the wake of the child sex abuse scandal After the Mass he went to the Catholic University of America to address representatives from American Catholic universities diocesan schools and others about the role of the Church in education After that he went to the university s Pope John Paul II Cultural Center to meet privately with about 200 representatives of Judaism Islam Jainism Buddhism and Hinduism to promote interfaith dialogue 9 April 18 New York edit The Pope addressed the United Nations General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York He praised the UN as a defender of human rights but cautioned that it must be acknowledged that human rights come from God 10 11 He made a historic visit to a Jewish synagogue in New York the first visit by any Pope to a Jewish place of worship in America 12 The visit fell on the eve of Passover He said he found it moving to recall that Jesus as a young boy heard the words of Scripture and prayed in a place such as this 13 April 19 New York edit The Pope visited St Patrick s Cathedral where he celebrated Mass In his homily he spoke of the child sex abuse scandal and called for healing 14 He met with disabled children and their families then led a youth rally of over 20 000 teenagers and young adults at St Joseph s Seminary in Yonkers New York 15 April 20 New York edit The Pope visited Ground Zero the site of the World Trade Center towers which were destroyed in the September 11 2001 attacks He prayed for the victims of the 9 11 attacks and met with a small group of relatives of the victims as well as a handful of first responders and survivors He blessed the site lit a candle 16 and gave a prayer for the dead He prayed for eternal light and peace for those killed and for healing for their families 17 The Pope said Mass to a crowd of nearly 60 000 at Yankee Stadium home of the New York Yankees Over 200 000 had requested tickets which were free for the event 18 The New York Times said the crowd roared with all the sustained excitement of spectators at a pennant clinching game 19 The altar was set up on second base 20 In his homily he said the unwavering truth of the Catholic Church s message guarantees respect for the dignity of all human life including the most defenseless of all human beings the unborn child in the mother s womb citation needed The Mass marked the third time a Pope had visited the stadium a record for any venue in the United States Pope Paul VI celebrated Mass at the stadium in 1965 and Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass there in 1979 21 MLB changed the Yankees schedule to accommodate the Mass resulting in the Yankees playing 18 of their 20 games in April on the road the most in one month in MLB history 21 nbsp The Pope speaks at the farewell ceremony hosted by Vice President Cheney Vice President Dick Cheney hosted a farewell ceremony for the Pope at John F Kennedy International Airport attended by 3 000 people 22 After a final speech he boarded a specially chartered Alitalia plane with the callsign Shepherd One and touched down at Rome s Ciampino International Airport at 10 40 AM local time 23 See also edit nbsp United States portal nbsp Catholicism portal List of journeys of Pope Benedict XVI Catholic Church in the United StatesReferences edit Parker Jennifer Blakemore Bill April 15 2008 Bush Embraces Pope Benedict XVI ABC News Archived from the original on May 18 2015 Retrieved August 17 2011 Pope Benedict XVI to Make First Visit to U S in April Fox News November 12 2007 Archived from the original on January 24 2016 Retrieved August 17 2011 Crowds cheer as Pope Benedict XVI arrives in United States WKTV April 15 2008 Archived from the original on April 20 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Pope Benedict XVI comes to America The New York Times April 15 2008 Archived from the original on January 24 2016 Retrieved August 17 2011 a b c MacAskill Ewen April 16 2008 Thousands gather to greet Pope at White House The Guardian Archived from the original on April 3 2015 Retrieved August 17 2011 Pope pushes Americans to create a more just society The New York Times April 16 2008 Archived from the original on June 17 2022 Retrieved August 17 2011 Elsibai Nadine Pope Benedict Says Mass Before 47 000 in New Washington Stadium Bloomberg April 17 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Paulson Michael The scene at Nationals Park The Boston Globe April 17 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Linskey Regina Pope meets interreligious leaders says dialogue discovers truth Archived 2011 05 27 at the Wayback Machine Catholic News Service April 17 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Rodgers Ann Pope touts human rights at U N Pittsburgh Post Gazette April 19 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Gorski Eric Pope Respect for human rights key to solving problems CBS News Associated Press April 18 2008 Pope urges global unity on crises BBC News April 19 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Jones Charisse Pope makes historic visit to synagogue USA Today April 18 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Zoll Rachel At St Pat s Pope prays for healing from sex abuse scandal USA Today April 19 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Bradley Hagerty Barbara Pope Delivers Serious Message to Young Catholics NPR April 20 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Staff Writer Pope Benedict XVI blesses Ground Zero Daily News Retrieved 18 March 2012 Dolmetsch Chris Pope Benedict XVI Visits Ground Zero Calls for Peace Update4 Bloomberg April 20 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Hinckley David Final papal visit to Yankee Stadium will pack em in New York Daily News March 30 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Vitello Paul After Ground Zero Prayer Pope Ministers to 60 000 in Stadium The New York Times April 21 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Mass at Yankee Stadium caps Pope s U S visit NBC News April 21 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 a b Hoch Bryan Yankee Stadium set to host Pope MLB com April 17 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Pope departs U S with a call for peace Archived 2012 01 18 at the Wayback Machine CNN April 20 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Pope arrives home from US trip Archived 2011 05 20 at the Wayback Machine Google News April 20 2008 Retrieved August 17 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2008 visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the United States amp oldid 1176721886, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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