April 20
At the end of a six-day visit of the United States Pope Benedict XVI visited Ground Zero in New York where he greeted survivors, fire and police workers, and relatives of some of the 2,749 people who died there on Sept 11th, 2001.
The Pope prayed for the rescuers and victims, as well as "those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred". He later celebrated Mass at New York's Yankee stadium, concluding what analysts describe as a successful trip.
On Friday Pope Benedict XVI told the United Nations in New York that member states should solve the world's crises together. In his speech on the third full day of his visit to the U.S., he said the world was still subject to "the decisions of a few", without naming countries. He urged states to protect their people from "grave and sustained" human rights abuses or face outside intervention. Benedict XVI is the third pope to address the UN. The Pope is due to make a ground-breaking visit to a synagogue in New York later today, hours before the start of the Jewish Passover.
April 17
On Thursday Pope Benedict celebrated an open-air Mass at the Nationals stadium in Washington DC with more than 40,000 people. This is the first such event organized for the Pope's six-day visit to the United States.
He spoke of the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic clergy in the United States, saying no words of his could describe the pain and harm inflicted. "It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention. Nor can I adequately describe the damage that has occurred within the community of the Church." Efforts to protect children must continue, he said.
Many members of the congregation were immigrants from various countries in Central and South America and they cheered the Pope wildly when he added some remarks in fluent Spanish, praising the vitality of their Christian faith. Gates at the Washington sports stadium opened before dawn to allow people to trickle through stringent security measures ahead of the Mass at 1000 EDT.
April 16
On Wednesday, the pontiff met with President George W Bush at the White House. The Pope was greeted with a singing of Happy Birthday on the day he turned 81. Mr Bush said the Pope's message that "God is love" was needed to "save man from falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism". Pope Benedict said he had come as a friend of the US and urged Americans to use their faith to inspire "reasoned, responsible and respectful dialogue".
There were huge cheers as the Pope and the President took the podium for the national anthems of the Holy See and the United States. The Pope was treated to two 'Happy Birthdays', the first an impromptu rendition before a more formal chorus later. Famed soprano Kathleen Battle also sang The Lord's Prayer.
Mr Bush quoted St Augustine in greeting the Pope with the words "peace be with you" and said: "In a world where some no longer believe that we can distinguish between simple right and wrong, we need your message to reject this dictatorship of relativism."
It's the first visit by a pope to the White House in almost 30 years
The World's Matthew Bell on the Pope's first full in the U.S.:
Pope Benedict's itinerary in the U.S.
Apr 15: Arrives at Andrews Air Force Base
Apr 16: White House luncheon; talks with President Bush; parade; prayer service in Washington (evening)
Apr 17: Washington Mass; addresses Catholic University; interfaith meeting
Apr 18: Addresses United Nations
Apr 19: New York Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral
Apr 20: Ground Zero visit; Yankee Stadium Mass
The BBC's Jonathan Beale writes:
President Bush is not a Catholic. Yet the very Protestant Mr Bush is clearly an admirer of Pope Benedict XVI and is pulling out all the stops for his first visit to the United States as pontiff. Read more
BBC Americas Editor Emilio San Pedro writes: "Latinos are likely to make up a large part of the 40,000-strong crowd expected to attend the Pope's first open air mass in the US here in Washington, and they will figure heavily when he moves on to New York this weekend." Read more
