April 15 (Washington) 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.
April 16 (Washington) in
Washington, D.C. celebrates his 81st birthday with President
George W. Bush and First Lady
Laura Bush, April 16, 2008 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. 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". 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. Those in attendance included 14
cardinals, 250 bishops, and 1,300 priests. 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.
April 18 (New York) 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. 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. 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."
April 19 (New York) 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. 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.
April 20 (New York) 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, and gave a prayer for the dead. He prayed for "eternal light and peace" for those killed and for healing for their families. 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. The
New York Times said the crowd "roared with all the sustained excitement of spectators at a pennant-clinching game." The altar was set up on
second base. 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.") 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. 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. ==See also==