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	Pope's Visit a Big Deal in America IOL (South Africa) April 16, 2008 http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=vn20080416055613841C814924 From a presidential welcome, to two masses at baseball stadiums, to a stop for prayer at Ground Zero, the site of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York, Pope Benedict will get a heavy dose of the American experience in his first pilgrimage to the United States. Benedict departed for Washington on Tuesday, with President George Bush planning to make the unusual gesture of greeting him when his Alitalia jetliner touches down at Andrews Air Force Base, the first time the president has greeted a foreign leader there. The pope turns 81 today (Wednesday), although he seems spry and aides say he is in good health. A visit by the leader of the world's one billion Catholics is clearly a big deal, despite the American tradition of separation of church and state. A crowd of about 12 000, larger than the gathering for Queen Elizabeth II, is expected at the White House for the pope's official visit. While the pope and Bush differ on major issues, including the Iraq war, capital punishment and the US embargo against Cuba, they do find common ground in opposing abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research. Speaking on board the plane to Washington, the pope said he was "deeply ashamed" over sexual abuse of children by priests and vowed to do everything possible to stop paedophiles entering the priesthood. "We will absolutely exclude paedophiles from the sacred ministry," he said. "We are deeply ashamed and will do whatever is possible so that this does not happen in the future.". The US trip is the first by a pontiff since a wave of sex abuse scandals began in 2002, provoking legal claims that have forced dioceses to pay more than $2-billion (R15,8-billion) in settlements. In his regular Sunday greeting from his flat overlooking St Peter's Square at the Vatican, Benedict asked for prayers so that his visit would be a "time of spiritual renewal for Americans". In fact, after making little headway in his efforts to rekindle the faith in his native Europe, Benedict will be visiting a country where many of the 65 million Catholics are anxious to hear what he has to say. A poll released this week by the Centre for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University found that eight out of 10 Catholics were somewhat, or very satisfied, with his leadership. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, said last week that "religion is deeply rooted in American life despite the separation of church and state." The pope's speech at New York's St Patrick's Cathedral to a gathering of clergy will be watched for how he responds to the clerical sex abuse scandal that has rocked the US church. Also while in New York, the pontiff will visit the Park East synagogue as part of his efforts to forge closer relations with Jews whom, like his predecessor John Paul II, Benedict has referred to as "our older brothers in faith".
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