At St Patricks Pope Makes a Call for Unity, by Ray Rivera and Sewell Chan, New York Times, April 20, 2008

At St. Patricks, Pope Makes a Call for Unity

By Ray Rivera and Sewell Chan
New York Times
April 20, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/nyregion/19cnd-pope.html?hp

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass Saturday morning at St. Patrick's Cathedral, the symbolic seat of American Catholicism, where he delivered a rallying cry for a "new spring" in a church he acknowledged was divided in many ways and wounded specifically by the clergy sex abuse scandal.

For the fourth time on his first trip to America as pope, Benedict again referred publicly to the "suffering" caused by priests who abused children, an issue that has become the defining theme of his six-day visit.

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass at St. Patricks Cathedral.
Photo by Todd Heisler

"I have already had occasion to speak of this, and of the resulting damage to the community of the faithful," the pope said in his 22-minute homily, addressing the 3,000 priests, deacons and seminarians present. "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 this situation presents. 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."

But the overall mood was celebratory, with the pope hewing to his strategy of talking more about the positive that the faith can bring rather than listing sins.

"The spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral are dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the Manhattan skyline, yet they are a vivid reminder of the constant yearning of the human spirit to rise to God," the pope told a cathedral packed mostly with priests, nuns, deacons, bishops and cardinals, but also with several local officials, including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

The Mass came on in the second-to-last day of the pope's visit, which began Tuesday in Washington, D.C. On Friday, he addressed the United Nations, where he called for renewed respect for human rights as a bridge toward solving many of the world's problems.

On Sunday the pope is expected to visit ground zero, the site of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, followed by an afternoon Mass at Yankee Stadium, where thousands are expected to attend.

On Saturday, thousands of spectators lined up for blocks and blocks outside the Cathedral in the early morning hours — not to go inside, but to wait and watch outside as nearly 3,000 priests, deacons and other members of religious orders, including cardinals, bishops and archbishops from throughout the United States assembled to celebrate Mass with the pope. A sea of men and women, in white and gray robes, encircled the structure. The police cordoned off Fifth Avenue and a wide area around the cathedral, setting up barriers and establishing a heavy police presence.

The two-hour service was the first papal Mass in the history of the Cathedral, which opened in 1879 and is the largest Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States. Previous popes — Paul VI and John Paul II — have visited the cathedral, but none until today had celebrated Mass inside.

Although the structure is enormous by the standards of a church, its capacity of roughly 3,000 is far less than the 57,000 expected to attend Sunday's Mass at Yankee Stadium.

Saturday's service was intended primarily for clergy, but several prominent special guests could be spotted in the crowd, including former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and his wife, Judith. Mayor Bloomberg, who had come to the cathedral to welcome the pope, was thanked by a cathedral vicar and received a standing ovation from the clergy.

In brief comments, the mayor recited reasons for New Yorkers to be proud, saying the city was a beacon of religious tolerance.

Cardinal Edward M. Egan welcomed the pope formally, saying, "Most Holy Father, welcome to St. Patrick's Cathedral." The pope received a standing ovation, as the cardinal reminded him that the parish was the most diverse in the nation, celebrating Mass in 35 languages.