Pope Benedict XVI Starts First US Tour
CNN
Posted: 2008-04-15 18:19:05
WASHINGTON (April 15) -- Pope Benedict XVI arrived in the United States Tuesday afternoon to start the six-day, two-city journey that will take him from the White House to the halls of the United Nations.
Pope Benedict XVI waves Tuesday as he arrives at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington. Benedict begins a six-day, two-city journey -- his first visit to the U.S. as pontiff -- that will take him from the White House to the United Nations.
Also See: Videos of Pope Bendict's Trip to the U.S. | Coverage from AOL Latino
His papal plane, Shepherd 1, touched down at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
Benedict will receive a private greeting from President Bush and first lady Laura Bush.
This is the first U.S. papal visit since the attacks of September 11, 2001, and Benedict's first visit to the U.S.
There will be a welcoming ceremony for the pope on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday. Benedict is scheduled to speak before meeting later in the day with U.S. cardinals and bishops.
Meanwhile, security preparations were under way in the air, on land and in the water.
Twenty-seven state, local and federal agencies will protect the pope as he meets with religious leaders, celebrates Mass at a baseball stadium and makes his way around the capital in his distinctive "popemobile."
The centerpiece of the Washington leg of the U.S. visit will be Thursday's Mass at Nationals Park, a brand new baseball stadium where 46,000 people will gather to watch the pope. Everyone will go through metal detectors on their way in, and nearby roads and bridges will be closed. Temporary flight restrictions will be in place in the sky over the stadium. VideoWatch how Washington is preparing for papal visit »
Benedict will travel to New York on Friday and address the U.N. General Assembly, linking the visit to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He'll celebrate Mass on Sunday morning at Yankee Stadium.
Larry Cunningham -- a retired Secret Service agent who oversaw a visit to California by Pope John Paul II in 1987 -- noted that the combination of logistics, huge numbers and a highly emotional crowd will create a volatile security situation.
"This type of visit transcends the typical presidential or political candidate visit," he said. "The unknown factor is always significant, is always out there. So to prepare for the knowns and the unknowns is a huge challenge."
Three years after succeeding Pope John Paul II, Benedict is likely to address the sex scandal within the Catholic Church, the church's relationship with other faiths, the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the upcoming U.S. presidential election, said John Allen, a CNN Vatican analyst.
One of the stated goals of the pope's visit is to energize the U.S. Catholic community -- the largest in the world, with an estimated 70 million members.
The fallout from the sex scandal has had a serious impact on the U.S. Catholic Church in terms of its finances, moral authority and the demoralization of Catholics.
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