2008 visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the United States
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States took place from April 15, 2008, to April 20, 2008. It was his only visit to the United States. It was officially titled the "Apostolic Visit to the United States of America and to the Seat of the United Nations". It was the sixth official papal visit to the United States since the U.S. established full diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 1984.[1] In addition to his 1979 visit, Pope John Paul II visited the United States in 1987, 1993, 1995, and 1999. Pope Francis visited the United States in 2015.
The Pope's visit included meetings with
in New York City, among other activities.Preparation
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The visit was announced on November 12, 2007 by Archbishop Pietro Sambi to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.[2]
Visit
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.[3][4]
April 16 (Washington)
The Pope was formally received at the White House on April 16. Over 9,000 people gathered on the
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.[5]
Afterwards, the Pope went to the
April 17 (Washington)
The Pope celebrated
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
April 18 (New York)
The Pope addressed the
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.[12] 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."[13]
April 19 (New York)
The Pope visited
He met with disabled children and their families then led a youth rally of over 20,000 teenagers and young adults at
April 20 (New York)
The Pope visited Ground Zero, the site of the
The Pope said Mass to a crowd of nearly 60,000 at Yankee Stadium, home of the
See also
- List of journeys of Pope Benedict XVI
- Catholic Church in the United States
References
- ^ Parker, Jennifer; Blakemore, Bill (April 15, 2008). "Bush Embraces Pope Benedict XVI". ABC News. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
- ^ "Pope Benedict XVI to Make First Visit to U.S. in April". Fox News. November 12, 2007. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
- ^ "Crowds cheer as Pope Benedict XVI arrives in United States". WKTV. April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
- ^ "Pope Benedict XVI comes to America". The New York Times. April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c MacAskill, Ewen (April 16, 2008). "Thousands gather to greet Pope at White House". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
- ^ "Pope pushes Americans to create a more just society". The New York Times. April 16, 2008. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
- ^ Elsibai, Nadine "Pope Benedict Says Mass Before 47,000 in New Washington Stadium" Bloomberg April 17, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ Paulson, Michael "The scene at Nationals Park" The Boston Globe April 17, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ Linskey, Regina "Pope meets interreligious leaders, says dialogue discovers truth" Archived 2011-05-27 at the Wayback Machine Catholic News Service April 17, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ Rodgers, Ann "Pope touts human rights at U.N." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 19, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ Gorski, Eric Pope: Respect for human rights key to solving problems, CBS News/Associated Press (April 18, 2008).
- ^ "Pope urges global unity on crises" BBC News April 19, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ Jones, Charisse "Pope makes historic visit to synagogue" USA Today April 18, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ Zoll, Rachel "At St. Pat's, Pope prays for healing from sex abuse scandal" USA Today April 19, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ Bradley Hagerty, Barbara "Pope Delivers Serious Message to Young Catholics" NPR April 20, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ Staff Writer. "Pope Benedict XVI blesses Ground Zero". Daily News. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ Dolmetsch, Chris "Pope Benedict XVI Visits Ground Zero, Calls for Peace" (Update4) Bloomberg April 20, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- New York Daily NewsMarch 30, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ Vitello, Paul "After Ground Zero Prayer, Pope Ministers to 60,000 in Stadium" The New York Times April 21, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ "Mass at Yankee Stadium caps Pope’s U.S. visit" NBC News April 21, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ a b Hoch, Bryan "Yankee Stadium set to host Pope" MLB.com April 17, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ "Pope departs U.S. with a call for peace" Archived 2012-01-18 at the Wayback Machine CNN April 20, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ^ "Pope arrives home from US trip" Archived 2011-05-20 at the Wayback Machine Google News April 20, 2008 Retrieved August 17, 2011