Pope Benedict XVI made his first visit to the United States from April 15-20 in a visit in which all Catholics and all Americans got a chance to see a humble servant of his God. The pope was not afraid to give his opinion and went to Washington D.C. and New York City meeting with the United Nations, President George W. Bush, Catholic Church bishops, and school presidents. He also visited a synagogue the night before Passover, held a prayer service at Ground Zero where 9/11 occurred and met with disabled people.
The first thing he did was apologized for priest abuse scandal saying he was “deeply ashamed” for the sexual abuse scandals that have occurred in the United States. “It is a great suffering for the church in the United States and for the church in general and for me personally that this could happen. It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their mission … to these children,” he said.
The White House visit with President Bush was the largest attended ceremony at the White House with over 12,000 people. It was the pope’s birthday and the crowd sang the Happy Birthday song. Pope Benedict XVI advised the president to choose diplomacy over war in resolving conflicts.
President Bush said the following about the pope, “In a world where some treat life as something to be debased and discarded, we need your message that all human life is sacred and that each of us is willed, each of us is loved, and each of us is necessary.”
The pope visit also highlighted the role of Latino Catholics in the United States, where a third of the entire Catholic population is Latino. The pope called for a coordinated policy regarding immigration. Part of his sermons was also in Spanish. “The principal problem is that there be protection for the families, that they not be destroyed. What can be done should be done. In the same way, naturally, all that is possible must be done to work against the instability of the situations and against all the violations, and to help so that they can have a truly dignified life where they find themselves in this moment,” the pontiff said.
At the United Nations in New York, the pope said “peace and prosperity” in the UN’s six official languages: Spanish, English, French, Arabic, Chinese and Russian. He talked on human rights saying that it was the common language in all ethical and standard relations, “It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one’s rights,” he said.