Pope prays for immigrants, unborn

NEW YORK – Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass here this afternoon, before a packed stadium of more than 60,000 faithful, noting in his homily "the impressive growth which God has given to the Church in your country in the past 200 years."

Security was at a maximum level as individual screening at the gate, including both a pass-through metal detector and a physical wave-over by electronic wand for each person with a legitimate ticket and valid photo ID who sought entry to the stadium.  

Streets around Yankee Stadium were cordoned off by New York Police, with attendees being encouraged to take mass transit to reach the venue.

Stadium gates were closed at 1 p.m., as security was tightened even further in preparation for the pope's arrival.  

The pope delivered part of his homily in Spanish, noting, "Today's first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, speaks of linguistic and cultural tensions already present within the earliest Church community."

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The pope told the assembled faithful "the power of the Word of God" is able "to create a unity which transcends the divisions arising from the human limitations and weaknesses."

In reflecting on the growth of the Catholic Church in the United States, the pope turned to the theme of immigration.

"We think of the successive waves of immigrants whose traditions have so enriched the Church in America," he said in his homily. "In our day too, the Catholic community in this nation has been outstanding in its prophetic witness in the defense of life, in the education of the young, in care for the poor, the sick and stranger in your midst."

In speaking of "the inalienable dignity and rights of each man, woman," the pope drew sustained applause that swept across the stadium when he made reference to abortion, saying "the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother’s womb" also shares in those inalienable human rights.

Only obliquely did Benedict refer to the clergy sex-abuse crisis, saying that "praying fervently for the coming of God's Kingdom" includes "not losing heart in the face of resistance, adversity and scandal."

Following two days of unseasonably warm weather in the New York area, Sunday dawned with a gray morning, marked by fog and drizzle. As the 60,000 filed past security to enter Yankee Stadium, people came bundled with rain gear, expecting a cold and possibly wet afternoon. The weather was so forbidding that plastic ponchos were among the package of handouts given those entering the stadium.

But just as Pope Benedict XVI entered the stadium at around 2:30 p.m., the clouds broke and the sun began to shine.

The pontiff entered Yankee Stadium in left field, riding in the Pope-mobile and making a complete tour around the circumference of the stadium grounds. Benedict extended his right hand in repeated blessings though the pope-mobile's open window, as the crowd cheered back enthusiastically.

In the stadium, the New York Police Department maintained a large, visible presence, supplemented by hundreds of plainclothes security personnel.  An NYPD helicopter circled overhead, starting before 9:00 a.m., when Yankee Stadium gates opened to admit the first ticket-holders.

Throughout the ceremony, the 60,000 in attendance were respectful, praying along with the pope throughout the Mass, without incident.

Toward the end of the Mass, several hundred priests moved into the stands to deliver Holy Communion to the faithful, a ceremony which remarkably took less than a half-hour, despite Communion being offered in every tier and every section of Yankee Stadium – including the bleachers and the most remote corners of the top tier.

The pope was greeted at the stadium by Cardinal Edward M. Egan, archbishop of New York, who called Benedict's papal visit "an immense blessing" in a welcome statement that was read in both English and Spanish.

Earlier in the morning, Benedict visited Ground Zero, where he prayed in silence for those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Leaving Yankee Stadium, the pope headed to JFK airport, where Vice President Cheney awaited him for a final ceremony before the pontiff departed for Rome.