Pope shifts focus to public with stadium Mass

By Marisol Bello and Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Pope Benedict XVI presides over a huge open-air Mass later this morning in Washington, as he continues a USA visit in which he has confronted some of the Catholic Church's most contentious issues.
Benedict will say Mass this morning at the new Washington Nationals stadium, with a crowd of 46,000 people expected. It will be held on a beautiful spring morning, and pre-Mass ceremonies -- featuring multiple choirs and hundreds of priests -- have begun.

Demand for tickets doubled the supply, organizers said. It is a setting his charismatic predecessor, John Paul II, would have adored. Benedict's substance is similar; it's his style and personality that sets him apart, observers say.

"He's not the great actor and performer that John Paul II was," said the Rev. James Martin, editor of America, a Jesuit magazine. "But he's a brilliant theologian and a sterling preacher."

Ticketholders began trickling into the stadium in the pre-dawn darkness Thursday. They included nuns in habits, families chattering in languages of their homelands, priests among the 400 who will celebrate with the pope, and activists demonstrating against abortion.

By 7:30 a.m. ET, the stadium was teeming with people and the stadium was approaching capacity.

In the stadium's upper deck, Kyrie Henderson, 25, Tara Ross, 42, and her daughter, Meghan, 14, waited for pre-Mass ceremonies to begin.

"I'm so excited," says Henderson, jumping up and down in her seat. Henderson, an Ellicott City, Md. receptionist, converted to Catholicism and was confirmed on Easter.

Benedict "brought me to understand what the Catholic church was about — he has such faith," she says.

The trio carried bags filled with of souvenirs, including crosses to send to family members.

Concession stands were doing a brisk business of $20 Benedict T-shirts and $10 pope posters. Carlos Morales, of Silver Spring, Md., waited for more than 10 minutes on a line that snakes several times so he could buy T-shirts and caps for his wife and three children who were not able to attend Thursday's mass.

"I'm so happy to be here," he said. "This is so special."

Rubi Marte, 18, and her friends, Catalina Gonzalez, 24, and her mother Omaira Berrio, 54, were making their own souvenirs as they photographed themselves in front of the bank of television crews, photographers and reporters huddled in one section of the stadium. They drove 15 hours from Orlando, Florida on Wednesday to see the pope.

"This is a major experience," Marte says. They got their tickets last week from the Archdiocese of Orlando.

"We got lucky," Marte says. About 10 people from their church, Holy Cross Catholic Church, were also attending the Mass.

The Mass comes after a busy day for the pope Wednesday, when he said the church in this country must strengthen marriage, fight religious skepticism and heal its flock after the scandal of sexual abuse by priests.


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Speaking to more than 300 bishops, Benedict bluntly called on church leaders to step up their efforts to rekindle the faith of the nation's 65 million Catholics.

"Is it consistent to profess our beliefs in church on Sunday and then during the week to promote business practices or medical procedures contrary to those beliefs?" he asked. "Is it consistent for practicing Catholics to ignore or exploit the poor and the marginalized, to promote sexual behavior contrary to Catholic moral teaching, or to adopt positions that contradict the right to life of every human being from conception to natural death?"

He expressed concern for victims of sexual abuse and innocent priests tainted by the scandal. He told the bishops, "It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds … to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged."

Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles, said the pope "didn't come here to hide any problems or issues." Mahony, an advocate of immigration changes, was delighted with the pope's call "for us to be a voice for the immigrants and walk with them."

The speech at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the nation's largest Catholic church, capped a full day that began with a visit to the White House. President Bush presented Benedict with a lemon cake for his 81st birthday, and more than 9,000 invited guests on the South Lawn sang Happy Birthday.

The pope rode through the city in his Popemobile, waving to thousands of supporters lining the streets.

At the White House, the pope met privately with President Bush. The two spoke about the security of Christians in Iraq and the need to end terrorism, according to a joint statement from the White House and the Vatican. They also discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the need for a humane immigration policy that promotes the well-being of families.

After his appearance at the stadium Thursday, Benedict will address Catholic educators and meet with leaders of other faiths.

Contributing: Associated Press