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Washington celebrates visit; pope addresses sex scandal

BY MICHAEL AMON | michael.amon@newsday.com

9:30 PM EDT, April 16, 2008

George W. Bush, Pope Benedict XVI, Nancy Pelsoi, Condoleezza Rice

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. greets Pope Benedict XVI, as President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice look on. (AP Photo / April 16, 2008)

WASHINGTON - Pope Benedict XVI began the first full day of his U.S. visit being serenaded by thousands of spectators at the White House and ended it with a sweeping speech to the nation's bishops in which he admitted the sex abuse scandal was "very badly handled."

With Washington in a celebratory mood, President George W. Bush invited the pope -- just the second pontiff to visit the White House -- for an elaborate ceremony on the South Lawn and then the two leaders privately discussed issues ranging from immigration to the Middle East. Thousands filled the streets of downtown Washington as Benedict shuttled between events in the popemobile.

Much attention was focused on the pope's highly anticipated speech to 350 American bishops Wednesday evening. Echoing introductory remarks by Cardinal Francis George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Benedict said the sex scandal was "at times very badly handled.

"It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliations and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged," Benedict told the bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

Papal observers said the pope, who said Tuesday that he was "deeply ashamed" by the abuse scandal, was trying to tackle head-on the most important issue facing the American church.

"This is the first time there has been a public acknowledgment by a pope that sometimes the bishops handled the sex abuse scandal very poorly. ... This is a mea culpa by the church," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and author of books on the Vatican.

Benedict did not directly address the conduct of some bishops accused of sheltering pedophile priests from scrutiny, nor did he propose concrete steps for reform. The speech was "a middle way" that likely will not satisfy all lay Catholics and abuse victims, said Stephen Pope, a professor of moral theology at Boston College.

"The issue that hasn't been dealt with here is that of accountability," Pope said.

The pope's remarks came in the middle of a long address Wednesday evening on topics ranging from declining marriage rates to the faltering numbers of priests.

Bishop William Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Centre did not attend the speech -- nor any other events in Washington -- because his sister was seriously ill in Boston, said Diocese spokesman Sean Dolan. Murphy is expected to be at papal events in New York on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dolan said.

Earlier in the day, Benedict largely steered clear of controversy, and Washington turned out in force to welcome him to the United States.

As the popemobile carried Benedict through the streets, throngs of people transformed downtown Washington into a church of sorts on a bright clear spring morning. Many sat in circles and played religious songs while others strained their necks, hoping for a glimpse of the pontiff.

Teresa Glover, 44, of Fairfax, Va., took the day off work to stand on Pennsylvania Avenue and watch the procession. She had seen John Paul II once as a teenager, but "honestly, I didn't appreciate it," Glover said, clutching a prayer bracelet she hoped the pope would bless. "That's why I definitely wanted to be here for this."

On the South Lawn, 13,500 spectators attended an elaborate ceremony for the pontiff that included a rendition of the Lord's Prayer by soprano Kathleen Battle and a 21-gun salute. Later, the crowd spontaneously sang "Happy Birthday" to the pope.

In a short address, Benedict called on Americans to use their great wealth to help the poor and create "a more humane and free society."

"Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility," the pope said, as Bush looked on.

Bush praised the moral leadership of Benedict, who has emphasized the threat relativism poses to the church in the modern world.

"In a world where some no longer believe that we can distinguish between simple right and wrong, we need your message to reject this 'dictatorship of relativism,' and embrace a culture of justice and truth," Bush said.

Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), who had led the congressional delegation to watch Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger ascend to the papacy in 2005, said yesterday's ceremony was "very moving, very significant. It was a feeling of being present at a very historic moment."

Bush and Benedict met in the Oval Office and discussed a host of issues, including immigration and conflicts in the Middle East. Afterward, the White House and the Vatican released a joint statement calling for a coordinated immigration policy, specifically addressing the pope's long-held concern for the "humane treatment and well-being" of immigrant families.

The pope and Bush also "expressed hope for an end to violence and for a prompt and comprehensive solution to the crises" in the Middle East, the statement said, omitting any reference to the pope's opposition to the Iraq war.

Staff writers JENNIFER MALONEY, BART JONES, JENNIFER BARRIOS, KRISTEN DAUM and MICHAEL AMON, Washington bureau chief CRAIG GORDON contributed to this story. It was written by AMON.