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Pope Benedict XVI Celebrates Mass at Nationals Stadium

Aired April 17, 2008 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is my great joy and privilege to offer an enthusiastic welcome on behalf of all who gather at this Eucharistic Liturgy. With the bishops, priests, deacons, women and men in consecrated life, and the faithful laity from around the archdiocese and across the country, I greet you in the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Your pastoral visit --

(APPLAUSE)

-- your pastoral visit to the church in the United States as our beloved chief shepherd and vicar of Christ is a blessing for all of us. It is a moment of spiritual renewal as we look to you as you bring to us, Christ and his gospel of love and hope. Not all that far from here in 1634, the first Catholics arrived in the colonies that later formed the United States. The celebration of mass at St. Clements Island, March 25, 1634, mark the beginning of an unbroken line of continuity in faith and worship that we hope is made manifest in so many ways during your visit with us.

From these modest beginnings has come forth a church, truly representative of the gospel's message of hope. The church that welcomes you today, your holiness, embraces people from every continent and numerous ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

(APPLAUSE)

All of us at this mass reflect the breadth of this faith family that includes women and men, young and old. This church from all of the United States as it gathers in worship and seeks to reflect your call to be a people saved by hope, shows a faith reflective of Africa, Central and South America, India, Asia, Europe, as well as our own Native Americans. And those who trace their families to people who came in successive waves of immigration going all the way back to the arrival of those first Catholics in this part of the world. We look to you for renewed inspiration to continue the challenge, to make all things new in Christ our hope.

Most holy father, welcome.

POPE BENEDICT XVI: -- brothers and sisters of Christ, I'm happy to be with you all in Washington, District of Columbia, the United States of America, and to celebrate with you this Eucharist. May our time together help us to be renewed and to hope and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we prepare to celebrate the mystery of Christ, (INAUDIBLE) ask the Lord for power and strength. (SINGING)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Tens of thousands of people are celebrating an open air mass with Pope Benedict, among them the Reverend Albert Cutie, he is a priest in the Archdiocese of Miami and serves as the general director of Pax Catholic Communications.

Father, thanks for your time. It's great to speak with you. I have to ask you your thoughts on this day and on the occasion of the Pope's six-day visit to America.

REV. ALBERT CUTIE, PAX CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS: It's really a blessing for all of us here in North America, not just Catholics, non Catholics also will enjoy to listen to this pope because he really has a message for everyone, a message of hope, faith. I think in the midst of all of our difficulties in the U.S., certainly his message will bring us a sense of hope and peace.

I really believe that this mass, this celebration is a reflection of that. You hear all kinds of languages, all kinds of cultures, all united. Right now we're listening to the Gloria in Latin, it tells you that the church is universal and the message of the pope is also universal.

HARRIS: Yes, that's terrific.

Father Cutie, you mentioned just a moment ago some of the difficult times and some of the difficult issues that this country is grappling with. One of them, as you know, is immigration. And we have said it oftentimes this is a very intellectually astute pope. I wonder if he has communicated in what you consider strong and clear language his thoughts on the current debate over immigration reform in this country and how regardless of what you feel about that debate, the practical impact of it is that you are finding families divided.

CUTIE: We are going to hear about that today. I really believe we're going to hear about it in the homily. Especially when he speaks in Spanish, he will address directly that immigrant population. I believe that the pope is going to fight that mentality that there are illegals in this country. He considers they are all God's children.

HARRIS: It's interesting, we talk about in many cases the Catholic Church shrinking in size but when you look at the one population group that is really in big numbers, supporting the Catholic Church -- oh I'm sorry.

Let me just pause for a moment and listen for a moment to the opening prayer.

POPE BENEDICT XVI: ... perfectly love you and fittingly praise you -- to our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and (INAUDIBLE) holy spirit, one God forever and ever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ( SPEAKING SPANISH)

HARRIS: Just a moment to get a couple of questions to Father Cutie who joins us this morning. Just -- if you would, speak to us about the way Hispanic populations in this country, certainly in Central and South America, really if you -- if you would like, flocking to the Catholic Church in really big numbers these days.

CUTIE: I really believe that it's interesting, there is a dynamic going on. When Hispanics get here to the U.S. especially, they try to look for their church. That's their first connection. They want to hear the bells. In our Latin America countries, the church is at the center of the world, right in the center of the city, the town. Here you have to look for your parish and so I believe immigrants really struggle with that at the beginning.

But when they connect, they find a church that is welcoming, a church that is loving, a church that celebrates mass in Spanish, as we can hear today here that the first reading is in Spanish. So I believe immigrants have been received well by the church. At the same time, many are abandoning their traditional faith. But it is no different than the mainstream America.

Mainstream America is also abandoning traditional faith groups and they're going to these big mega-churches. Hispanics are just following that trend somewhat. I believe that practicing Catholics though, they stay in the faith. The ones that kind of have a tendency to leave are the ones that really didn't practice their faith to start with.

HARRIS: One final question -- in talking to Catholics in preparation for this wonderful set of events that we have been really honored to cover here at CNN, I have been struck by views of this pope. I've heard from some that he -- he is -- we are still getting to know him. He doesn't seem to be the bigger than life figure that John Paul II was. And that maybe there will be a moment when it is clear and obvious that he is a pope to be embraced by all Catholics and beyond.

What do you think of this getting to know you period that we seem to be in now with this pope?

CUTIE: We knew it was going to take long for people to get to know him because of his age. When John Paul II was elected he was 58. This man was elected almost at 80. He just celebrated his 81st birthday. So this is only his third year as the pontiff. Actually, Saturday we celebrate his third year.

I believe that people are going to get to know him really well through this trip because of the media coverage, because of the fact that we have access to him. Now he is on this side of the, you know, the world and people are able to see this smiling, caring, humble pope. Because that's what he is, he is a very loving, caring man. And I think people will get to know him that way.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Father Cutie, this is Fredricka. This pope speaks 10 languages. It is expected that he will have a message that he'll deliver in Spanish, following his English speaking homily. What is the message? What do you suppose he will be saying directly to the Hispanic Catholic community by doing so today?

CUTIE: He's going to say to them that I know you are here first of all, which is very important. Almost 50 percent of U.S. Catholics are Hispanic which is a huge figure. Also, he's going to say to them, you know, you are important to the church. You are immigrants, you're struggling. We know that you've abandoned your homeland but don't abandon your Catholic roots. Don't abandon your faith, keep your eyes fixed on Christ. That's what he's going to tell Hispanics.

HARRISS: Father Cutie, thank you for your time this morning. We appreciate it so much. We are going to go to break and we're going to come back with more of the pope celebrating mass in Washington, D.C. in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Mass under way led by Pope Benedict XVI himself before 46,000, mostly Catholics, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. His homily to begin momentarily. We are live. Our Ed Henry is there with a birds eye view of this extraordinary stadium as well.

Ed, what's it like from your view?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Fred, it's amazing, I need to be a little bit quiet because I'm sitting down on what's normally the third base line here at this baseball park and I'm sitting among some parishioners and I obviously do not want to disturb them. But what's striking to me right now is how quiet everyone is and paying attention to the holy father, paying attention to the mass.

Obviously, in comparison to what happened just about 45 minutes ago, when the pontiff came out and was in the pope mobile and took a lap around this stadium I can tell you it was electric. People were on their feet, they were screaming at the top of their lungs as he passed them. He did one lap around the entire ballpark before he disappeared behind center field, which is where the alter is that you see right now, normally center field for the baseball park.

He disappeared for a while to prepare in the final moments for this mass. But it's striking to see the contrast, there was just absolute euphoria in here as he went around as people got a close -- up-close glimpse at him. But now, obviously the peace and quiet of this mass, everyone paying very close attention -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Does it seem as though, Ed, even as people surrounding you are moved by this moment?

HENRY: Yes. I can see people with their heads bowed, they've been bowed throughout this. Obviously this is a very, very unique experience for everyone here, some 46,000 people. Because while many of these people attend mass every week some attend every day. It is extremely rare, obviously, to be attending a mass that's celebrated by the pontiff himself.

This is some one as you were just noting not a lot of people, not a lot of American Catholics, in particular, have really gotten to know this pope. Polls show that he is very popular among American Catholics, nearly 70 million American Catholics. But they still don't really know him that well.

This is really a chance for him in celebrating this mass to reintroduce himself, if you will, to the American people, maybe humanize himself a little bit. As we saw at the White House yesterday when he got up and close, up close and personal with over 13,000 people, obviously a lot more people here, more than triple that today with 46,000 people here at the ballpark.

WHITFIELD: Extraordinary. Ed Henry, thanks so much. We all are going to be part of this moment right now.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Lord be with you. A reading from the holy gospel according to John.

Glory to you, Lord.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

(SINGING)

POPE BENEDICT XVI: Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, peace be with you. (INAUDIBLE) to his disciples, I greet all of you in (INAUDIBLE) this Easter season. With all else I thank God for the blessing of being in your midst. I'm particularly grateful to Archbishop (INAUDIBLE) for his kind words of welcome. (INAUDIBLE) the church in the United States, back to its roots in nearby Maryland and commemorate the centennial of the first chapter of this remarkable growth.

The decision by my predecessor, the decision of my predecessor Pope Paul VII of the original diocese of Baltimore and the establishment of the diocese of Boston, (INAUDIBLE) New York and Philadelphia. 200 years later, the church in America can rightfully praise the accomplishment of past generations and bringing together viably different immigrant groups, the unity of the Catholic faith and in a common commitment to the spread of the gospel.

At the same time, conscious of its rich diversity. The Catholic community has come to appreciate more fully its importance of each individual group offering its own particular gifts to the whole. The church and the United States is now called to look to the future, firmly grounded into faith passed down by previous generations and ready to meet new challenges. Challenges no less demanding since I was faced by your (INAUDIBLE).

It's a hope borne of (INAUDIBLE) poured into our hearts, as your holy spirit. It's an exercise of my minister of successor of Peter, I have come to America to confirm you, my brothers and sisters, into faith of the apostles. I have come to proclaim a new as Peter proclaimed unto the day of Pentecost that Jesus Christ is Lord and Messiah, risen from the dead. Seated on the right hand of the father and establish this church of the living and the dead.

I have come to repeat the apostle's urgent call to conversion and to forgiveness of sins and to implore from the Lord a new outpouring of the holy spirit upon the church in this country. Throughout this Easter season, the church was born of the spirits gift of repentance and faith (INAUDIBLE). (INAUDIBLE) the same spirit, to bring to men and women of every language and people, the good news of our reconciliation of God in Christ.

The readings of today must (ph) invite us to consider the growth of the church in America as one chapter in the greater story of the church of expansion following the descent of the Holy Spirit in Pentecost. With those readings, we receive (ph) the incomparable (ph) link between the risen Lord, the gift of the spirit for the forgiveness of sins, and the mystery of the church.

Christ established this church on the foundations of the Apostles, as a visible, such a community, which is at the same time a spiritual community. A mystical God in living persons' spirits many (ph) gifts and the sacrament of salvation for all humanity.

In every time and place, the church is called to grow in unity through constant conversion to Christ. When saving word (ph) is proclaimed by the successors of the Apostles, and celebrated in the sacraments. This unity, in turn, gives rise to an unceasing missionary outlet as our spirits deliver us to proclaim the great works of God and to invite all people to enter the community of those saved by the blood of Christ and granted new life in his spirit.

I praise him. The significant intergrowth into the life of the church in the United States and the presence of the successor Peter in your midst, would be an occasion for all Catholics to reaffirm the unity in the Apostolic faith, to offer their contemporaries a convincing account of the hope which inspires us. And to be renewed in missionary (ph) scene (ph) further the extension of God's kingdom.

The world needs this witness. Who can deny such a present moment, it's a crossroad, not only for the church in America, but also for society as a whole. It is a time of great promise, as we see the human family many ways growing closer together and becoming even more interdependent.

Yet, at the same time, we see clear signs of a disturbing breakdown of the foundations of society. Signs of alienation and proletarization (ph) on the part of many of our contemporaries, increased violence, weakening of some moral (ph) sins are causing such (ph) relations. Under growing forgetfulness of Christ and God.

The church, too, sees signs of immense promise in her many sung (ph) parishes, and vital movements and the enthusiasm for the faith shown by so many young people and also in the number of those who, each year, embrace the Catholic faith. Integrate (ph) greater in prayer and catechists.

At the same time, she sends us, often painfully, the presence of division and polarization in her midst as well as the troubling realization that many of the baptized rather than acting as a spiritual (INAUDIBLE) are inclined to embrace attitudes contrary to the truth of the Gospel.

Lord, send out your spirit and renew the faith of the earth, the words of today's sponsorial psalm and our prayer which rises up from the heart of the church, in every time and place to remind us that the Holy Spirit has been poured out as the first roots of a new creation, new heaven and a new earth, in which God's peace will reign and human family will be reconciled in justice and love.

(INAUDIBLE) Paul (ph) tell us that all creation is even now growing in expectation of the true freedom which is God's gift to his children, a freedom which enables us to live in conformity to his will. To duty (ph), let us pray fervently that the church in America be renewed in the same spirit and sustained in her mission of proclaiming the Gospel to a world that longs for genuine freedom, authentic happiness and the fulfillment of its deepest aspirations.

Here, I wish to offer special words of gratitude and encouragement to all those who have taken up the challenge of the second Vatican council. So often rated (ph) by Pope John Paul II and committed to our lives to a new evangelization.

I thank my brother bishops, praise the deacons, men and women, religious, parents, teachers, and catechists who fight daily to encourage the church in this country, to respond to the challenges raised by an increasingly secular and materialistic culture, who depend on large part upon your own fidelity and handing on the treasure of our Catholic faith.

Young people need to be helped to discern the path that leads to true freedom, the path of a sincere and generous imitation of Christ, the path of commitment to justice and peace. Much progress has been made in development of solid programs of catechists. Yet, so much more remains to be done in forming the hearts and minds of the young and knowledge and love of the Lord. The challenges confronting us require comprehensive and sound instruction in the truth (ph) of the faith.

Let's (ph) also call for cultivating an mind set (ph), an intellectual culture which is genuinely Catholic, confident in the profound harmony of faith and reason and prepare to bring the riches of faith's vision to bear out, to bear on the urgent issues which affect the future of American society.

Dear friends, my visit to the United States is meant to be a witness, to (INAUDIBLE) our hope. Americans have always been a people of hope. And since I came to this country with expectations of finding new freedom and opportunity. It's (ph) a vast of the (ph) unexplored wilderness inspired in the hope of being able to start completely anew, building a new nation, a new foundation.

To be sure, this promise was not experienced by all the inhabitants of this land. One thinks of the unjustices, and unfascinated (ph) American peoples and for those brought here for us (ph) from Africa as slaves. Yet, hope, hope for the future is very much a part of the American character. And the Christian virtue hope, the hope poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The hope, which super naturally (ph) provides (ph) and corrects our aspirations by focusing them on the Lord and his saving hand.

Said hope has also marked and continues to mark the life of the Catholic community in this country. It is in the context of this hope of born of God's love and fidelity, that I acknowledge the pain which the church in American has experienced as a result of the sexual abuse of minors.

No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse. It is important to those who have suffered be given loving (INAUDIBLE) attention. Nor can I adequately describe the damage that has occurred within the community of the church.

Great efforts have already been made to deal honestly and fairly with this tragic situation and to ensure the children, whom our Lord loves so deeply and who are our greatest treasure can grow up in a safe environment. These efforts to protect children must continue.

Yesterday, I spoke with your bishops about this. Today, I encourage each of you to do what you can to foster healing and reconciliation to the souls that have been hurt. Also, I ask you to love your priests and to affirm them in the excellent work that they do, and above all, pray that the Holy Spirit will pour out his gifts upon the church, the gifts that lead to conversion, forgiveness and grows (ph) in holiness.

St. Paul speaks as we heard in the second reading of a kind of prayer which arises from the depths of our hearts inside the deep progress in growing (ph) inspired by the Spirit. This is a prayer which yearns in the midst (ph) of chastisement for the fulfillment of God's promises. It is a prayer of unfailing hope, but also one of patient endurance and often accompanied by suffering for the truth.

Through this prayer, we share in the mystery of Christ's own weakness and suffering. By trusting firmly in the victory of his cross, with his prayer, which the church in America embrace even more fully as a way of conversion and fidelity to the demands of the Gospel.

And may all Catholics experience the consolation of hope and the spirit's gift of joy and strength in to his Gospel. The risen Lord bestows the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and grants him the authority to forgive sins. So, this is a passing (ph) power of Christ's priests, entrusted to frail human ministers. The church is constantly reborn. And each of us is given the hope of a new beginning. Let us trust in the spirit's power to inspire conversion, to heal everyone, to overcome every division, and to inspire new life and freedom.

How much we need his gift and how (INAUDIBLE) are, particularly in the sacrament of penance. The liberating power of his sacrament in which our honest confession of sin is met by God's merciful word of pardon and peace needs to be rediscovered, reappropriated by every Catholic.

To a great extent, the renewal of the church in America and in the world depends on the renewal of the practice of penance, and the growths in holiness, which the sacrament both inspires and accomplishes.

In hope, we were saved. As the church in the United States gives thanks for the blessings of the past 200 years, I invite you, your families, and every parishioner in this community to trust in the power of Christ, to pave (ph) the future of promise for God's people in this country.

I ask you, in the Lord Jesus, to set aside all division, and to work with joy, to prepare a way for him in fidelity to his word and in constant conversion to his will. Above all, I urge you to continue to be a (INAUDIBLE) of evangelical hope in American society, striving to bring the light and truth of the Gospel to the task of building an ever-more just and free world for generations yet to come.

Those who have hope must live different lives by your prayers, by the witness of your faith, by the fruitfulness of your charity. May you point the way towards that vast horizon of hope, which God is even now opening up to his church, and indeed to all humanity. The vision of a world reconciled and renewed in Christ Jesus, our savior.

To him, we owe honor and glory now and forever. Amen.

(APPLAUSE)

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

WHITFIELD: The pope delivering his homily now in Spanish, one of 10 languages he speaks very eloquently.

John Allen is CNN's senior Vatican analyst. He's been with us all morning long. He's also a Rome correspondent for the "National Catholic Reporter."

John, thanks again for being with us. You're there in the stand, able to hear this firsthand. The pope talked about in his homily this message to all Americans, to Catholics, making it the majority there of this 46,000. But he did impress upon the disturbing breakdown of the society. Can you elaborate a little bit more on exactly what he was speaking of in general?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SR. VATICAN ANALYST: Well, I think basically speaking, the pope was describing something of a mixed bag. Bear in mind that his primary audience this morning really is the Catholic Church in the United States. And he was saying on the one hand there is much good there.

There are strong parishes, strong lay movements, young people in this country, young Catholics, have amazing generosity. Yet at the same time, there are disturbing trends, and there's a broad break end of the family which has its echoes in the Catholic population and so on. And so he was calling upon Catholics to respond to that.

At the same time, I think probably the most dramatic moment came once again with the pope's language on the sexual-abuse crisis. If one question coming into this trip, was would the pope try to avoid the question, I think we clearly have our answer. Here for the third time in what is really just the second full day of his schedule, he very candidly acknowledged it, saying that no words of his could possibly capture the pain and the hurt that have been inflicted on the victims. And in a sense almost pleading with every Catholic here in Nationals Park to do what they can to promote healing and reconciliation. Remarkable strong language.

WHITFIELD: Yes, he put the responsibility on everyone in the room, saying it's up to you to help foster the healing and reconciliation to those who have been hurt. Pretty strong words coming from the pope. He didn't dance around the topic at all.

ALLEN: No, that's absolutely right. Remember, he took this up on the papal plane before he even arrived in the United States, as it happens, in response to my question. Brought it up very forcefully last night with the bishops, indicating it was their job in the first place to promote this healing and reconciliation.

But also today in his first address to the broad Catholic public of the country, saying it's also up to all of you to do what you can do in your own walks of life, in your parishes, in your communities, your schools and your families, to reach out to those who have been hurt and to try to reconcile with them. So clearly, the pope is not burying his head in the sand about the depth and gravity of the crisis that has visited the American church in recent years.

WHITFIELD: It seems almost clear that this was his primary ambition, to make it clear, his position, on this sex-abuse scandal, mostly rocking American Catholic churches, and imposing the responsibility on all Catholics in which to do something.

Let's listen in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dear brothers and sisters, through the Paschal Mystery we have been buried with Christ in Baptism, so that we may rise to new life. Now, after hearing the word of God, and in the presence of the successor of Peter, who has come to confirm us in our faith, hope and love, let us renew the profession of faith made at our baptism and recommit ourselves to love and serve faithfully God and our brothers and sisters in his holy church.

POPE BENEDICT XVI: Do you believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth?

CROWD: I do.

POPE BENEDICT XVI: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the father?

CROWD: I do.

BENEDICT: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

CROWD: I do.

BENEDICT: This is our faith. This is the faith of the church. We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

CROWD: Amen.

BENEDICT: My brothers and sisters, with joy at Christ's rising from the dead, let us turn to God our father in prayer. He heard and answered the prayers of the son he loved so much. Let us trust that he will hear our petitions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Lord, hear our prayer.

(SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CROWD (singing): Lord, hear our prayer.

(SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, and for all our bishops, that the Lord will continue to give them, as successors of the apostles, the courage to proclaim our hope in Jesus Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.

CROWD (singing): Lord, hear our prayer.

(SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

Let us pray to the Lord.

CROWD: Lord, hear our prayer.

(SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

Let us pray to the Lord.

CROWD (singing): Lord, hear our prayer. (SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

Let us pray to the Lord.

CROWD (singing): Lord, hear our prayer.

(SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

Let us pray to the Lord.

CROWD (singing): Lord, hear our prayer.

(SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

Let us pray to the Lord.

CROWD (singing): Lord, hear our prayer.

(SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

POPE BENEDICT XVI: Loving Father, you know the many different needs your people have in this life. Hear us and answer the prayers of all who believe in you. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

(MUSIC AND SINGING)

WHITFIELD: You're witness to a historic moment here. The pope delivering his homily there during his first visit to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI. And then following that, you heard the creed spoken in many languages, which was very poignant to hear because this pope underscored the diversity of Catholicism in this country, and that was demonstrated with the reading of the creed.

Our Ed Henry is there at Nationals Park where this historic gathering is taking place, that's (ph) 46,000. As we hear this music and as we see preparations at the table there of the bread and wine, and then the pope will be blessing it before communion is to begin.

And Ed, I'm curious to know whether you'll get a chance to take part in the communion which is going to be quite innovative to take place here for so many people who'll be taking part.

HENRY: Absolutely, Fred. I plan on getting the Eucharist. I am Catholic, as you noted, and I plan on doing it. I wouldn't miss that opportunity and I think what's fascinating when you look across this crowd, I'm sitting here along what's the third-base line in the ballpark.

There's some 46,000 people here as you've been noting. And the church has been planning that it would take only 20 minutes to distribute the communion. But obviously, it could take a lot longer. There are a lot of people here. It's going to take a long time. They have 1,300 priests to help the Holy Father hand out the communion. And you know, there are 50, 50 lucky people in this crowd who are going to get the communion, get the Eucharist actually administered ...

WHITFIELD: Wow.

HENRY: ...by the pontiff himself. So, that's fascinating.

To pick up on your point about the different languages that the pope speaks, but also the fact that he did the homily, a little bit of it, in Spanish, that is a nod to the fact that the Hispanic, the growing Hispanic population among Catholics in America, is what is really the growth in America. There are cities like Dallas where 10 years ago, there were hardly any Catholics. Now, there's a very large Catholic community there in large part because of Hispanic growth.

Another point to make is in his homily, just a short while ago, the pope had some very dramatic words about the sexual abuse crisis here in America.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE BENEDICT XVI: It is in the context of this hope on (ph) of God's love and fidelity, that I acknowledge the pain which the church in America has experienced as a result of the sexual abuse of minors. No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse. It is important that those who have suffered be given loving (INAUDIBLE) attention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)