Apr 16, 2008 10:50 pm US/Central
Pope, Cardinal George Discuss Priest Sex Abuse
Huge Crowd Gathers In Front Of White House To Sing 'Happy Birthday' To Benedict
WASHINGTON (CBS) ―
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Pope Benedict XVI is welcomed to the White House by U.S. President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush during an arrival ceremony at the White House April 16, 2008 in Washington, D.C.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his 81st birthday on the first full day of his visit to America.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports, a crowd of 13,000 sang "Happy Birthday" outside the White House and a birthday cake awaited the Pope inside. Amidst the celebration, though, was a somber message about religion and politics.
"In a world where some evoke the name of God to justify acts of terror and murder and hate, we need your message that God is love, and embracing his love is the surest way to save man from falling prey to fanaticism and terrorism," President George W. Bush said.
The two then met privately in the Oval Office, both establishing common ground and exploring their differences on various issues. They talked, among other things, about "the need for the humane treatment of immigrants and the well-being of their families."
"I think both the president and the Holy Father first of all are aware of what's important to each other and respect each other," said Chicago Auxiliary Biship Tom Paprocki.
Paprocki, also an amateur hockey player, had invited hockey legend Stan Mikita to the White House reception.
Mikita remembered hockey here and wondered how the Pope would be received.
"There were great cheers at home but they were booing me on the road. So I wasn't sure what to expect," Mikita said.
He needn't have worried -- the welcome was warm, as was the reception along the Popemobile's route as Benedict left the White House.
People applauded and the Pope blessed the crowd along the way, as he continued to make quite an impression during his first visit to America.
Inside the basilica, after evening prayers, Cardinal George welcomed the Pope and shared his thoughts on current priorities for the church in America, and the impact of the priest sexual abuse scandal.
"The consequences of the sexual abuse of minors by some priests and of its being sometimes badly handled by bishops makes both the personal faith of some Catholics and the public life of the church herself more problematic," George said.
There is a clear and strong connection between the two men, who were friends and former colleagues in Rome. And when it was his turn to speak, the Pope, too, stressed accountability.
"Responding to the situation has not been easy, and as the president of the Episcopal Conference has said, it was sometimes very badly handled," Benedict said.
Steve Rubis lives in Washington now, but it took a call from his mother in Chicago to get him to come out to see the Pope.
"I wasn't sure I was going to come today but then my mom told me she regretted not going to Grant Park in 1979, so she convinced me to come today," he said.
"If you want a Chicago perspective, it's welcoming a friend," said Chicago native and current Lacrosse, Wis., resident, Bishop Jerome Listecki. "That's exactly what's happening and you can see that immediately."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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