Pope Benedict XVI's itinerary for April 17, 2008, began with a public Mass in Washington, D.C.'s baseball stadium, Nationals Park. Four choirs performed, as well as tenor Placido Domingo, who knelt before the Holy Father and kissed his ring after singing the "Panis Angelicus." Despite Pope Benedict's often-expressed views on the need for dignity in sacred music, much of the music was contemporary.
In addition to 46,000 faithful who packed the 41,000-seat stadium, 14 cardinals, 250 bishops, and 1,300 priests were in attendance, as well as an unspecified number of nuns, many in traditional habits.
Confession and Communion
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The decision may have come from the Holy Father himself, who has been critical of the practice, common in American parishes, of overusing Eucharistic ministers.
Pope Benedict's Homily
Pope Benedict's homily lasted nearly 15 minutes, and, in honor of the large Hispanic attendance at the Mass, ended with a few paragraphs in Spanish summing up what the Holy Father had said in English. As many as one third of America's 66 million Catholics are Hispanics.The Holy Father began by reminding the faithful that we are still in the midst of the Easter season and then recalled the bicentenary of the establishment of the dioceses of Boston, Louisville, New York, and Philadelphia, and the elevation of Baltimore to an archdiocese. "The Church in the United States," he declared, "is now called to look to the future, firmly grounded in the faith passed on by previous generations, and ready to meet new challenges."
A Call for Renewal and Reconciliation
At the White House and in his meeting with the U.S. bishops, Pope Benedict had expressed his hope that his visit would lead to a renewal of the Catholic Church in the United States. He repeated that message now: "I have come to America to confirm you, my brothers and sisters, in the faith of the Apostles." As we head toward Pentecost, the Holy Father declared that "I have come to repeat the Apostle [Peter]’s urgent call to conversion and the forgiveness of sins, and to implore from the Lord a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church in this country," that Catholics in America might "bring to men and women of every race, language and people the good news of our reconciliation with God in Christ."True Repentance
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Conversion requires repentance, and the Holy Father declared that "The liberating power of this sacrament, in which our honest confession of sin is met by God’s merciful word of pardon and peace, needs to be rediscovered and reappropriated by every Catholic. . . . the renewal of the Church in America and throughout the world depends on the renewal of the practice of Penance and the growth in holiness which that sacrament both inspires and accomplishes."
Witnessing to the Truth
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Date and Time
April 17, 10:00 A.M. EDTOfficial Text of Pope Benedict's Homily at the Mass at Washington Nationals Park
Official text of the homily delivered by Pope Benedict XVI at his public Mass at Washington Nationals Stadium, from the Vatican's website.Schedule of Pope Benedict's 2008 Visit to the United States
View the details for all of the significant events during Pope Benedict's April 2008 visit to the United States.Photo Gallery of Pope Benedict's 2008 Visit to the United States
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