Just after 8:30 this morning, I was shivering in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue while listening to Peter Isely, who serves on the national board of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. He (the bald-headed man in the photo) was handing out lists of what the American Catholic Church should do next after getting its knuckles rapped by Pope Benedict for the past six days over sex abuse crisis.

"The disciplinary measures against those who covered up those crimes have not been put in place," he told me. "We would like to see a national registry naming all the sexually offending priests and what we're doing with them and what neighborhood we are settling them in." Some archdioceses (such as Baltimore) have published the names of such priests. Others, such as Washington, have not.

I told him of my interview with Archbishop Wuerl Sunday night (see previous blog entry) where he thought everything that needed to be done to contain priestly sex abuse had basically been done.

"That is the worst thing he could have possibly said," Isely replied. "He should have said, 'We will hold ourselves as bishops accountable to correct the failures the pope talked about.' ''

Plus, he added, what about abusive priests around the world, Sure, some 5,180 U.S. clergy - about 4% of all American clergy - have been found guilty. If you extrapolate that percentage to include all the world's priests, that would be about 21,000 clergy, he said. I have not done the math, so am taking his word on this. But are their 21,000 clergy worldwide identified as predators? Nope.

SNAP also wants the pope to sanction, publicly reprimand and discipline bishops who have transferred known sex offenders.

There's a lot more. For those of you local readers interested in this topic, there will be a movie, "Vows of Silence," about the Marciel Maciel sex abuse case involving the founder of the Legionnaires of Christ at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Georgetown University, 111 St. Mary's Hall on Reservoir Road near the GU hospital. See www.vowsofsilencefilm.com for more info.

You'll be hearing a lot more on this topic, believe me.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

One man who got to be with the pope almost continuously during Benedict's visit was Washington's Archbishop Donald Wuerl, who had the amazing experience of riding in the popemobile not once but several times. What was all that close contact like? What most impressed the archbishop?

I got him in his home office Sunday night, puzzling over how to send thank-you notes to some 2,000 people involved in the Washington portion of the papal trip.

On the pope’s manner: "I think it was the ease with which the pope connected with people and how they connected with him. From the moment he arrived at Andrews Air Force Base, he had this warm, open smile. He seemed to be embraced by everyone everywhere he went. He had some quality allowing him to touch peoples' hearts."

"On early Wednesday morning, I went down to join the motorcade group at the hotel. And a cleaning lady told me, 'I am going to be at the Mass. I saw the pope on television and he loves us.'

"Now, I was just stunned by the sincerity and conviction with which she said that. That was the reaction everywhere he went. The same with students at Catholic University, the people who lined the streets, the throngs of people along Pennsylvania Avenue. I could see people crying as he went by. That said to me he had a way of touching peoples' hearts.

"He exuded this sense of calm and joy. He walked into the room and there was this sense of peace."

"[In the popemobile] We were facing him so you could see his face. Just to see it lit up with joy – this smile that never left his face. He was waving. I was transfixed by what was clearly… he exuded a love. It was clear he loved the people he was seeing."

On his conversations with the pope:

"He mentioned how the firm faith people had. He said that a number of times, as he was experiencing that with so much of us. He commented on the Mass at Nationals stadium that it was a true prayer service. Everybody there seemed to have entered into the Mass. It was a Mass – not a show."

I asked him whether he knew about the five sex abuse victims before they met with the pope Thursday afternoon.

"Yes, but it wasn’t to be public information," he said. "He did it with great grace."

Archbishop Wuerl added he was not at the papal nunciature when the five victims were there. I asked him if this would change the way sex abuse complaints were handled among U.S. bishops. He thought not.

"We already have among the bishops very strong policies – monitoring systems," he said. "The priests who have been accused have been removed. There are intensive child protection programs in dioceses. What we were talking about is what happened in the past. The pope was all talking about what happened in past."

I asked him what it was like being at the pope's noon birthday party last Wednesday at the papal nunciature. Archbishop Wuerl was one of the few non-cardinals present at the gathering. The pope, he said, had a cake but it only had one candle.

"He clearly was trying to be a part of what was going on. We were celebrating his birthday our style. It was a wonderful experience being that close to the pope in diverse situations."

What was the height of the visit for him?

"The Mass was my happiest moment; being able to present to the pope some 47,000 people. The way they all cheered and waved was such a beautiful moment – a tribute of their appreciation and his clear pastoral care of them. It was clear he connected with them and they with him."

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

I have rarely heard a voice much like that one; soaring into the early evening air; full-throated, beautiful as stars at midnight. American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson's warm-up act before Pope Benedict arrived at today's (Saturday) youth rally in Yonkers was nothing to write home about but her closing act: Whoa.

Benedict was already running a half hour late, due to his speech continually being interrupted with cheers and shouts of "Benedetto!" The crowd filling what looked like a football field adjacent to St. Joseph's Seminary had sat in the sun all afternoon, so they wanted the pope to stick around as long as possible to make up for it. Black-clad seminarians were packed up against the stage, mosh-pit style while those of us in the press pen were reduced to sitting in the dirt on a hill overlooking the main stage, trying to keep dust off our computer screens.

I think John Paul II was used to rock-star receptions but this was all new to Benedict. But he was really warming up to the crowd and twice walked out on walkways extending into the crowd to shake hands. His speech was solid and interesting. Then a parade of outstanding local Catholic youth were marched past him for a personal greeting.

By 7 p.m., it was almost over. Then Kelly Clarkson, 25, who had changed out of a black dress from her previous act into a demure blue frock, began to belt out the well-known words of "Ave Maria." She was so magnificent, that afterwards the crowd roared and even Benedict stood to greet here. Miss Clarkson, by the way, attends a Baptist church.

Then Benedict climbed into his popemobile and disappeared behind the stage. I then noticed tons of police lining up on a small road right in front of the press pen. Right behind us stood a group of nuns from the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia in Nashville. Then, the popemobile hove into view, barely 15 feet from me and maybe 25 feet from the nuns. It was so dear to watch their amazed faces.

"I can't believe it. He was right there," Sister Mary Angela, the novice mistress, told me afterwards.

"You know," I overheard a broadcaster saying nearby, "his reception has gotten warmer as people have gotten to know him better."

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

In yesterday's post, I said Sen. Ted Kennedy did not receive Holy Communion at the Nationals Mass. However, my source at Christendom College got the following e-mail soon after I filed the post. It said:

"Two of my sons and I attended the Papal Mass yesterday. We were seated in section 216, directly above the section in which Ted Kennedy was seated. Several minutes prior to the general distribution of communion a priest walked down to Ted Kennedy and gave him communion. There was some discussion amongst we in our section about the inappropriateness of his reception of the Host. Be certain, he remained seated not out of some self-enforced respect for the sacrament, but rather out of respect for his girth and mobility."

Here's the question of the day: Who was the priest? If you know, let us know!

As I write, a gorgeous Mass is going on now at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Folks were camped out for hours on the Manhattan sidewalks to get a glimpse of the pontiff as he was driven to its Gothic precincts at 9:15 a.m. I've never seen so many religious habits in my life - except around St. Peter's Square. Mayor Michael Bloomberg put in a brief appearance to call it a "historic day for New York."

After this, the pope rides his popemobile up Fifth Avenue - without ticker tape, I am guessing - then heads off to Yonkers where he will first speak to about 50 disabled children, then about 20,000 young people.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

I'm in the freezing press room at the Sheraton New York, waiting for Benedict to appear at Park East Synagogue. I thought I'd run a photo from yesterday's Nationals Stadium Mass furnished by Tom McFadden, director of admissions at Christendom College in Front Royal. He trained his camera on three prominent Catholic Democrats: Sens. John Kerry, Ted Kennedy and Chris Dodd, who had excellent seats right on the playing field. All are known as "pro-choice" Dems.

He was curious as to whom would receive Communion and who would not, as there is much debate among Catholics as to whether pro-choice politicians should receive the Eucharist at all. Some say canon law forbids them to receive it and all that local bishops need do is enforce it.

Well, there was no enforcing yesterday. You can see Kerry taking Communion in the photo. So did Dodd. But Kennedy did not. Interesting, no?

After the service, the transportation company responsible for ferrying some 20,000-30,000 attendees back to their buses at JFK stadium kept people waiting at least 2 1/2 hours, I was told by Jim Allison, a parishioner at St. Clare's in Gainesville. Finally, he said, a DC police officer took pity on the waiting multitudes and requisitioned some Metro buses to take them back. There were only 160 shuttle buses, he said, although at least 250 were needed to help the folks who lived too far out to take advantage of Metro.

The public aren't the only folks being kept waiting during the B-16 Tour. Those of us reporting on this adventure have to report to duty six hours or more before the event. For instance, for a 4:30 p.m. Saturday event at St. Joseph's seminary in Yonkers, I have to present myself at the media center at 10 a.m. Once we are put in place — often in a media bubble with no access to either the pope or the people he has come to see, we just sit there. Being that all the media are thoroughly vetted by the Secret Service beforehand, we wonder why we have to 1. show up so early at the venues and 2. be x-rayed at all, especially the reporters who, unlike the photographers, don't get withing 50 feet of the pope. Back in the good old days of John Paul's 1987 tour, we sat within 20 feet of the stage and had no grinding security sweeps to endure.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

I got the call at 3 p.m. as I was returning home from the Mass. I had been up since 5 a.m. covering that and was beat. On the phone was someone from SNAP, the ad hoc group representing many of the people sexually abused by priests. The SNAP person was saying he was getting all sorts of calls from foreign journalists about the pope meeting with victims of sex abuse today at the papal nunciature on Massachusetts Avenue.

Having tried to drive up to the nunciature Tuesday night, I knew what a traffic mess the place was and how impossible it would be to park anywhere near it, much less glimpse several folks being hustled through the back door as it were. I told him there had been rumors all week the pope might meet with victims but we still didn't know where and when.

Now read the official Vatican release:

Press release of the Holy See Press Office on the meeting of the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, with a group of sexually abused victims by members of the Clergy

His Holiness assured them of his prayers for their intentions, for their families and for all victims of sexual abuse.

By the time I got wind of this, it was well past 5. Apparently word was whipping through the media center downtown; problem is, I was no longer there. Two other reporters from my paper were in the area, but they were in media lock-downs waiting to report on various events the pope was attending in the evening. Word was the group members had talked with NPR. Later I found out they were on CNN.

Rocco Palmo, the meister-writer of the whispers-in-the-loggia blog, said the meeting *had* to occur in Washington, as the nunciature is literally the pope's house in a way that his lodgings in New York will not be. So, if he was going to host a meeting, it needed to be while he was still in DC. And today was his last day here.

I called around some Boston contacts and got enough details to update Friday's front-page story. Apparently one member of the group, Bernie McDaid, is an activist on behalf of folks who have been abused by priests. He had gone to Rome in 2003 to seek a meeting with the pope and ended up instead with a high church official who remembered his name. So when it came to selecting who should meet with the pontiff, his name came up. It's a bit muddy right now figuring out if the Vatican chose all these guys or if Cardinal O'Malley had some sort of input. One thing some of the group members had in common was they had been abused by the same priest: one Joe Birmingham.

I talked with Father Bob Hoatson, a priest who was himself abused in the 1970s, who will be demonstrating in New York during the papal visit on behalf of sex abuse victims.

"The meeting should have been part of the pope's public itinerary," he said, "but instead it was done in secrecy. SNAP had already sent him a letter asking for a meeting but they were denied."

Robert Costello, a Boston activist, felt the same way.

"He met with five people for a half hour; that is 6 1/2 minutes per person," he said. "It is more of the same: secret meetings in secret rooms planned by the church. The abuse happened behind closed doors too."

Joe Cultrera, a Boston filmmaker whose film, "The Hand of God," is about the abuse suffered by his brother, Paul, at the hands of Fr. Birmingham, said there was no way the pope could visit America and not deal with the issue.

"For him to make a big point now on meeting victims; that should have been done 10 years ago," he said. "If he wants to do something now, he should fire Cardinal Law," the retired Boston prelate forced out of his job because of the high amount of abuse cases in his archdiocese. The cardinal now lives in relative comfort in Rome.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

Benedict XVI just left the field — what a splendid event this was — great music, faultless presentation. Fabulous, cool weather and sunny skies didn't hurt, either.

And in the midst of a baseball field at that. The pitcher's mound was demurely enclosed by a white fence; home plate was covered by the archdiocesan shield.

The one blot: Coffee was either not ready at the concession stands or they ran out early.

I sidled up to a concession stand, where I met one Michael Anthony White, 56, of St. Catherine Laboure parish in Wheaton, who like dozens of others, was scooping up souvenirs: rosaries, T-shirts, and the like.

"I just want to capture the moment," he said. "I can't believe I am here."

A few mysteries remain: Still little word on the identities of the 50 people who personally got to take Communion from the pope. I have been asking the archdiocesan spokeswoman this question for many days — finally, after the Mass, I got her to admit the lucky ones included not a few archdiocesan staff, such as chancellor Jane Belford and her husband Kevin, plus "some students." Well, if any of you recognized others, please send us their names since it appears the archdiocese may take awhile to supply us a full list.

And even though Benedict is not the showman John Paul II was, he had no difficulty engaging the crowds with his obvious enjoyment with being here. Who wouldn't be in a stadium with the Capitol as your backdrop?

Yours truly was up at 5 to cover this but I had two interns: Kristi Moore and Hsin-yin Lee, who were at the stadium even earlier — in fact; Hsin-yin camped out at the press center at the Westin all night to catch the 4:30 a.m. press bus to the stadium.

Here are some of the quotes they got from the worshippers:

Sister Marie de Prouille, a nun from the Servants of the Lord order in the District, who was helping out in the confession tent where 65 priests were absolving people of their sins.

"It's a real blessing for us he is here," she said, "and it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to be here."

The Hooper family from Benedict, Md., arrived at 5:30 a.m. Like many, they got in by winning a parish lottery.

"This is the closest you can get to God," said the dad, Gary Hooper, 41.

"Just breathing the same air as the pope is good enough for me. I don't even have to see him or touch him," said Agnes Ngami, 50, who came with her two daughters, Margaret, 17, and Melanie, 14, from Brandywine, Md.

I wanted to experience the aura of the Holy Father," said Larry Horner, who came from Tracy's Landing, Md.

Bert and Katie Drummond, a couple from Silver Spring, got tickets at the last minute from his employer at Catholic University's theological school.

"It was meant to be and so it happened," he said. He got a seat on the field.

"I have been bragging non-stop," said Navy Maj. William Schouviller, 43, from St. Leo the Great parish in Fairfax. Only 99 parishioners got to go and he was one.

"This is very spiritual and very moving," said Francis Stevens of Petersburg, Va. "Pope Benedict is a great leader, and he's here to tell his flock to follow the teachings of Christ. He is our own messenger."

Five school girls from Academy of Holy Cross in the Washington archdiocese arrived dressed in full school uniforms with knee-length baby blue skirts and navy blue vests. Out of 150 students, they alone got to attend.

"A lot of us were just like, 'Oh My God! We're going to see the pope!" said Mary Rajk, 14.

"I was really bummed because my mom and brother had tickets, so when I found out, I was really happy," said Danielle Tafuri, 14. "I really want a blessing from the pope!"

A lot of non-locals got there too, including Marianne Doughney from Jupiter, Fla., in one of 150 people from the Diocese of Palm Beach who got tickets. She was especially happy to be at a Mass. “That's what it is all about," she said. "It's the Year of the Eucharist."

Monsignor Michael Schmied from St. Augustine Catholic Church in Richmond, Va., said of the pope, "I hope he will bring a face of the Catholic Church that is intelligent, respectful, communicative and compassionate . "We need this type of leadership."

Father William Byrne from St. Peters Church on Capitol Hill had been at several papal Masses before attending yesterday's event.

"'John Paul II was very gifted with visual images, and I think Benedict has the gift of words," he said. "You have to listen very carefully. His writings are profound and must be read in their totality."

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

During his homily, the pope asked his flock to "love your priests," and create an environment of forgiveness and vigilance to ensure Catholic children are raised in a safe setting.

Yesterday he discussed the sexual abuse scandal that has plagued the Catholic Church in America. The pope earlier apologized for the scandal.

"These efforts to protect children must continue," Pope Benedict said. "Today I encourage each of you to foster healing and reconciliation."

The pope also discussed what he called "a disturbing breakdown in the foundations of society" while also praising globalization and the increasing interdependence of humanity.

"Who can deny that the present moment is a crossroads, not only for the Church in America, but also for society as a whole?" Pope Benedict asked. "It is a time of great progress."

The pope decried a "weakening of the moral sense," and a "forgetfulness of Christ and God."

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Today's Mass is featuring women and racial minorities, highlighting the Catholic Church's broad appeal.

The pope just presided over the responsorial psalm, Psalm 104, which calls on God to "renew the face of the earth." It was read by a black woman.

A black woman also just read from Romans 8:22-27, which discusses the "groanings" of humanity.

A Hispanic priest from Maryland just read about the resurrection in a passage from John 20:19-23 and brought the Bible to the pope to kiss.

Mezzo soprano Denyce Graves sang the initial call to worship.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Pope Benedict XVI just began celebrating Mass at Nationals Park. His assistant removed his golden mitre, and the pope put on his spectacles and began his introduction.

"I'm happy to be with you all in Washington, the District of Columbia," the pope told the packed crowd in the stadium. "May our time together help us to renew the hope and love of our lord Jesus Christ."

CNN just said the pope plans to speak in Spanish to directly address the United States' Latino community. Right now a female reader just began reciting Acts: 2:1-11.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

My goodness - what a reception the pope had here at the Shrine. The crowds started assembling hours earlier at Catholic University; sitting in gorgeous sunshine, banners ablaze. And then - and then - there he was, surrounded by zillions of limos and security types, coming up 4th Avenue, crossing Michigan, coming around the grand circle in front of the Shrine and then pulling up in his pope mobile to the south side while the bells rang. He just about hopped out and gave that warm double-arm wave that is so welcoming. Everyone roared. Then he walked up the stairs on that fantastic red carpet. Some of us had walked on it a few hours before and it was plush.
We had been inside the huge church for hours, us media, sitting on the cold marble floors and clustered next to the only two electrical outlets in the place. "You all were supposed to have computers with long-lived batteries," the Shrine press person scolded us. Well, we do - but few computers have much battery life after 3 or so hours of being on and off the press bus, then waiting for 5 hours at the Shrine. Fortunately, embargoed copies of his speech had been floating about since noon so we were all digesting it.
Do try to get a read on it here. It is so multi-faceted, a different theme comes up each time you scan it. He stuck to the general text of the first part of the speech but the question portion deviated a bit from the text as he threw in some extra words and phrases. But nothing startlingly different.
I would have liked him to have been more specific on the sex abuse angle in that if bishops had been doing a decent job at reaching out to victims, why six dioceses now in bankruptcy? I also don't think the problem of priestly sexual abuse lies in the sexual mores of the larger American society. Methinks the problem lies in a specific kind of priestly abuser, 81 percent of whom went after boys or young men. That says something about homosexuality in the priesthood, which the pope was not about to mention in his talk.
The point is he brought it up and stayed on topic for several paragraphs, which is more than most of his bishops do.
He also had a dig at pro-choice Catholics in one of the answers in the Q&A portion of his talk. Now that was really the most interesting part. Questioners were either the most recently consecrated bishop or the oldest serving one or one from an Eastern rite diocese; men who were a bit different. With Benedict sitting there in his white mozzetta (shoulder cape) trimmed with ermine fur and wire-rimmed glasses, he looked all the part of the kindly old professor listening to questions from deferential students.
But did he answer their questions? On #1 (creeping secularism), no. On #2 (about the attrition of Catholics from church), he broadly hinted that church is so dull these days ("Has our preaching lost its salt?" he asked) that it is no wonder people leave. As for #3 (on vocations), he gave a very profound reply that if young people were taught to pray and hear God, then there'd be no problem attracting people to religious orders and the priesthood because God is very willing to speak on this issue.
I predict this speech out of the bishops' session will end up being the most interesting of all of Benedict's presentations during this trip.
One other note: the choir that sang vespers for the bishops was truly exquisite. I managed to corner Newt Gingrich, the husband of one of the sopranos, for a quote for my daily story. Only the bishops got to really spend time with the pope in the crypt chapel but Benedict did make a swing through the main floor of the Shrine itself, to a tumultuous reception by some 600 church employees.
He then went and prayed in a chapel that was consecrated on April 16, 2005, the date of his 78th birthday which was 3 days before he was elected pope. The chapel has a statue of Our Lady of Altotting, a part of Bavaria near the pope's home town of Marktl am Inn. The statue in the Shrine is a copy of the Gothic original that stands inside the Bavarian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Altotting. The town in which it is located is known as the "Lourdes of Germany" and the present pope spent lots of time there as a child.

And..we have this from our U.N. reporter Betsy Pisik:

While in New York, his Holiness will be staying at the townhouse residence of Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the papal nuncio to the United Nations. The well-monied and normally quiet block, just east of Fifth Avenue, will be sealed off by police from Thursday forward, with traffic diverted and even pedestrians denied. Migliore's neighbors will have to show identification and their keys to get home.

So ... what kind of a houseguest is the pope?

"He is very easy to content," Migliore told the Washington Times.

When asked if his house guest had requested a favorite flavor of ice cream or other snacks, the archbishop chuckled and said "of course we'll take all the steps." He said the kitchen staff is preparing "meals that are nutritious, quick and short" because Benedict XVI's schedule does not leave him much time for seated dining.

Migliore did not sound terribly put out by the security protocols, rigid schedules and other elements that make Benedict XVI seem like rather troublesome weekend guest.

"It is kind of exciting," he said happily.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

There's lots of mixed signals going on in view of Benedict's remarks this morning on the papal plane that he was "deeply ashamed" of what's gone on during the American priestly sex abuse crisis. Even the folks at SNAP — Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests — are of mixed opinions as to whether the pope will actually meet with people victimized by predator priests.

David Clohessy, the national director, thinks Benedict will meet with victims at some point. Chances are they'd be folks already known — and vetted — by the people at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, he said, mentioning a few names for this writer to check out.

If such a meeting happens, the world would only learn about the meeting after the fact.

Barbara Blaine, president of SNAP, says her organization asked the Vatican in January if the pope would meet with victims but their request was ignored.

And even if he, say, sneaks in a meeting at some point during the next six days, "That would not be significant," she added. "We've been looking for the pope and bishops to take some action."

Anyway, rumors abound. He will mention the sex abuse crisis, but where? At Wednesday's meeting with American bishops? Or at Saturday's outing at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers? Or Saturday morning at St. Patrick's Cathedral?

Meanwhile things are still nuts down at the press center at the Westin. Two of our interns had to have their photos re-shot by the Secret Service and they reported l-o-n-g lines at the SS headquarters downtown, waits of more than two hours and lots of angry journalists. We found Susan Gibbs, the archdiocesan spokesman, who reported that credentials for five of her own staff were missing. She's working 18-hour days and, "I'm in a blur," she said.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

Showed up this morning at the media center for the papal visit, ensconced at the Westin Hotel on 14th and M streets NW, to find much anguished tearing of hair. The biggest mess was caused by the Secret Service, which for inscrutable reasons rejected many of the journalist photos emailed in on the press applications. A bunch of reporters were told by U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops staffers they were sooo sorry, but they have to schlep over to a Secret Service HQ near 18th and K to have their photos re-taken.

Helen Osman, the USCCB person overseeing the media arrangements, told me more than 5,300 journalists applied to cover the pope's six-day visit. I had to pity a number of these folks, especially the foreign ones, who were feeling their way about the hotel in a bewildered fashion. One poor soul from Venezuela was wandering about looking for the press room until I managed — in my so-so Spanish — to explain to him it's in the bowels of the hotel.

The schedule for press to be on their special buses to get to various venues on the papal tour is pretty numbing. They begin running at 2:30 a.m. Thursday for the Nationals Mass at 10 a.m. In order to cover the pope's speech to U.S. bishops at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, I have to show up at the press center at noon.

Meanwhile at the papal nunciature on Massachusetts Avenue, the nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, was telling reporters the pope will start his day Wednesday with a private Mass for nunciature staff. There is a garden attached to the place, in which the pope will be able to take walks. The only problem: Local deer are munching on the flowers.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

The latest from the archdiocese: The northbound lanes of Massachusetts Avenue between Whitehaven and 34th Place — which go nearest to the papal nunciature — will be shut down either by the Secret Service, the Metropolitan Police Department or a combo of the two for much of this week from 10 a.m. Tuesday to mid-morning Friday. The southbound lanes will be open.

If you want to get anywhere near the nunciature, you have to go through a checkpoint at 34th and Fulton. This sounds like a horrific traffic headache in the making or part two of what will be known as Benedict-our-traffic-nightmare. You heard it first here.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

The following is what our United Nations reporter, Betsy Pisik, wrote Friday after a security briefing by U.N. officials about Benedict's visit there:

After Shepherd One lands at JFK Airport Friday morning, the pope will be whisked by helicopter to a midtown helipad and ferried up the shut-down First Avenue to the United Nations, where he will give an address to ambassadors and visitors in the General Assembly chambers.

Traffic around the United Nations will be shut down from 8am to 3pm, including major arteries such as the East River Drive and portions of First Avenue and 42nd Street. Boat traffic -- which has been pretty light since September 11 -- will likely be restricted.

"Whether you have one head of state or 192, the preparations are significant," said Gary Fowlie, the UN Media liaison.

For this reason the regularly scheduled U.N. tours will be suspended on Friday, 18 April, and the staff has been encouraged not to schedule meetings inside the U.N. compound.

Of course, it doesn't sound like much ordinary work will get done on Friday morning as the pope has requested opportunities to meet with the U.N. staff and they are eager to receive him. His movements have been carefully choreographed. When he arrives, his path will take him down a long hallway and through wide lobby where officials are preparing for 1,000 U.N. staff and others with grounds passes to line his route.

In an odd bit of scheduling, Benedict will give his 25-minute speech, then leave the General Assembly chambers, greet VIPs in a separate lounge, and then return to the hall where the dignitaries are to have been replaced by U.N. staff. The pope is to have a few words with them, presumably about the importance of their work, especially in developing countries.

On his way out, Benedict is to stop by the framed tatters of the U.N. flag that flew atop the organization's Baghdad office and was destroyed in the 2003 bombing.

The speech and much of the papal entourage will be webcast on http://www.un.org/webcast/index.asp, as well as the official Papal website.

In a press conference last Thursday, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican's representative at the United Nations, said that Pope Benedict XVI will not have time enough to address any specific world crises because "unfortunately, there are too many of them."

Instead, he said, Pope Benedict will highlight essential values and universal human rights and dignity.

"Society is essentially composed of two key figures, kings and prophets," said the archbishop, addressing a gathering of religious groups and reporters inside the United Nations.

"The kings are those who have to make decisions however complex and inconvenient they may be be at times, while the prophets keep alive in the consciences of kings and people those values without which society will crumble," he added.

Friday's visit is the fourth by a Catholic pope to the United Nations: Pope John Paul II visited in 1979 and 1995, and Pope Paul VI in 1967.

Benedict was invited to the United Nations early last year by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, during a courtesy call at the Vatican. The secretary general is frequently referred to as a "secular pope," for his moral authority and presumed allegiance to no nation.

While at the United Nations, the Pope is also likely to express his support for the broad range of peacekeeping efforts, which include fighting extreme poverty and ignorance, Archbishop Migliore said.

He said that war used to be fought between nations, but today "working for peace has more fluid outlines."

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

We have discovered *another* birthday party — in absentia — for the pope. First there was the bash — featuring Placido Domingo singing German songs — at the Italian embassy this coming Wednesday, a story we broke March 30 and which certain other media have shamelessly copied without crediting us! Now there is a dinner at the White House — also for the pope — on April 16, which supposedly he won't be attending.

Our White House correspondent, Jon Ward, found out today there's a birthday dinner at 7 p.m. in the East Room in honor of Benedict with the Bushes in attendance. But the pope won't be there. But "leaders from the Catholic community from all over the country who are in town for his visit" will be there, according to WH spokesman Scott Stanzel. No say on whom or how many.

"I have a feeling it's an opportunity for President and Mrs. Bush to honor the contribution Catholics have made to this country," said the Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities, one of the invitees.

Is that odd or what? So on Wednesday night we have two parties for the pope: One at the White House and the other at the Italian embassy and the pope is not going to be at either? Strains the imagination, we think.

What is he going to do: Blow out birthday candles by himself at his nightly lodgings at the papal nunciature? Or turn in early because of jet lag?

I talked today with Raymond Flynn, a former ambassador to the Vatican, about all the unofficial meetings Benedict may find himself at.

"He is very anxious and interested at coming to the United States," Mr. Flynn said. "I have the impression he will really love being here. He is a very intellectually curious man. He will be getting a lot more information from people than what his official itinerary says."

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

Want to know exactly what Pope Benedict is going to say during the various prayer services and Masses he'll be officiating at next week? The Vatican has released a missal (liturgical book) at this site that lays out all the liturgies and prayers to be said.

Unfortunately, copies of the pontiff's speeches have yet to be released, so we're still guessing at those.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

Finally, folks, we have it: Where to line up to see His Holiness if you're not fortunate enough to get in Nationals stadium, on Catholic University's campus, in the John Paul II Cultural Center or into the Shrine. Or if you don't have a home across the street from the papal nunciature on Massachusetts Avenue as does Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne.

Anyway, here's the latest from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:

PUBLIC POPEMOBILE ROUTES ANNOUNCED FOR POPE'S VISIT

WASHINGTON — Popemobile routes for Pope Benedict XVI, April 16 and 17 in Washington, will include travels along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW and Fourth Street, NE. These routes, especially the motorcade west on Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, present the best way for the public to see Pope Benedict. The pope's schedule during his three-day visit to Washington includes events that require tickets.

After the pope's April 16 visit at the White House, around noon, the pope will travel in the popemobile to the Vatican Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue. From the White House, the route will follow Pennsylvania Avenue to Washington Circle. From there, the motorcade will head toward Massachusetts Avenue through Rock Creek Parkway, to the residence located across from the U.S. Naval Observatory.

The public generally can see the pope from the sidewalks throughout the route. Sidewalks immediately in front of the White House and Lafayette Park, directly across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, will be closed to the public. Washington Circle also will be closed as a viewing location.

Later that day, at approximately 4:15 p.m., the pope will board the popemobile for a second motorcade from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops offices, 3211 4th Street NE, to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Michigan Avenue, where he will meet with the U.S. bishops. The public can see the pope along this route from the west side of 4th Street, NE and from the south side of Michigan Avenue in front of and across the Street from the Shrine.

Sporadic automobile traffic restrictions, or "rolling closures," will occur during the pope's April 16 travel times, affecting the following streets:

Street — From — To

Pennsylvania Ave. from 17th ST NW to Rock Creek Parkway, 11:00 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.

Cross streets one block north and one block south of Pennsylvania Avenue, 11:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.

Rock Creek Parkway from Pennsylvania Avenue to Waterside Drive, (Massachusetts Avenue), 11:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.

Massachusetts Avenue from Columbia Avenue to Observatory Circle (South), 11:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.

4th Street from 3211 4th Street to Michigan Avenue, 3:00 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.

Michigan Avenue from Monroe to Irving Street, 4:45 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.

On April 17, a third opportunity to see Pope Benedict will be on the campus of the Catholic University of America, as he travels across campus to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center to meet with faith leaders from many religions. Access to viewing areas on Catholic University's campus is available only through tickets that the University has made available through local church-sponsored Catholic organizations. Tickets are available in blocks of 50 or more only to local Catholic Church-sponsored organizations (including parishes). Submissions for blocks of tickets must be sent no later than Thursday, April 10, to papalvisit@cua.edu. Name, address and affiliation are required.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

Those press releases are starting to come in fast and furiously now, including one from Baker Liturgical Art, the Connecticut company designing all the papal liturgical vestments and sacred vessels for the pope's Washington visit. I especially liked this sentence, which said they only got the contract in January, which left just three months to develop designs, procure thousands of yards of silk fabric and embroidery thread, gather measurements of each cardinal from head to toe, tweak the designs, meet with Vatican officials, complete production and coordinate shipping and delivery.

Knowing how slowly the Vatican can work, I have some sympathy for the enormity of their task.

Anyway, another matter has come up: How easy will it be to get around town once the pontiff is in residence? I called up the Secret Service to ascertain whether they'll be closing Massachusetts Avenue, as the papal nunciature, where the pope will be staying, is on the avenue across the street from the vice president's residence. But the SS wasn't saying what will be closed and what won't. Assume the worst. Remember, on the morning of his birthday, April 16, he'll be having a parade UP Mass Ave. to the nunciature just after his White House visit. Call it the birthday parade. Expect major gridlock. Then there are the motorcades back and forth between Catholic University and the nunciature later that day and again the following day.

"From Christ Our Hope to Benedict Our Traffic Nightmare," is how one reporter has phrased the visit, playing off the official theme for the visit. Were I a resident in Northwest who uses Massachusetts Avenue to get to work, may I suggest relying on the Metro?

The papal chalice for the Nationals Mass

Other gossip: The pope is said to be meticulously on schedule and he usually does at most one public event per day. So the two-to-three events he's got for his swing through Washington and New York are considered almost an overload. No matter, after his American visit, he'll get to recuperate at Castelgandolfo, the papal vacation spot.

Here is the press release:

The Business of Designing for the Pope Connecticut Company's Custom Designs Feature Symbols of the Catholic Faith

SOUTHINGTON, CONN. April 4, 2008 — It's work that only a chosen few ever get to do, and a Connecticut company is at the forefront. Baker Liturgical Art, LLC designed the vestments and the sacred vessels featured in the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI. The Pontiff will visit the White House, celebrate Masses in Nationals Park and The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and speak at Catholic University, April 15-17, before heading to New York City.
Catholics will see some recognizable motifs on the vestments. The Archdiocese of Washington cross is featured prominently on all chasubles and miters. The Pontiff's miter is richly, hand-embroidered with grapes and vines symbolizing the blood of Christ. The chasubles to be worn by approximately 25 cardinals and 300 bishops have been constructed of red silk to reflect the theme of the Holy Spirit. An additional 300 chasubles in white will be worn by the diocesan priests. Mr. Baker worked with Archbishop Wuerl and the Vatican to finalize the designs for the custom vestments and miters to be worn by the Holy Father and all concelebrants.
"Designing for Pope Benedict's first visit to the United States is the culmination of 30 years of work in my specialized field," says Brian Baker, President of Baker Liturgical Art. Like many business transactions, Mr. Baker began with a letter, a proposal and a PowerPoint presentation. But unlike most other business transactions, his correspondence started with Archbishop Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington and ended at the Vatican.
Baker Liturgical Art was awarded the contract in January, which left just three months to develop designs, procure thousands of yards of silk fabric and embroidery thread, gather measurements of each cardinal from head to toe, tweak the designs, meet with Vatican officials, complete production and coordinate shipping and delivery.
"To work with European partners with centuries of craftsmanship in their respective arts is both gratifying and challenging," says Mr. Baker, whose training came by way of his family's business. His parents, immigrants from Dublin, founded Patrick Baker & Sons in Southington, CT in 1962. In 2003, Mr. Baker left to devote himself to the renovation and restoration of churches, including liturgical design and custom accessories for special events.
Carlo Magno Chalice
Baker worked with international partners Stadelmaier BV of Holland on the vestments and Luis Molina Acedo, S.A. of Madrid on all the metal work. A one-of-a- kind sterling silver Carlo Magno chalice will be used by the Holy Father in Washington. The design was chosen for its deep origins in Christianity and features two-tone gold plate finish and cloisonné fire enameled medallions. Additionally, Baker designed the chalices and ciboria to be used by the concelebrants of the Washington Mass, Archbishop Wuerl and Papal Nuncio Archbishop Sambi. These vessels were designed to complement the Carlo Magno design.
Mass for the Masses
The Pope's visit includes a Mass at the new Nationals Park. A celebration of this magnitude calls for 300 custom engraved ciboria to be used for the distribution of the Blessed Sacrament to some 50,000 faithful expected to attend. Each ciborium features the engraved coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI as well as that of the Archdiocese of Washington.
The Pope's April 18-20th visit to New York includes a visit to Ground Zero and the United Nations General Assembly and Masses at Saint Patrick's Cathedral and Yankee Stadium.
In addition to customized liturgical accessories for special events, Baker Liturgical Art, LLC works in conjunction with companies throughout Europe and the United States to offer expert craftsmanship in millwork, marble, stained glass and
sacred art in the creation of quality liturgical designs and furnishings. For more information call 1-860-621-7471.
Ciborium — a small container with a lid, used to hold the consecrated wafers for Holy Communion.
Chasuble — A loose sleeveless, outer garment worn by a priest when celebrating Mass or Holy Communion.
Miter — The ceremonial headdress of a Christian bishop or abbot, consisting of a tall pointed hat creased across the top, with two ribbons hanging down the back.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

The pope is throwing in two extra visits to Jewish leaders, according to this press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. One is a private tete-a-tete after Benedict's April 17 summit with interfaith leaders at the John Paul II Center here in the District. The other comes a day later, when the pope, just hours before Passover begins, will drop by the well-known Park East Synagogue on the Upper East Side.

The question is: Why? The pope was already meeting with select Jewish officials the day before. Was that not enough? Were there some murmurings that Benedict seems to be devoting more time these days to dialogue with Muslims than the Jews?

All theories are welcome.

I am also throwing in an earlier press release mentioning all the ecumenical leaders the pope will be meeting with on April 18, just after the synagogue visit.

POPE TO INCLUDE TWO BRIEF VISITS WITH JEWISH LEADERS IN U.S. TRIP

WASHINGTON — The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops announced today that Pope Benedict XVI will be including two additional brief visits with members of the Jewish community during his time in the United States April 15-20. The details of the two visits are in acknowledgement of the Jewish feast of Passover, which begins on April 19th during his visit.

On April 17 the Pope will meet with 200 interfaith leaders at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington. The meeting includes representatives from the Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Jain and Hindu communities. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Pope will meet briefly with the religious representatives of the Jewish community "to present to them a message of his cordial greetings for the imminent feast of Passover," explained Msgr. David Malloy, who is serving as national coordinator for the visit and is General Secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The following day the Pope will travel to New York City. That evening, on his way to a prayer service with other Christian leaders, he will make a brief visit to the Park East Synagogue, which is near the residence of the Holy See's Observer to the United Nations where he will be residing. "By this personal and informal visit, which is not part of his official program, His Holiness wishes to express his good will toward the local Jewish community as they prepare for Passover," Msgr. Malloy explained. The visit to the Park East Synagogue is scheduled to last about 20 minutes.

Here's the one on the interfaith leaders:

POPE TO LEAD ECUMENICAL PRAYER SERVICE AT MANHATTAN PARISH

WASHINGTON — Pope Benedict XVI will lead an ecumenical prayer service April 18, at St. Joseph's Church in the Yorkville area of Manhattan.

Participants at the service will include 250 national and local Protestant and Orthodox Church leaders.

St. Joseph's Church was built in the 19th century by the immigrant German community that settled in the area and today serves a diverse population. A Sunday Mass is still celebrated in German.

The pope will address the group after a reading from Paul's letter to the Ephesians (4:1-6) and before the congregation prays the Lord's Prayer.

At the end of the ceremony, the pope will greet ten national and five local ecumenical leaders.

The national leaders include:

Archbishop Demetrios of America, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America and Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In June 2003, the Archbishop led the delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the Vatican for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. He serves as Chairman of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas.

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America. Archbishop Barsamian is a member of the international dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and is Chairman of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches in the United States.

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, legate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) in Washington and ecumenical officer. He became President of the National Council of Churches USA January 1, 2008.

Rev. Dr. Donald McCoid, representing Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is Director of the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations Office of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Bishop Jeremiah J. Park, Bishop of the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Rev. Dr. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America since 1994, and one of the five Presidents of Christian Churches Together in the USA, representing the historic Protestant family.

Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA) since 1996.

Rev. Dr. William J. Shaw, President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., since 1999. Dr. Shaw serves as one of the five Presidents of Christian Churches Together in the USA, representing the Racial/Ethnic family of churches.

Bishop James Leggett, General Superintendent of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, a position he had held since 1997. Bishop Leggett is the Evangelical/Pentecostal President of Christian Churches Together in the USA.

Dr. Leith Anderson, President of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota since 1977.

Leaders from the New York area who will personally greet the pope include:

Bishop David H. Benke, president of the Atlantic District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Rev. Benke was elected president of the Atlantic District in 1991, and has been re-elected five times, most recently in 2006. He is also the primary ecumenical leader for the Nehemiah Project which provides housing for the poor in New York City.

Rev. Dr. A. R. Bernard Sr., President of the Council of Churches of the City of New York and founder and Senior Pastor of The Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York. He is also host of two weekly television programs, Faith in Practice with A. R. Bernard and The A. R. Bernard Show.

Elder Bernice A. King, the second daughter and youngest child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. With her brother Martin Luther King III, she has been active in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference once led by their father. She is currently an elder at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia.

Rev. Jimmy Seong G. Lim, Executive Director of the Council of Churches of the City of New York. Rev. Lim has served the Council of Churches of the City of New York since 1999. Rev. Lim is an ordained minister in The Reformed Church in America.

The Right Rev. Mark S. Sisk, the 15th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Bishop Sisk was consecrated Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of New York in 1998. Prior to his election as coadjutor, Bishop Sisk served as President and Dean of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

Just in case some of you are wondering, many articles on the upcoming papal trip are slated to soon start pouring into the pages of this esteemed newspaper and, no doubt, lots of other media as well.

Media organizations have been given their assignments as to which papal venues they get to cover. There's been a lot of gnashing of teeth from those who didn't get the spots they wanted. Although we here at the Times got dealt a pretty generous hand, I know of various other outlets that are scrambling for ways to get closer to Pope Benedict XVI than the TV screen at the media center.

However, therein lies a hazard for reporters or little or no faith. One reporter — I will call her "Infidel," as that's the name she selected — wrote me recently about something she finds troublesome. She was chagrined to find that in order to acces confidential media information for the upcoming papal visit, she would have to type "ChristOurHope" on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' website.

"And it's the username!" she wrote me. "It feels a bit like a forced conversion. At the very least it's tone deaf. I wonder if the Vatican believes that only Catholic reporters will be covering his visit? I've talked to Episcopalians, Catholics, Muslims and plenty of Christians and pretty much every one of them, reporter or layperson, is absolutely incredulous."

Well, hmmmm. This Episcopalian isn't offended but then again, would I be if, were I covering an Islamic event somewhere, want to type in "ProphetMohammed" as a username? Or "VishnuShiva" were I at a world Hindu congress?

When you cover religion fulltime, you become a real chameleon at blending into different faiths, so devotional usernames don't bother me. But I do have limits. Back in 2000, I was at a convention for religion writers where we were taken to a Buddhist shrine. They compelled attendees to bow toward one of the Buddha statues.
That I wouldn't do.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times