NEW YORK — Pope Benedict XVI ended his first U.S. pilgrimage Sunday, completing a mission aimed at renovating and rebuilding the troubled Roman Catholic Church in the United States with moving appearances at two iconic sites, the crater where the World Trade Center once stood and Yankee Stadium.
By many accounts he succeeded -- by tackling consistently and directly the pedophilia crisis that has undermined the church in America, and by casting commitment to Catholic life in a vividly positive light rather than a recriminatory litany of prohibitions.
He lauded the integration of immigrants, spoke forcefully in defense of human rights and made a plea for Catholic unity to overcome painful differences.
"Today's celebration is more than an occasion of gratitude for graces received," he said at the packed baseball stadium. "It is also a summons to move forward with firm resolve to use wisely the blessings of freedom, in order to build a future of hope for coming generations."
In the most solemn moment of the six-day tour, Benedict prayed Sunday at the site of the Sept. 11 attacks. He sprinkled holy water in each direction of the compass, blessing as hallowed ground the scarred land where nearly 3,000 people lost their lives.
Benedict walked down a concrete ramp to ground zero, subdued in chilled fog, still and quiet, save for a cellist from the New York Philharmonic who played mournful movements from Bach.
The pope knelt and prayed silently at a small reflecting pool symbolizing renewal, then read aloud a prayer for victims, survivors and "those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred."
"God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world," he said. "God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible events."
Twenty-four people representing survivors, victims' families, firefighters, police and paramedics attended the half-hour ceremony, ringing the pope as he prayed and then meeting him one by one.
With each person, Benedict spoke a few words and looked deeply into their eyes. Several kissed his ring. One woman wept, later giving long hugs to several of her fellow survivors.
Faith restored
Thomas Riches, a firefighter whose firefighting brother was among the first to respond on Sept. 11 and was killed, was among the people who attended the ceremony.
