To the strains of "Holy God We Praise Thy Name," Benedict circled
the grounds of the new stadium in his pope mobile as throngs-- young and old
waved-- papal flags heralding his arrival.

I'm Jon Decker in Washington.  Ordinarily, this is a baseball stadium for
the Washington Nationals.  But today this is a massive church.  More than
40,000 people are filling up the stands here at Nationals ballpark to hear
Pope Benedict XVI deliver his first papal mass in the nation's capital.

To the strains of "Holy God We Praise Thy Name," Benedict circled
the grounds of the new stadium in his pope mobile as throngs-- young and old
waved-- papal flags heralding his arrival.

Worshippers hung over rails and positioned themselves to catch a glimpse of
the pope who delivered his first Mass on American soil.

Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged the damage done by the church's sexual abuse
scandal, asked that the American spirit of hope help heal that pain and urged
Catholic Americans toward a renewal of their faith.

POPE BENEDICT XVI:
"I acknowledge the pain which the Church in America has experienced
as a result of the sexual abuse of minors. No words of mine can describe the
pain and harm inflicted by such abuse."

Pope Benedict's visit to the U.S. continues its busy pace.  The 81-year-old
pontiff has two more events planned for Thursday including a meeting with
representatives of other religions and an address to the heads of more than
200 Catholic colleges and universities.

For the Washington region's 1 million Catholics -- this visit for many is a
monumental event.

Jon Decker, Reuters.