Pope Will Visit US in April

Pope Benedict XVI will travel to the US in April, visiting the White House, Ground Zero, and the United Nations, the Washington Post reports. On his first trip to the country as pope, and the first papal visit since John Paul II's stop in St. Louis in 1999, he'll say Mass at Yankee Stadium and the Nationals’ new ballpark in Washington.

Washington’s archbishop said the stadium masses would allow “tens of thousands of the faithful be with him, and that will multiply the blessings.” The visit, from April 15 through 20, coincides with both Benedict's 81st birthday and the third anniversary of his election as pope. In his most recent meeting with President Bush, at the Vatican in April, he reiterated the Holy See's opposition to the war. (More Pope Benedict XVI stories.)