Papal Visit

Pope Benedict XVI En Route To U.S.

Pontiff Addresses Church Sex Abuse Before Boarding Plane

WASHINGTON (CBS) ― American Catholics are eagerly and prayerfully awaiting the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI Tuesday as he's set to begin his stay in Washington, D.C. 

The security surrounding the pope will be immense, and officials prepared by holding drills that are as realistic as possible. Coast Guard patrols will seal off water access to the venues, and they'll check the underside of nearby bridges for bombs.

"There's nothing that we can throw at these guys that we don't have a good plan in place for," said special agent Jeffrey Irvine, who is in charge of the Secret Service.

Meanwhile, the pontiff left Rome early in the morning, boarding "Shepherd One" for his flight to Andrews Air Force base, scheduled to arrive around 4 p.m. He'll then be transferred to the Vatican Embassy.

Just minutes before the pope boarded the special Al Italia airliner, he'd already began making headlines by answering reporters' questions submitted in advance.

On the way to his first papal pilgrimage, the pope said he was deeply ashamed of the clergy sexual abuse scandal that has cost the church in America hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.

"It is a great suffering for the church that this could happen," he said. "It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their message to these children. I am deeply ashamed and we will do what is possible so this can not happen again in the future.

And Benedict pledged that pedophiles would not be priests in the Roman Catholic church.

President Bush and the First Lady will be on hand Tuesday to greet the pontiff when he arrives at Andrews Air Force Base. White House officials said Pope Benedict XVI and President Bush share a common bond.

As press secretary Dana Perino explained, "When it comes to fighting terrorism and extremism; protecting minority rights, especially for people who are practicing a religion where they might be a minority in a country."

The pontiff will visit the White House on Wednesday and have an Oval Office meeting with President Bush. He will also address American bishops at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

And on Thursday, the Pope will hold a public mass at Washington Nationals Stadium.

Stay with wcbstv.com and CBS 2 for live on-air and online video coverage of the pope's visit in America. Click here for complete coverage of the papal visit.

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