Top Stories

Yankee Stadium Welcomes Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Praises American Church In Final U.S. Mass

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Yankee Stadium was transformed into a house of worship Sunday afternoon, as the house that Ruth built welcomed Pope Benedict XVI on his final day in America.

The Pontiff entered the jam-packed Yankee Stadium to uproarious applause, which only grew louder as Benedict donned his glasses to begin the service.

"Your pastoral visit is for all of us gathered here in New York a blessing for which we are all grateful," Cardinal Egan told the Pope.

Clergy and lay Catholics from all 195 dioceses and archdioceses across America were present for the Mass.

"It is an extraordinary privilege to be allowed to tell you what a deep and appreciated grace your presence is for all of us," Egan said.

The Vatican was under strict orders to keep the pope off the outfield grass. Instead, the popemobile drove around the edge of the stadium.

The papal throne where the Pontiff sat, as well as the altar, were constructed in Mount Vernon, and they are hand-made entirely of wood, bronze and silver.

The altar rose above second base. The pitcher's mound was adorned with the coat of arms of the Vatican, surrounded by yellow, purple, and white.

A 58-piece orchestra performed behind home plate.

The chance to hear Pope Benedict's homily was one of the hottest tickets in town. Organizers gave out 57,000 golden passes with assigned seating.
The visit marked the third time a pope has celebrated mass at Yankee Stadium, a record for any single venue in the U.S.

Pope Paul VI delivered the first mass at the stadium in 1965. Pope John Paul II celebrated mass in the Bronx in 1979.

Many in the Mott Hill section of the Bronx will never forget the day of Pope John Paul's mass. The pontiff took a detour on the way to the stadium, passing right by Saint Rita of Cascia on College Avenue.

"He stops and he blesses everybody in there," Fernanda Cedeno said.

The parish's faithful hope Pope Benedict will make the same detour - a welcome banner hangs outside the church rectory. Named after Saint Rita, patron of the impossible cases, the parish has reason to believe anything is possible.

Benedict called the Mass "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."

And he repeated a core message of his six-day pilgrimage -- that faith must play a role in public life, citing the need to oppose abortion.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

---