Welcome Ceremony

Pope Benedict, this morning, spoke to a very large crowd at the White House. Both he and the President gave great speeches, and you can read the Pope's here. The quote below is one of my favorites, but the whole speech is great, do read it. And there will be encore presentations of this morning at 2 and 9 PM Eastern time today.

Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility. Americans know this from experience – almost every town in this country has its monuments honoring those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate. In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good.

Right now the pope is traversing the streets of DC in the Pope-mobile on his was to the Nuntio. At 5PM Eastern he will gather with 350 USA bishops in the Shrine of Immaculate Conception for a prayer service. You can see a schedule of events here. Stay tuned. And here is a video of the welcoming ceremony.

Ria and Gus

Picture from EWTN