https://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Pope-to-visit-White-House-today-3218862.php
Pope to visit White House today
For the first time, Bush goes to air base to greet a dignitary
Tracy Wilkinson and James Gerstenzang, Los Angeles Times
Published 4:00 am PDT, Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Members of the U.S. Air Force roll out a red carpet for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington April 15, 2008. The Pope is beginning a six-day trip to the United States, during which he will pray at Ground Zero in New York, address the United Nations and try to heal wounds from a sexual abuse scandal. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES) less
Members of the U.S. Air Force roll out a red carpet for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington April 15, 2008. The Pope is beginning a six-day trip to the United States, ... more
Photo: JASON REED
Pope Benedict XVI arrived Tuesday on his first papal visit to the United States after telling reporters on his plane that the priesthood was "absolutely incompatible" with the sexual abuse of children and pledging to help heal the wounds that have scarred the Roman Catholic Church.
Benedict's plane landed about 3:50 p.m. EDT at Andrews Air Force Base, where he was greeted by President Bush. It was the first time the president had traveled to the base to greet a dignitary.
The two will meet privately today, when they are expected to discuss issues such as immigration reform and the war in Iraq.
Twenty minutes after the special Alitalia plane touched down in Maryland, the pope, who will celebrate his 81st birthday today, appeared in the door. He briskly walked down the ramp and was greeted on the red carpet by Bush, first lady Laura Bush and their daughter Jenna.
He shook hands with the Bushes, then greeted Roman Catholic dignitaries, who kissed the papal ring.
After a visit at the distinguished visitors lounge at the base's passenger terminal, Benedict was headed to the Apostolic Nunciature before today's formal greeting at the White House and a meeting with Bush in the morning.
En route here for the first visit by a pope since the sex abuse scandal broke several years ago, Benedict told reporters he would work to heal the church.
"We are deeply ashamed," he said of the abuse scandal. "We will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future.
"We will do all that is possible to heal this wound," the pope said, adding that he "who is guilty of being a pedophile cannot be a priest. We will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry."
The string of child abuse scandals has cost the Roman Catholic Church hundreds of millions of dollars, forced the sale of property and has complicated relations between parishioners and their clergy.
"To repair the damage," Benedict said, "priests and bishops have to be vigilant, use the judicial system, where possible, and better screen applicants to the priesthood.
"It is more important to have good priests than many priests," the pope said.
A Latin American reporter asked the pope about the U.S. church, which is becoming increasingly bilingual and bicultural as the percentage of Hispanic members increases.
Benedict, who will also visit New York during the trip that ends Sunday, said he will raise immigration issues during his stay. He said he was especially concerned by what he called the grave problem of families that are separated by immigration policies and by border violence.
While Benedict plans to discuss immigration, Bush is not likely to be the one to bring up the Iraq war, which the pontiff opposes.
But at an earlier briefing, White House press secretary Dana Perino said she would not rule out discussion of their disagreement during their private meeting in the Oval Office today.
She said that Bush would raise topics in which "they have a shared commitment and shared values, such as human rights and individual dignity, their work together to combat extremist ideology, especially in the Muslim world, that obviously the pope has been no stranger to criticism by extremists as well."
She said Bush and Benedict were likely to discuss their shared "desire to work together to combat terrorism."
And, she said the president was interested in the pope's efforts "to establish an interfaith dialogue."
Other topics they are likely to discuss, Perino said, were Lebanon, religious freedom, disease and hunger in Africa and "the human rights crisis there."
The German-born Benedict will mark the third anniversary of his election as pope during the six-day trip.