RAT-zinger to visit U.S.

oh, yay...

Pope Benedict XVI will pay his first visit to the United States next April, officials said Monday, at a time when the US Catholic Church is struggling to overcome a long-running pedophilia scandal.

The pontiff will visit Washington and New York April 15-20 to celebrate open-air Masses at baseball stadiums, visit Ground Zero and to address the United Nations, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said that Benedict would miss a "golden opportunity" by not visiting Boston, the epicenter of the scandal involving decades of sexual abuse of children by Catholic clerics.

However, Church elders said the first papal visit to the United States since Pope John Paul II last came in 1999 was an occasion to rejoice.

"This is a blessed moment for our nation," USCCB president Bishop William Skylstad said in a statement. "Pope Benedict is not just the leader of Catholics, he is also a man of inspiration for all those who work for peace."

and, just cuz i'm feeling snarky, here's a pic i posted back in december 2005, a photo which should probably not be viewed with small children around...

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