Pope Benedict XVI will pray for world peace when he visits New York's Ground Zero during his first trip to the United States next week, the Vatican said Thursday.
"God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world," the head of the Roman Catholic Church will implore when he visits the site where the World Trade Centre's Twin Towers were destroyed in the September 11, 2001, attacks.
"We ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here -- the heroic first responders ... along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy," the octogenarian pope will say, according to a text of the prayer released by the Vatican.
"We are mindful as well of those who suffered death, injury and loss on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania," the text reads.
The pope, whose six-day visit to the United States will begin in Washington on Tuesday, will pray for "the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all."
Benedict is to meet President George W. Bush at the White House and address the UN General Assembly during the trip.
While in New York, he will also address the paedophile scandals that have rocked the US Catholic Church in recent years.
The pope, who will turn 81 on Wednesday, will hold an open-air mass in each of the two cities.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce