Pope Benedict XVI was serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by a crowd of about 9,000 Wednesday at the White House.
He may or may not have been aware of the tradition in this country for someone celebrating a birthday to close his eyes and make a wish _ and not to reveal that wish lest it not come true.
Showing himself to be a man of faith rather than superstition, the pontiff revealed his wish that his six-day visit to Washington and New York would serve as a "source of renewal and hope for the church in the United States."
In this most religious of industrialized nations, Benedict finds a situation where many Catholics _ like other Americans of all faiths _ feel free to pick and choose how and how often they practice their religion.
A poll conducted in February and released last week was commissioned by U.S. bishops. It was done by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.
The good news is that Benedict is highly respected among American Catholics, with 80 percent saying they were somewhat or very satisfied with his leadership.
The bad news is that the survey found that only 36 percent of Catholics born since 1980 attend Mass at least once a month, compared with 64 percent for those born from 1950 to 1979.
Moreover, 68 percent of all Catholics in the study said they believed they could be in good standing with the church without going to weekly Mass. Fully 30 percent said they go to confession less than once a year, and 45 percent said they never go.
It was telling that even before his plane set down at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Tuesday that the pontiff felt it necessary to address the clergy sex abuse scandals that have roiled the Catholic Church in recent years.
To his great credit, the pope addressed the issue of pedophile priests and complicity by church hierarchy head-on.
"It is a great suffering for the church in the United States and for the church in general and for me personally that this could happen," Benedict said. "It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their mission ... to these children."
The church has paid more than $2 billion to victims of church-related abuse, most of it in the last six years.
"I am deeply ashamed, and we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future," he said.
In addition, the pontiff is reaching out to those of other faiths, including a visit to a New York synagogue on Friday.
His is a mission of religious renewal and tolerance. We welcome this holy man and wish him nothing but success.
