He said freedom "is not only a gift but also a summons to personal responsibility" toward the less fortunate at home and around the world.
"Democracy can only flourish, as your founding fathers realized, when political leaders and those whom they represent are guided by truth and bring the wisdom born of firm moral principle to decisions affecting the life and future of the nation," he said.
GLOBAL SOLIDARITY, PATIENT DIPLOMACY
Benedict, who will be visiting New York and addressing the United Nations as part of his first trip to the United States as pope, was only the second pontiff to visit the White House and the first in nearly 30 years.
Looking forward to his speech to the United Nations, the pope said the need for global solidarity is "as urgent as ever if all people are to live in a way worthy of their dignity" and secure a place at "that table which God's bounty has set for all his children."
In a possible reference to U.S. criticism of the the United Nations, the pope said:
"I am confident that this concern for the greater human family will continue to find expression in support for the patient efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts and promote progress."
The pope ended his speech by saying "God bless America."
The outdoor ceremony at the White House was attended by more than 9,000 people, making it one of the "one of the largest arrival ceremonies ever held at the White House," Bush's spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
Among those who attended were first lady Laura Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
Later on Wednesday, the pope was addressing U.S. bishops at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where he was to discuss the scandal of sexual abuse of children by priests, which he said had left him "deeply ashamed."
The scandal, which broke in 2002 and forced U.S. dioceses to pay damage settlements amounting to $2 billion, has tarnished the Church's image and created considerable dissatisfaction among American Catholics.
The Vatican opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 but now sees U.S. troops as a stabilizing force helping protect threatened Christian minorities.
