Base decisions on moral principles, Pope says

Saying he had come as a friend of the United States, Pope Benedict urged Americans and their leaders on Wednesday to base their political and social decisions on moral principles and create a more just society.

In an address to President George W. Bush at the White House on the first full day of his U.S. visit, the pope also called for "patient efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts" and promote progress around the world.

"I come as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel and one with great respect for this vast pluralistic society," Benedict said in a speech after Bush welcomed him to the White House at a ceremony that included 21-gun salute.

Bush cited the role of faith in U.S. life, which the pope had praised in remarks to journalists traveling with him as he crossed the Atlantic.

"Here in America, you'll find a nation that welcomes the role of religion in the public square," Bush said.

"In a world where some evoke the name of God to justify acts of terror and murder and hate, we need your message that God is love. And embracing this love is the surest way to save man from falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism," he said.

The pope, marking his 81st birthday, was full of praise for American society, sprinkling his speech with references to the founding fathers - citing the Declaration of Independence and the first president, George Washington.

But he made no specific references to issues such as abortion and the war in Iraq, appearing at pains to avoid saying anything that could be seen as taking sides in the presidential campaign apart from saying that freedom called for "reasoned public debate."

Benedict and Bush both oppose abortion and embryonic stem cell research, but differ on questions such as the Iraq war and capital punishment.

Instead, the pope concentrated on America's religious roots, which he said were a driving force in a process that "forged the soul of the nation" and won the admiration of the world.

"As the nation faces the increasingly complex political and ethical issues of our time, I am confident that the American people will find in their religious beliefs a precious source of insight and an inspiration to pursue reasoned, responsible and respectful dialogue in the effort to build a more humane and free society," he said.

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.