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Newsdepth - Pope Benedict XVI

Newsdepth

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Washington, DC on Tuesday, his first visit to the U.S. since becoming pope three years ago. Pope Benedict XVI is the 265th spiritual head of the Roman Catholic Church. During his six-day visit, he hopes to renew the faith of American Roman Catholics, and speak about the Iraq war. He will also hold mass for about 46,000 people at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. You can easily imagine that the pope's visit is a huge deal - and one that requires a lot of security. Jeanne Meserve tells us about the effort that's planned to keep him safe.

The last time a Pope visited the United States, stores were selling all sorts of souvenirs. This time there are Pope t-shirts and keychains, mugs and bumper stickers. For $675, there's the Pope made of porcelain. Store managers said they made an extra $1000 a day, before the Pope arrived. Since sales and donations are their only source of income at this Basilica, when it comes to meeting the Pope paraphernalia demand - they're plenty willing to help!

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual teacher and leader of Tibetan Buddhists, visited Seattle, Washington on Saturday with a message of compassion. The Dalai Lama has been exiled from China since 1959. He will also visit Michigan and New York this week, and meet with a top U.S. government official. As you recall from last week, many demonstrators who want Tibet freed from Chinese rule have been protesting against the 2008 Bejing Olympics.

April 17, 2008