Pope visits Ground Zero as U.S. tour nears end

Pope Benedict on Sunday made an emotional visit to Ground Zero, site of the World Trade Center felled in the Sept. 11 attacks, and prayed for the 3,000 victims, their families and an end to hate and violence.

In the high point of his visit to the United States, the pope blessed the gaping crater -- considered hallowed ground by many who lost relatives in the al Qaeda attacks in 2001 -- and spoke with each of 24 special guests as a cello played somberly. They were 16 relatives of people killed when the jets hit the towers and eight survivors -- four World Trade Center workers and four first responders who rushed to help. Some were Catholics and kissed his ring as they told them their story.

An eerie fog shrouded the tops of nearby skyscrapers in New York's financial district as the German-born pope read out a prayer for those who died at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and on United Flight 93 in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.

"God of peace ... turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred," he said. "Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain. Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope, and give us 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, dressed in a long white coat against the chill wind and damp, prayed for those who died at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and on United Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. The passage about those with "minds consumed with hatred" has stirred controversy because some people interpreted it as a prayer for hijackers who died on the planes.

Vatican officials have not interpreted the prayer but noted that Benedict has in the past urged radicals to eschew violence and use only peaceful means. The wording appeared to indicate he meant those alive.

Last month, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden accused Benedict of being part of a "new crusade" against Islam. The Vatican rejected the accusation. After the Pope left, the 24 guests were given small crosses made of the steel from the rubble of the World Trade Center and inscribed with the words "Remembering 9-11."

Benedict was due to hold a final Mass for about 55,000 people at New York's Yankee Stadium in the afternoon before leaving for Rome in the evening. During his six-day visit, the 81-year-old pontiff spoke out several times about the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the U.S. Church and has cost it some $2 billion in damages. He also addressed the United Nations and met President George W. Bush.

Benedict will be the third Pope to celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium, following Pope Paul VI in 1965 and Pope John Paul II in 1979. He also said Mass at Washington's new baseball park.

Picture: Pope Benedict XVI blesses the area at Ground Zero, the site of the collapse of the World Trade Center, in New York.