THE PAPAL LEGACY

January 27, 1999
		Pope John Paul II concluded his visit to St. Louis by celebrating Mass for 100,000 worshippers. Following a background report, Phil Ponce and guests discuss the pope's legacy and his relationship with American Catholic Church.

Jan. 27, 1999: The pope's relationship with the American Catholic church is examined. April 8, 1998: The Vatican apologizes for its silence during the Holocaust. Feb. 4, 1998: The head of Cuba's parliament discusses Pope John Paul II's visit. Jan. 23, 1998: What does the pope's visit mean for the future of Cuba? Jan. 5, 1998: Essayist Richard Rodriguez considers the Pope's upcoming visit to Cuba. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of Religion.   Vatican The Pope in America Pope John Paul II Biography	PHIL PONCE: The most traveled pope in history completes his six-day trip to North America tonight. On his first stop, in Mexico, Pope John Paul II received a warm welcome. 110,000 people jammed Mexico City's massive Aztec soccer stadium for his farewell appearance. During his public events, the pope called on Mexican Catholics to strengthen ties with Catholics elsewhere in the Americas, including the United States. He warned against the excesses of the free market system and an ever-widening gulf between rich and poor, and he decried drug trafficking and corruption. Yesterday, Pope John Paul arrived in St. Louis, his only stop in a whirlwind 30-hour visit to the United States. He was greeted in a ceremony in an airport hangar by President and Mrs. Clinton, among others.
	A pilgrimage to the North America.
	POPE JOHN PAUL II: It is a great joy for me to return to the United States. PHIL PONCE: In his first speech in the United States, The pope called the debate over abortion and assisted suicide a test of national character similar to the battle over slavery more than a century ago. Thousands of people have flocked to St. Louis. Many lined the roads for a glimpse of the frail, 78-year- old pontiff and his trademark Popemobile. Estimates of the crowds rival the 700,000 who welcomed Charles Lindbergh home after his historic transatlantic flight in 1927. CORRESPONDENT: What did you think of the pope? CHILD: It was really cool. PHIL PONCE: As in Mexico, one of the highlights of his trip here was a youth rally. 20,000 young people gathered in St. Louis' Kiel Center last night, where the pope, looking ahead to the next millennium, told them to work as hard at being Catholics as baseball stars Mark Maguire and Sammy Sosa would train for the World Series. In the last two decades, the American Catholic church has grown by more than 25 percent to 61 million people, making the United States the world's third largest Catholic nation, behind Brazil and Mexico. But the number of Catholic priests has declined, and John Paul's adherence to strict Catholic doctrine has disappointed many American and Western Catholics in recent years, with edicts prohibiting women from being ordained, forbidding priests from marrying, and condemning the use of contraceptives. CHOIR SINGING: Alleluia.
	Calling the wayward back to the fold.
	PHIL PONCE: Today, the pope celebrated Mass for more than 100,000 people in the Trans World Dome, the largest indoor gathering ever in the United States. (Pope coughing) In a 30-minute sermon punctuated with coughs from the ailing pope and interrupted by frequent applause, John Paul urged wayward American Catholics to come back to their faith. POPE JOHN PAUL II: I wish to make an appeal, an appeal to Catholics throughout the United States, especially to those who for one reason or another are separated from their faith. Is this not the moment for you to experience the joy of returning to the Father's house? PHIL PONCE: John Paul returns to Rome this evening following a departure ceremony attended by Vice President Al Gore.