♪ ♪ (silence) [plane engine whirring] (male narrator) Through the haze of a summer afternoon, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church arrived in South Carolina, the first such visit ever, the papal visit of Pope John Paul II.

It began a Historic day in Columbia For a report on the first stop of the Pontiff, Columbia Metropolitan Airport, here is Angela Coxton.

(Coxton) Two of the Vatican's airplanes arrived earlier today, "Shepherd's II and III," one transporting national and international press, the other carrying the pope mobile, the Pope's personal vehicle, which is waiting for him at Saint Peter's Catholic Church in downtown Columbia.

The crowds of thousands that were expected were nowhere to be seen.

Only 14 campers were registered at the airport campground.

There was room for 500.

>> We continuously see things on the news, which you represent, that's always bad, full of trouble, bad.

Something happens here: floods, killings.

This is a man of peace and a man of God.

That's more important than anything else.

He just means a lot to me, not just because he's a Polish Pope, but he's a great Pope, I think.

(Coxton) Pope John Paul II is traveling in the Vatican's plane called "Shepherd I," a TWA 727.

The Pope was greeted by Governor Carroll Campbell, Bishop Ernest Unterkoefler, U.S.

Senators Strom Thurmond and Ernest Hollings, as well as other dignitaries.

He was then escorted to an armored limousine.

His first stop is Saint Peter's Catholic Church.

in downtown Columbia.

Sheila Johnson-Chaney has more.

[♪ regal orchestral music ♪] ♪ ♪ (silence) (Johnson-Chaney) Angela, crowds were surprisingly sparse along the parade route close to Saint Peter's Church.

Numbers like 700,000 that had been expected to greet the Pope were, from this vantage point, grossly exaggerated.

Security was very tight as the Pontiff arrived without incident.

Those expecting to see the Pope as he arrived at Saint Peter's were disappointed, for the limousine containing the Pope and his entourage entered a constructed security tent, and the Pope was whisked inside.

Awaiting the Pope was the leadership of the South Carolina Diocese.

His message, the theme of unity, but this time, within the Catholic family itself.

[♪ choral music and applause ♪] ♪ (natural sound) (natural sound) >> Most Holy Father, laudetur Iesus Christus.

Praise be Jesus Christ.

In the midst today, we have several leaders of the Jewish congregation-- they are here to express their love, loyalty and friendship-- and many others who are here: bishops, priests, deacons, religious men and women, young people.

This is a memorable, historic occasion for South Carolina and for the Diocese of Charleston.

Thank you, Holy Father, for coming.

Laudetur Iesus Christus.

Gelobt sei Jesus Christus.

(silence) [applause and cheers] [applause and cheers] [applause and cheers] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [impromptu tenor solo in Italian] ♪ [applause] [applause] [Polish accent] "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Dear Bishop Unterkoefler, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, these words, which are recorded in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, were spoken by Simon Peter, the first Bishop of Rome.

They are full of meaning for every, for everyone who believes in Christ.

But they have special meaning for us who are gathered here today in this Church of Saint Peter in Columbia, which the successor of Peter is privileged to visit.

It is a great joy for me to come to the Diocese of Charleston.

I thank you for receiving me with such warmth and fraternal love.

Your famous Southern hospitality makes me feel at home.

[applause] [applause] (silence) But who feels here at home especially is the Cardinal Bernardin, who was baptized in this church.

[applause] (silence) As you know, I have come to Columbia to take part in ecumenical dialogue with national leaders of our Christian churches and ecclesial communities and to join with a large gathering of brothers and sisters in an ecumenical prayer service.

Our Lord prays that all may be one.

We all want to do our... our part to make this unity come about.

"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

These words of Peter expresses the heart of our faith, for they reveal the mystery of Christ.

They reveal Christ as the Son of the Living God, the eternal Word who became man and was born of the Virgin Mary.

Peter was the first of the Apostles, the first disciple to make a public declaration of his faith in Jesus the Messiah.

The words of Peter's profession, profession of faith, were words spoken with real personal conviction.

And yet, these words did not find their ultimate origin in him.

As Jesus told him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!

"No mere man has revealed this to you but my heavenly Father."

Faith in Christ is a gift.

It is not a human achievement.

Only God the Father can draw us to Jesus.

Only he can give us the grace to know Jesus, to accept Him as the eternal Son of God, and to profess our faith in Him.

From that day, in the neighborhood of Caesarea Philippi, Peter's life was radically changed, and not only his life!

The other Apostles, other disciples as well, were granted the gift of faith, and they, too, became witnesses of the words and deeds of Jesus.

A whole new era began in the history of the world, in the history of salvation.

And so it has continued down through the ages.

People of all centuries, people from all countries have, like Peter, come to know Jesus, to accept Him as God's Son, one in being with the Father, to profess their faith in Him, and to make his holy Gospel the basis of their Christian lives.

The person of Jesus Christ and his words are forever the center of Church's life.

But the wonderful gift of faith is not separate from the Cross.

Belief in Christ is not free from difficulties.

It is not without cost.

In fact, our faith in Jesus Christ is often put to the test.

Peter came to know this only too well.

And therefore he writes, "You may for a time have to suffer "the distress of many trials, "but this is so that your faith, "which is more precious than the passing splendor "of fire-tried gold, "may, by its genuineness, "lead to praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ appears."

I know that you share this ecumenical conviction with me.

Indeed, Catholics in South Carolina have long felt the need for ecumenical dialogue and collaboration, first of all, because you are a distinct minority, less than 3% of the population.

Moreover, the Catholic Church here has a long tradition of ecumenical initiative.

Your first Bishop, John England, accepted the invitations of other Christians to preach in their churches and to explain the teachings of our faith.

And, with the passage of the years, you have never lost this ecumenical spirit.

In more recent times in particular, you have joined with other Christian believers to promote justice and truth, to further mutual understanding and collaboration.

This cooperation has been particularly striking in regard to efforts to improve racial relations among citizens of your state.

I commend you in these deserving endeavors, so worthwhile and so important.

At the same time, you must never cease to strive for personal holiness and conversion of heart.

For, as the Second Vatican Council has said: "This change of heart and holiness of life, "along with public and private prayer "for the unity of Christians, "should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement."

Dear friends in Christ, representatives of all the Catholics of the Diocese of Charleston, I thank you for coming to greet me.

I wish to assure you of my esteem for all of you who make up this local church, spread out across this entire state of South Carolina.

Know that the Pope admires all the efforts you and your forebears have made to preserve your faith in Jesus Christ, to live this faith, and to transmit it to your children.

And now I ask you to take home with you this other words ascribed to Peter, words which explain so well what it means to believe in Christ, the Son of the living God.

He wrote, "Although you have never seen Him, "you love Him, "and without seeing, you now believe in Him "and rejoice with inexpressible joy "touched with glory because you are achieving faith's goal, your salvation."

Dear Catholic people of this Diocese of Charleston, never forget that faith in Jesus Christ brings you to salvation and eternal life!

[applause] (congregation) ♪ Sons, come and daughter, ♪ ♪ through the ages singing, ♪ ♪ Praising the Virgin, ♪ ♪ joys and sorrows bringing.

♪ ♪ Clothed with the sunshine, ♪ ♪ Sion's fairest flower, ♪ ♪ spouse of the Spirit, ♪ ♪ be to us a mother.

♪♪ [applause] Oh, thank you, thank you.

Thank you so much!

[indistinct conversation] [applause continues] Thank you for that wonderful present.

[applause] (male speaker) For several months, it was just something that might happen.

I thought, Surely, this won't be what they choose.

They won't choose Columbia.

They won't choose Saint Peter's.

But by last October, it was all firmed up.

There was still a sense of disbelief, and then a sense of panic: How will we prepare for this?

And actually, what's happened is, everyone's joined together and prepared for it: the city, the diocese, and the university, as well as our parishioners.

So it's banded and binded us all together, and it's, it's been fun, really.

[♪ "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" ♪] (Johnson-Chaney) From Saint Peter's, the Pope will go to the Horseshoe, where Charlotte Sottile files this report.

♪ ♪ ♪ (natural sound) >> This is Charlotte Sottile.

Here at the Horseshoe on the University of South Carolina campus, spectators hoping for a glimpse of the Pope began gathering by 7:30 this morning.

Security agents were on hand as the crowd grew to several thousand hours prior to the Pope's arrival.

Lines to buy food, jugglers, even descriptive T-shirts saying, "I was moved by the Pope."

The 27 religious leaders arrived first and were introduced to the more than 5,000 gathered for this historic meeting.

Subdued for much of the time, the crowd grew more vocal, and, as the Pope arrived, they broke into spontaneous applause, cheers, and waved as the motorcade began its journey around the Horseshoe shortly before 5:00 this afternoon.

Not one to avoid the masses, Pope John Paul II greeted followers and well-wishers.

Faculty, students, staff, and others associated with USC let the Roman Catholic leader know that they appreciated his inclusion of Columbia as the second leg of his visit to the United States.

University president James Holderman.

(Holderman) Your visit is the culmination of the University of South Carolina's ecumenical year.

Distinguished visitors to our campus have included many of your friends: Archbishop Iakovos, Bishop Crumley, Archbishop Runcie, and the Reverend Dr. Billy Graham.

A university, this university, is a perfect and appropriate setting for the Christian Church to discuss its unity and its diversity.

Thank you for accepting our invitation to hold this conversation on this historic part of our campus.

[cheers and applause] This part of our campus, Holy Father, is what we call the Horseshoe.

It is-- [cheers and applause] It is a dynamic home for student-faculty discourse and the heart of our university.

You bring it peace because you are the world's symbol of peace.

You bring the focus on ecumenism, Your Holiness, for you have done more for ecclesiastical bridge-building in your Pontificate than anyone else for thousands of years.

You honor us all, and the Carolina family before you feels as I do: John Paul II, we love you!

[cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] (students) We love you!

John Paul II, we love you!

(male student) Yeah!

[cheers] >> It is true: John Paul II, he loves you.

[cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] As you know, I myself have had a long and happy association with the university world in my homeland.

I know how important universities are for the advancement of research and for the development of knowledge and culture.

I offer all of you my personal encouragement for the educational program which you carry out here in Columbia and for the contribution that you are making to the future of society.

To place human knowledge at the service of humanity is a great task.

I wish to add a special word of greeting and support for the students of the University of South Carolina.

[cheers and applause] Before you lies the wonderful world of knowledge and the immense challenge of truth.

Here you can come to a much greater understanding of yourself and of the universe.

You can delve into the world of literature handed down from the past.

You can explore the vast fields of the sciences and the arts.

You can engage in research and future planning.

Here in this center of higher education, you must prepare yourselves to make your own contribution to society.

[applause] My special hope for you is this: that you will always have a great love for truth, the truth about God, the truth about man, and the truth about the world.

I pray that through truth, you will serve humanity and experience real freedom.

In the words of Jesus Christ, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

[cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] May God, the source of light and truth, bless all of you at the University of South Carolina.

[applause and cheers] One word more: It is wonderful to be young.

[cheers and applause] It is wonderful to be...to be young and student of the university.

It is wonderful to be young and to be a student of the University of South Carolina.

[cheers and applause] Thank you for this, for this exceptional gift.

I shall try, I shall try to play.

[applause and cheers] [indistinct conversation] [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] [marching band music] (Sottile) Inside the home of university president James Holderman, twenty-seven representatives of the major Christian denominations met with the Pontiff.

This meeting is the second of three such meetings as the Pope is stressing worldwide Christian unity, cooperation among faiths, in his ecumenical visit to the United States.

Pope John Paul II met with Jewish leaders in Florida and has scheduled meetings with delegates of non-Christian religious beliefs in California with the hope of increased understanding among those of different beliefs.

The ecumenical meeting at the Horseshoe was closed to both the public and the media, giving religious leaders the opportunity to be candid.

Following the meeting inside the president's home, it was back in the motorcade and off to the largest gathering in Columbia today.

Here's Tim Carrier with activities at Williams-Brice Stadium.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> Television coverage is no stranger to USC's Williams-Brice Stadium, whether it's a football game or the Billy Graham Crusade earlier this ecumenical year.

But nothing can compare to this.

In fact, this has become the local shrine of the media faithful.

Days before the papal visit, technicians began laying cable, engineers started checking equipment, and producers assembled stories to be sent across the globe.

Outside in the parking area, dozens of television stations had their remote trucks parked.

The press is estimated to be about 1600 strong in Columbia.

The stations represented were from across the state, the region, the nation, even the world.

There's more media and media equipment in Columbia than is perhaps ever likely to be seen here again, making this the most massive media event in the state's history.

The crowds began gathering hours before the arrival of the papal motorcade.

Those holding one of the precious 60,000 tickets filed inside, while the remainder had to wait outside to catch a glimpse of the Pontiff.

A few considered themselves blessed to get this close.

[faint, indistinct chatter] Others took advantage of the blessings of technology.

(male speaker) Let me get a picture.

[distant siren wailing] >> We've had our name on the ticket list for six months.

(Carrier) Are you Catholic?

Yes, I am.

So this is a pretty big opportunity.

My family would never get to Rome.

This is our only chance to see the Pope.

I have four kids and they're all with me.

(Carrier) What do you think of the crowds?

>> Ah, I'm impressed.

This is just about like a Carolina home game, except the lines are longer because of the security of people getting in.

Other than that, it's great.

(Carrier) Is this something you've been looking forward to?

>> Yes, this is like once in a lifetime, really.

>> As you can see the ceremonies are well underway at Williams-Brice Stadium, but in a few hours, after the Pope's departure, this entire stadium will be cleared, and the media assemblage will have to strike by 2:00 a.m. in time for preparation for this weekend's football game.

♪ ♪ Every child is a gift of love to the Earth ♪ ♪ from Heaven sent down, ♪ ♪ filled with promises yet unknown ♪ ♪ like the babe of Bethlehem's town.

♪ ♪ Every child is a sacred trust ♪ ♪ ever worthy in God's eye, ♪ ♪ one small miracle here awhile ♪ ♪ like the babe on Christmas night.

♪ ♪ Let us welcome them now with joy ♪ ♪ as we welcome the holy boy.

♪ ♪ Guide them carefully so they know ♪ ♪ hope and happiness as they grow.

♪ ♪ Every child brings us faith anew ♪ ♪ in the wonder of it all, ♪ ♪ God's continuing gifts of grace ♪ ♪ like the babe in Bethlehem's stall.

♪ ♪ O come, little children, O come and behold ♪ ♪ the child in the manger whom prophets foretold.

♪ ♪ Rejoice, for the babe who lies slumbering there ♪ ♪ brings light and salvation to babes everywhere.

♪ ♪ Every child is a gift of love to the Earth ♪ ♪ from Heaven sent down, ♪ ♪ filled with promises yet unknown, ♪ ♪ like the babe of Bethlehem's town.

♪ ♪ Every child is a sacred trust ♪ ♪ ever worthy in God's eye, ♪ ♪ one small miracle here awhile ♪ ♪ like the babe on Christmas night.

♪ ♪ Let us welcome them now with joy ♪ ♪ as we welcome the holy boy.

♪ ♪ Guide them carefully so they know ♪ ♪ hope and happiness as they grow.

♪ ♪ Every child gives us faith anew ♪ ♪ in the wonder of it all, ♪ ♪ God's continuing gifts of grace, ♪ ♪ like the babe in Bethlehem's stall, ♪ ♪ God's continuing gifts of grace, ♪ ♪ like the babe in Bethlehem's manger stall.

♪♪ ♪ [applause and cheers] [applause and cheers] [applause and cheers] Pope> Brothers and sisters... the peace of the Lord be with you.

(crowd) And peace be unto you.

[applause] So often, the pressures of modern living separate husbands and wives from one another, threatening their lifelong interdependence in love and fidelity.

Can we, us, not be concerned about the impact of cultural pressures upon relations between the generations, upon... parental authority and the transmission of sacred values?

Our Christian conscience should be deeply concerned about the way in which sins against love and against life are often presented as examples of progress and emancipation.

Most often... are they not but the age-old forms of selfishness dressed up in a new language and presented in a new cultural framework?

[applause] Many of these problems are the result of a false notion of individual freedom at work in our culture, as if one could be free only when rejecting every objective norm of conduct, refusing to assume responsibility or even refusing to put curbs of instincts and passions!

Instead, true freedom implies that we are capable of choosing the good without constraint.

This is the truly human way of proceeding in the choices, big and small, which life puts before us.

The fact that we are also able to choose not to act as we see we should is a necessary condition to our moral freedom.

But in that case, we must account for the good that we fail to do and for the evil that we commit.

This sense of moral accountability needs to be reawakened if society is to survive as a civilization of justice and solidarity.

[applause] [applause] It is true that our freedom is weakened and conditioned in many ways, not least as a consequence of the mysterious and dramatic history of mankind's original rebellion against the Creator's will, as indicated in the opening pages of the Book of Genesis.

But we remain free and responsible beings who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ, and we must educate our freedom to recognize and choose what is right and good and to reject what does not conform to the original truth concerning our nature and our destiny as God's creatures.

Truth, beginning with the truth of our redemption through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the root and rule of freedom, the foundation and measure of all liberating action.

It would be a great tragedy for entire human family if the United States, which prides itself in its consecration to freedom, were to lose sight of the true meaning of that noble word.

America-- [applause] [applause] America, you cannot insist on the right to choose without also insisting on the duty to choose well-- [applause] [applause] on the duty, to choose in the truth.

[applause] Already there is much breakdown and pain in your own society because fundamental values essential to the well-being of individuals, families and the entire nation are being emptied of their real content.

And yet, at the same time, throughout this land there is a great stirring, an awareness of the urgent need to recapture the ultimate meaning of life and its fundamental values.

[applause] Surely by now, we must be convinced that only by recognizing the primacy of moral values can we use the immense possibilities offered by science and material progress to bring about the true advancement of the human person in truth, freedom, and dignity.

[applause] As Christians, our specific contribution is to bring the wisdom of God's word to bear on the problems of modern living in such a way that modern culture will be led to a more profoundly restored covenant with divine wisdom itself [applause] As we heard proclaimed in the Gospel reading, Jesus indicates that the supreme norm of our behavior and our relationships, including our relationships with Him, is always obedience to the will of the Creator: "Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is brother and sister and mother to me."

[applause] Brothers and sisters, to the extent that God grants us to grow in Christian unity, let us work together to offer strength and support to families on whom the well-being of society depends and on whom our churches and ecclesial communities depend.

May the families of America live with grateful hearts, giving thanks to the Lord for his blessings, praying for one another, bearing one another's burdens, welcoming one another as Christ has welcomed them.

My prayer for all of you at the end of this second day of my visit echoes the words of Paul to the Thessalonians: "May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."

Amen.

[applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> Would everyone please join hands and lift them up as we pray together the Lord's Prayer.

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen.

(silence) [applause] [applause] Pope> Almighty God, you have formed a people of many languages, from many cultures, and of diverse roots.

Look favorably upon the Christian family in America, that its future may be blessed and its harvests of generations may be abundant.

Direct your people on their pilgrimage of unity that, strengthened by the assurance of your presence, they may find safe haven in that home which awaits and where you dwell forever and ever.

(crowd) Amen.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord turn his face upon you and give you his peace, and may the blessing of Almighty God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, descend upon you and remain with you forever.

(crowd) Amen.

♪ (choir) ♪ The Lord bless you and keep you.

♪ ♪ The Lord lift his countenance upon you ♪ ♪ and give you peace... and give you peace.

♪ ♪ The Lord make his face to shine upon you ♪ ♪ and be gracious unto you, ♪ ♪ and be gracious.

♪ ♪ The Lord be gracious, ♪ gracious unto you.

♪ ♪ Amen, Amen, Amen... ♪♪ (narrator) The Pope traveled to the airport for a meeting with former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn.

The visit of Pope John Paul II concluded shortly before 9:00 when "Shepherd I" left en route to New Orleans.

It ended a historic day, a moment perhaps never again to be seen in South Carolina: the papal visit, September 11th, 1987.

(silence) (silence) (silence) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (silence) (silence)