| Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, right, Pope Benedict XVI, center, and former Italian Permier Romano Prodi, left, are seen prior to boarding a plane bound for Washington, at Rome's Fiumicino international airport, Tuesday, April 15, 2008. From a presidential welcome, to two Masses at baseball stadiums, to a stop for prayer at ground zero in New York, Pope Benedict XVI will get a heavy dose of the American experience in his first pilgrimage to the United States. Benedict departed for Washington on Tuesday, with President George W. Bush planning to make the unusual gesture of greeting him when his special Alitalia jetliner touches down at Andrews Air Force Base, the first time the president has greeted a foreign leader there. (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri) |