11.   In the Big Apple, the capital of jaded American sophistication, the pope said the United States needs moral leadership.

12.   Most of what the pope has said in recent weeks has grated on American ears.

13.   No matter what this pope says, his pontificate has been hard on Pius XII.

14.   The pope has said that a society without a moral anchor runs the danger of reducing human beings to mere objects without value.

15.   The pope will say Mass on Saturday for Catholic clergy at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe near downtown Mexico City.

16.   The pope said, in fact, that anti-abortion movements had to be nonviolent.

17.   The pope has said he wishes to visit the main sites where St. Paul preached, including Athens and Malta.

18.   The pope said there were signs of a return of peace even in traditionally troubled areas like Northern Ireland and the Middle East.

19.   The same might be said of Baltimore, where the pope is saying Mass Sunday morning at Camden Yards.

20.   When aides have raised security concerns, the pope has said it is now even more important to reach out to Muslims in Central Asia.