1.   And despite the social and economic ills that plague the United States, the pope said he still believes this country plays a unique role on the world stage.

2.   But the pope said he plans to appoint still more men to the office.

3.   Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau issued a statement about what he wished the pope had said.

4.   Church officials in Newark also said they hoped the pope would say Mass in their diocese, most likely Giants Stadium.

5.   Ending on a hopeful note, the pope said every person had been created in the image of God and possessed the capacity for virtue and freedom.

6.   Hoeckman said he had no idea what, if anything, the pope would say.

7.   If their aged pope says mea culpa it will be in a shaky voice, and if he climbs Mount Sinai it will be very, very slowly.

8.   In comforting the victims of abuse, the pope said, priests should redouble their search for faith.

9.   In his remarks to the cardinals, the pope said that many of the issues they raised will be taken up at a synod of bishops scheduled for October.

10.   In that statement, the pope said that modern penal systems made it unnecessary to protect society by executing dangerous criminals, Misleh said.