<p>At a public mass held at the Washington Nationals Stadium today, Pope Benedict warned the 46,000 attendees of the dangers of secularism and then asked for help in healing the wounds of the clergy child abuse scandal. Benedict made similar remarks speaking to American bishops and at the White House on Wednesday. The striking dichotomy between guidance and forgiveness appeared in headlines in all major media outlets today.<br />
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Here’s our latest installment of "State of Play," a look at how a top story of the day is playing around the Web and in print:<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/us/nationalspecial2/17pope.html"><br />
Pope Praises U.S., but Warns of Secular Challenges </a>(The New York Times)<br />
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<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/132499">The Pope’s "Deep Shame"</a> (Newsweek)<br />
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<p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-04-16-popeside_N.htm">Pope Tells Bishops to Fight Secular Ideology</a> (USA Today)<br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/17/AR2008041701058.html?sid=ST2008041701579">In homily, Pope Describes Hope for Healing After Clergy Scandal </a>(Washington Post)<br />
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<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351541,00.html">Pope Addresses Church Sex Abuse During Open-Air Washington, D.C. Mass</a> (Fox)<br />
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<a href="http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/04/17/the-courage-to-apologize.aspx">The Courage to Apologize</a> (The New Republic)</p>
