Pope Benedict prays, talks to survivors, at Ground Zero

Apr 20, 2008, 14:50 GMT

Pope Benedict XVI, (C), and the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Edward Egan, center left, walk down the ramp to Ground Zero, the site of the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York, USA, 20 April 2008. Pope Benedict XVI is on his last day of his visit to to New York. EPA/SHANNON STAPLETON / POOL

New York - Pope Benedict XVI Sunday prayed at Ground Zero with survivors of the 2001 terrorist attacks that took 3,000 lives, and asked for God's intercession in the hate which drove the Islamist hijackers to kill so many.

Dressed in a plain white robe, Benedict knelt at a small altar on the yellow carpet at Ground Zero and prayed silently for several minutes before lighting a single candle.

About two dozen family members of those who died and actual survivors of the attack that brought down the twin towers were on hand for the subdued ceremony.

'Bring peace into the hearts' of those who endured such pain and suffering, the pope prayed after lighting the candle, and 'turn those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred.'

He asked for 'light and guidance as we confront such terrible events' and 'grant ... that lives may not have been lost in vain,' he said.

Afterwards, the pope greeted each of the family members or survivors personally as he listened to their connections to the tragedy recited by a priest standing next to him.

Some of them were police, fire and rescue officials, reflecting the hundreds of public safety officials who died trying to rescue victims of the attacks in the short time before the towers came tumbling down.

Many of those he greeted knelt and kissed Benedict's hand.

But there was also a certain light-heartedness about the occasion, coming more than six years after the attacks. Before Benedict arrived, people chatted and laughed. As he greeted New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Governor David Paterson, there were also smiles and banter.

A chill mist surrounded lower Manhattan, befitting the mood of the site, and the wind nearly prevented Benedict from lighting the candle.

The group was kept small to fit the space confines of what is now a building site for the new Freedom Tower going up to replace the trade center.

A solemn single cellist provided music while the pope was at Ground Zero, and a bagpipe band of the public safety organizations played as he left. New York's police and fire services have historically included many Irish Catholic immigrants and their descendants.