Pope plays rock star to 25,000 screaming young people at St. Joseph's

By STEPHANIE GASKELL and CARRIE MELAGO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Updated Sunday, April 20th 2008, 1:24 AM

Sipkin/News

A crowd of 25,000 young people spent hours outside on Saturday - listening to music, hanging out, and waiting for ... Pope Benedict XVI.

Sipkin/News

Kelly Clarkson wasn't the headliner on this occasion - Pope Benedict XVI stole the show. Click for more photos.

Pope Benedict addressed the next generation of the nation's Catholic Church Saturday, proclaiming the importance of faith to 25,000 young worshipers at a rally outside a Yonkers seminary.

Throngs of teenagers waited hours to hear from the Pope, some waving T-shirts and chanting "Viva Papa!" as he finally took to the stage outside St. Joseph's Seminary.

Recalling the oppression of his early years in Nazi Germany, the Pope urged the audience to enjoy their freedom but not let their dreams be "shattered" by drug abuse, violence and other ills.

"As young Americans, you are offered many opportunities for personal development, and you are brought up with a sense of generosity, service and fairness," he said. "Yet you do not need me to tell you that there are also difficulties."

His 40-minute speech capped a day of boisterous celebration, as festival-goers listened to "American Idol" Kelly Clarkson and danced to Christian rock bands as they awaited the arrival of the Popemobile.

"This doesn't come around very often. It's nice to come together as a group of people," said Kristin Diaz, 18, of Yonkers. "And Kelly Clarkson is here!"

The scene was far more subdued inside the seminary, where the Pope blessed 50 youngsters with disabilities and watched a performance by the Archdiocesan Deaf Choir.

During the emotional ceremony, the Pope accepted a painting from several handicapped children and walked through the rows of children twice, blessing them individually.

"He realizes that these kids are such special people," said Angela Manno, 43, of Staten Island, whose daughter Caitlin, 7, has cerebral palsy. "He made sure he spent time with every single one of them."

The service moved Milagros Nieves of the Bronx, whose 4-year-old daughter, Emily Rodriguez, has spina bifida. "For children like this, it means so much that somebody so important cares about them," she said.

The Pope then took center stage at the rally in a program that began with children presenting gifts of bread representing the continents and ended with Clarkson singing "Ave Maria."

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," said Hannah Caron, 15, who left her home in Hoosick Falls, N.Y., at 4:30 a.m. to make it to the rally in time.

Crowds began forming at noon outside the seminary with each attendee required to go through a metal detector and bag search. Food and drinks were free, but lines were long, and a few spectators were taken out on stretchers for heat exhaustion.

"I bought a lapel pin for my aunt, and I got my grandparents a rosary. I also got myself a lapel pin," said Alicia Holland, 16, of the Bronx. "It's a pretty big event. I want to remember it."

While some teens might have been drawn to the rally by Clarkson - who belted out her hits "Walk Away" and "Since U Been Gone" - a few kids acknowledged they hadn't decided to attend on their own.

"My parents forced me to come here," said Mac Mendez, 14, of Paterson, N.Y.

Still, clergy at the rally were heartened by the large turnout.

"To see this many young people here is amazing," said Dave Gross, 32, who attends Mundelein Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich. "It affirms my vocation and gives me a sense of hope for the future."