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April 20, 2008 at 2:06 pm | Chris Dodge | News

Amid a near-capacity Yankee Stadium crowd, Pope Benedict XVI told American Catholics Sunday not to lose heart "in the face of resistance," and that "real freedom" means surrendering to the will of God.

Vatican experts said one of the pope's goals for the U.S. trip was to help keep American Catholics from leaving the church as many have done in recent years.

Increased numbers of Latino Catholics in the arena prompted church officials to make sure parts of the service were translated in Spanish.

Earlier Sunday, the pope visited New York's Ground Zero and prayed with city officials, asking comfort for families affected and direction for those people "consumed with hatred."

He greeted various area dignitaries, including New York Gov. David Paterson and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"We ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here - the heroic first responders, our firefighters, police officers, emergency service workers and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work of service brought them here on September 11, 2001," Benedict said.

Growing up in Germany, Benedict - known then as Joseph Ratzinger - was forced to join the ranks of the Hitler Youth. Past speeches by Benedict indicated the hatred associated with that regime.

The pontiff's three-day visit to the Big Apple is the last half of his six-day trek in the United States, his first since being elected to the papacy.