Pope Benedict has arrived in the U.S.

The pontiff's plane, named "Shepherd One", landed at Andrews Air Force Base just before 10 a.m. Hawaii time.

The president, first lady, and their daughter Jenna greeted him as he walked out of the plane. It is the first time the president has met a foreign leader at the Maryland base.

This is Pope Benedict's first visit to the U.S. as the pontiff.

He will be only the second to visit the White House. His trip Wednesday will mark his 81st birthday. He will hold a papal mass in Washington Thursday, before traveling to New York.

On the plane from Rome to the U.S., Pope Benedict addressed a painful issue for the Catholic Church in America; sex abuse cases involving clergy. The U.S. Church has paid out $2 billion in abuse costs since 1950.

The pope says he is "deeply ashamed" of the problem.

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