WASHINGTON – Pope Benedict XVI was greeted Wednesday morning at the White House by President Bush, first lady Laura Bush and thousands of invited guests, including a child holding a “Welcome Pope Hope” sign.

Among the huge crowd on the South Lawn were Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, minutemen in Colonial garb, military personnel, Roman Catholic cardinals from throughout the nation and U.S. senators, including Susan Collins, R-Maine.

“I thought the pope’s message was inspiring and filled with hope,” Collins, a Roman Catholic, said after the ceremony. “He is bringing a message of hope and healing to our country and has the opportunity to inspire and strengthen America’s Catholics. His approach seems to be very warm and welcoming and invitational to encourage a stronger faith that I believe will be well received by Catholics and all Americans.”

Collins described the event as a “moving experience.” It was the first time she had seen Pope Benedict, though she had met the previous pope, John Paul II. Collins said she was surprised to see many of her Senate colleagues in attendance, some of whom aren’t Catholic – such as Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. – but wanted to be present for the historic event.

Wednesday’s presidential welcome of Pope Benedict marked only the second time a pope has visited the White House and the first in 29 years. Pope Benedict greeted the crowd of more than 9,000 invited guests, making the event the largest in White House history.

In addition to a 21-gun salute and soprano Kathleen Battle’s rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer,” the crowd sang happy birthday to the pope, who turned 81 on Wednesday.

The president and Pope Benedict share many of the same views on matters such as abortion and stem cell research, but one matter they disagree over is the Iraq war. Alluding to this, the pope maintained his hopeful stance.

“In moments of crisis, Americans continue to find strength and commitment,” he said. “Freedom must always be fought for in the name of the common good. … I am confident that you will use diplomacy to solve international problems.”

The president assured Pope Benedict that in America he will find a nation of compassion where “faith and reason coexist in harmony.”

“You’ll find in America a people whose hearts are open to your message of hope,” Bush said. “In America and in the world, we need that message.”

After the exchange on the South Lawn, the pope met privately with the president. From there, the popemobile transported the pope through a crowd of well-wishers to the Vatican Embassy across from the vice president’s residence on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory on Massachusetts Avenue.

Pope Benedict visited the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Roman Catholic Church in North America, on Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday night Collins, along with her guest, Sister Mary Norberta, president of St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor, was scheduled to have dinner at the Italian Embassy. There were conflicting reports on whether the pope would attend the dinner or have a quiet meal at the Vatican’s residence in Washington. Earlier he had indicated that he would not attend the White House dinner in his honor Wednesday night.