NEW YORK (AP) - Those who have met Pope Benedict say the nation should expect a man who knows and admires much about the U.S., but also sees a culture in need of moral guidance.
     
Benedict arrives late tomorrow for a six-day visit to Washington and New York filled with high-profile events. He will meet President Bush at the White House, speak at the U.N., visit ground zero and hold two stadium Masses before leaving Sunday night.
     
Former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, who served as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican from 1993 to 1997, says he was amazed by Benedict's "curiosity and awareness" about what was happening in the United States.
     
Flynn is among those hosting a birthday party for Benedict on Wednesday night in Washington, although it's not clear if Benedict will attend.