WASHINGTON (AP) - The Washington Nationals' new ballpark has been converted into a gigantic outdoor church for Pope Benedict's Mass this morning.

The outfield has been covered with 150,000 square feet of plastic flooring and thousands of chairs to expand the stadium's capacity to more than 45,000.

In straightaway center field is the altar, with a gold curtain and crucifix framed by 50-foot pillars and a canopy. Only the infield is blocked off.

Confessionals behind the altar will be open for several hours before the Mass, and hundreds of priests have been recruited to dispense communion.

April 17, 2008