Pope Benedict XVI has focused on the future of his American church as he marked the third anniversary of his election as pontiff, rallying young people, priests and seminarians and assuring them of his support as they dealt with the damage from the clergy sex abuse scandal.

On a highly personal day, Benedict on Saturday spoke of suffering under Nazism in his youth and, at another point, touched on his own “spiritual poverty.” He added that he hoped to be a worthy successor to St Peter.

Benedict began the day with a Mass at St Patrick’s cathedral, the landmark Roman Catholic church on Fifth Avenue. The building was packed with cardinals and bishops, priests and nuns, who cheered him to mark the day he succeeded Pope John Paul II on April 19, 2005.

The German-born pope lamented that what he called “the joy of faith” was often choked by cynicism, greed and violence. Yet he drew an analogy to show how faith can overcome distractions and trials.

“The spires of St Patrick’s Cathedral are dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the Manhattan skyline, yet in the heart of this busy metropolis they are a vivid reminder of the constant yearning of the human spirit to rise to God,” he said.

In America, he has said repeatedly, the religious intensity stands out in marked contrast to the tepid spiritual emphasis in his native Europe. That makes the US a testing ground for him in his bid to counter secular trends in the world.

Ground Zero visit

Pope Benedict also visited Ground Zero, site of the World Trade Center destroyed in the September 11 attacks, on Sunday to pray for the nearly 3,000 victims and their families and for an end to hatred and violence.

Fog shrouded the tops of nearby skyscrapers in New York’s financial district as the pontiff’s popemobile drove down a flag-flanked ramp to the black bedrock of lower Manhattan.

Among the small group of guests were 16 relatives of people killed when hijacked jets hit the towers, four relatives of first responders who died trying to save lives and four survivors of the attacks.