Obama supporter and Catholic Mary Williams,Washington lawyer, did some multi-tasking in the crowd outside the stadium during the mass.

by Jesse Hamilton

Tens of thousands of people in Washington have put aside their politics for a few hours to gather in the makeshift, open-air cathedral of Nationals Park, to get a little closer to the executive branch of the Catholic Church.

Pope Benedict XVI raced along South Capitol Street in his motorcade, papal and U.S. flags flying from the hoods of its limousines, entering the stadium on time at 9:23 a.m. EDT. The people lining the street were disappointed with its high speed, having waited to spot the pope, some of them for hours. They had also hoped to see the famed Pope-Mobile, but the vehicle was already inside the stadium, awaiting the pope's lap around the interior.

Among the Catholics and the curious on the streets, politics -- the city's chief industry -- was still apparent. Mary Williams, a local lawyer, waved two things: a papal pennant and an Obama campaign sign. She thinks that Benedict and Sen. Barack Obama carry similar messages of hope.

"I'm doing double duty," said Williams, who said she attends the Catholic church next to the stadium on South Capitol Street. "I'm hoping for an endorsement from the pope for Obama."