Pope John Paul II exhorted Americans yesterday to end abortion, the death penalty and doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill.
Perhaps no issues are more highly politicised in the US. In most states, Americans support the death penalty by wide margins. Many politicians who do not support it privately nonetheless endorse it publicly, as failure to do so has provided a rapid exit from elected office for several.
The momentum to allow doctors to help ill people to end their lives continues to increase in many states, including Oregon and Washington.
The issue of Missouri's death penalty laws were on many minds as the Pope toured St Louis on the second day of his 30-hour visit. A 42-year old man, Darrell Mease, was about to be executed just after midnight.
Mr Mease had been convicted of killing his drug partner and two relatives in 1988. The Missouri Supreme Court postponed the execution until February 10th.
While it offered no explicit explanation, most speculation was that the postponement was so that the execution would not be held during the Pope's visit.
But the Vatican spokesman, Dr Joaquin Navarro Valls, called the postponement "a mockery" and said it was not good enough. Eliminating the death penalty was "a moral idea, not a political idea," he said.
The Pope himself did not mince his words during a televised Mass attended by some 120,000 people at the Transworld Dome.
"As believers, how can we fail to see that abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide are a terrible rejection of God's gift of life and love?" the Pope asked.
"A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil," he said.
"Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform. I renew the appeal I made most recently at Christmas for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary."
The Pope also called for an end to racism in the US. Prominently featured during the Mass was a mostly African-American choir.
After the service the Pope returned for lunch to the Archbishop's residence, where he was expected to meet Mrs Rosa Parks (85), the black woman who is largely credited with triggering the modern-day civil rights movement.
It was Mrs Parks's refusal to surrender her seat to a white man on a bus in Alabama on December 1st, 1955, that caused a wave of protests led by a young preacher, the Rev Dr Martin Luther King jnr.
On Wednesday evening the Pope held a prayer service at the Basilica of St Louis. The theme there was religious harmony. Some 92 leaders of other religions were in attendance.
"I am excited about hearing John Paul," said Rabbi Robert Jacobs before the service. "Even though I am Jewish, I respect the Pope and all he has done for humanity."
Afterwards the Pope was heading for Lambert Airport for a departure ceremony that was again due to feature Dana. Vice-President Al Gore was there to see the Pope off on his nine-hour non-stop flight to Rome aboard a specially configured TWA plane.
The first-class cabin was rearranged to include a table and bed.
Reuters adds: In Washington yesterday President Clinton said he found the Pope "clear, forceful and sharp" during their meeting in St Louis on Tuesday.
They discussed a wide variety of topics, including Iraq, Cuba and the international human rights situation.
Mr Clinton was asked about the Pope by reporters as he strolled through a hallway on his way to the Oval Office. "His movements belie it, but he's in good shape," Mr Clinton said. "He's an amazing person."