Pope praises role of faith in U.S. public life

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Benedict praised the role of faith in American public life on Tuesday, calling it an example for more secularized Europe as he flew to his first visit to the United States as pontiff.

The German-born pope, speaking to reporters on the flight across the Atlantic, said European countries could not copy the U.S. model because they had their own histories and traditions, but could learn some lessons from the American system.

Benedict has often criticized European countries for denying their Christian roots and turning the separation of church and state -- which he supports -- into a policy denying religion's place in public life.

"What I find fascinating about the United States is that it began with a positive concept of the lay state," he said.

"This new people was made up of communities and people who fled from state churches and wanted to have a lay state, secular and open to possibilities for all confessions, for all forms of religious expression.

"They were against a state church ... precisely out of their love of religion and of its authenticity, which can only be lived freely," he said.

Religion is far less visible in public life in Europe than in the United States.

"We in Europe cannot simply copy the United States. We have our own history, but we must all learn from each other," Benedict said.

In the United States estimates show that about one-third of Catholics attend Mass regularly, compared to between 10 and 20 percent in European countries. Politicians often speak of their faith, in contrast to Europe where such discussions are considered inappropriate.

Despite the different traditions in the United States and Europe, which the French author Alexis de Tocqueville noted in the 1830s, both societies were under strong pressure from modern secularism, Benedict added.

"Even now in the United States, there is an onslaught of new secularism which is completely different (from de Tocqueville's time) and therefore there are new problems," he said.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Writing by Tom Heneghan; Editing by David Storey)

(For more on religion, see the Reuters religion blog FaithWorld at blogs.reuters.com/faithworld )