By DAVID YOUNT, Scripps Howard News Service

Nothing so epitomized Pope Benedict XVI's visit to America than the stirring hymn that concluded his White House appearance. It was Julia Ward Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic," recalling our nation's tragic Civil War.

Redemption is usually considered to be the prerogative of religion. The extraordinary effectiveness of the Salvation Army worldwide in redeeming the down-and-out is but one prominent example of the successful application of religious faith to the rehabilitation of those in need.

The first visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States this month will not be a purely social occasion. As the octogenarian leader of a 2,000-year-old church that commands the allegiance of 1.1 billion people worldwide, he can be expected to take a hopeful view of history, and the longest view of all -- eternity.

Following her conversion to the Roman Catholic faith, Clare Booth Luce was granted a private audience with Pope Pius XII. Not satisfied with polite conversation with the pontiff, she proceeded at length to persuade him of the truth of her newfound faith.Exasperated, he finally interrupted. "Yes, yes, I know, Mrs. Luce," he said. "I'm a Catholic, too."

Some 30 years ago, I sensed change was in the air when my then-brother-in-law, vice president of a major tobacco company, stopped smoking. I quickly followed suit.

Despite the fact that Jesus of Nazareth himself turned water into wine, many contemporary Christians are wary about alcohol. Were Jesus challenged to justify his miracle, he might simply respond that in his time it was safer to drink wine than water.

When religion attracts front-page attention in the nation's newspapers, you can count on it being bad news -- more clergy scandals or conflicts among the faiths.

Americans move, on average, every five years -- to a new job, home, or community. Many of the moves are just meandering; relatively few are life altering.But there are some among us who are risk-takers, treating their moves as rites of passage and their entire life as one long pilgrimage.

"My mind is my own church," proclaimed patriot Thomas Paine, rejecting the constraints of America's Puritan founders in favor of individual freedom. Over time, the independence of faith and conscience that Paine espoused has probably made America one of the most religious nations on earth.

The human heart is the universal symbol of life and affection. It beats to sustain our lives. In turn, we give our hearts to one another to prove our love.