Pope Francis addresses President Obama, urges action on global issues, and celebrates Mass
On his first day in the US, Pope Francis has begun his full agenda, bringing together political leaders and thousands of believers from around the nation.
The Pope arrived in the afternoon on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where he was welcomed by President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and their families. His trip to the US will last six days, visiting Washington D.C., New York, and Philadelphia.
Pope Francis, 78, is the third pope to visit the nation’s capital, and the fourth to visit the United States–nearly 50 years after Pope Paul IV made the first visit by a pontiff in 1965.
Before his arrival, the Pope spent four days in Cuba visiting with religious leaders and families, and celebrating Holy Mass at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Virgin of Charity in Santiago.
Pope Francis was welcomed at the White House on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 23, greeting thousands who eagerly waited for hours on the South Lawn for a glimpse of the Roman Catholic Church leader. He arrived in a modest black Fiat at the South Portico of the White House, where Obama greeted and escorted him onto a red-carpeted stage in front of 11,000 ticketed guests.
Obama thanked Pope Francis for his help in facilitating friendly diplomatic relations with Cuba, and hailed him for speaking out for the poor, ill and impoverished, and for his focus on climate change, the New York Times said.
“Holy Father, you remind us that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet–God’s magnificent gift to us,” Obama said. “We support your call to all world leaders to support the communities most vulnerable to a changing climate and to come together to preserve our precious world for future generations.”
After a Marine band played the American national anthem and the Pontifical anthem, Pope Francis stood to make his first major speech in English.
“As the son of an immigrant family, I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families,” he opened. “I look forward to these days of encounter and dialogue, in which I hope to listen to, and share, many of the hopes and dreams of the American people.”
The Pontiff spoke about issues that cut to the heart of American politics, including immigration, climate change, and caring for the poorest of the poor. In his heavy Spanish accent, he also quoted from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
“American Catholics are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust discrimination….we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note, and now is the time to honor it.”
Pope Francis also lifted up the right to religious liberty, calling it “one of America’s most precious possessions,” reported The Huffington Post.
“As my brothers, the United States Bishops, have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it,” he said.
The Pope applauded Obama for his efforts on reducing air pollution and establishing climate change, calling it a problem that “can no longer be left to a future generation.” He quoted from his second encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, which discusses the Catholic teaching on ecology, climate change, and care for the environment: “[…]We are living at a critical moment of history. We still have time to make the changes needed to bring about a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.”
“As Christians inspired by this certainty, we wish to commit ourselves to the conscious and responsible care for our common home.”
He finished with a cry for Americans to “support the efforts of the international community to protect the vulnerable in our world,” and to continue fueling “integral and inclusive models of development, so that our brothers and sisters everywhere may know the blessings of peace and prosperity which God calls for all his children.”
After a private meeting with Obama following the ceremony, the Pope held a meeting and prayer service with US bishops at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in D.C., followed by a Holy Canonization Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic Church in the US.
At the afternoon mass, Francis canonized Blessed Junipero Serra, an 18th century Spanish Franciscan priest who led the California Missions movement, including nine missions from San Diego to San Francisco. Father Serra became the first saint canonized on US soil.
The Holy Mass–Pope Francis’ first-ever Mass in the US–was celebrated in Spanish, with at least 20,000 devoted believers in attendance.
“You shake our conscience from slumber. You call on us to rejoice in good news and give us confidence that we can come together, in humility and service, and pursue a world that is more loving, more just and more free,” President Obama told the Pontiff earlier.
On Thursday, Sept. 24, Francis will make a historic visit to Capitol Hill, becoming the first pope to address a joint meeting of Congress, according to the New York Times. He was invited by House Speaker John A. Boehner.
“The pope will not be speaking primarily as a politician. He will not be speaking like a technical expert. He will not be speaking like a high UN official,” said Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations. “But he will be speaking, above all, as a pastor, as a religious leader, as a Father.”
Francis is expected to speak about issues close to his heart, once again bringing up the Catholic stance on climate change, immigration issues, and religious freedom. He will also likely touch upon sensitive issues that divide him from popular American thought, including abortion and the definition of marriage.
“Pope Francis is the ultimate Washington outsider. His priorities are not Washington’s priorities,” John Carr, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, told CNN. “We think we are the center of the world. We are not the center of Pope Francis’ world.”
Aside from his modest, humble lifestyle, Francis has been known for his blunt critiques of society and global economics, commenting on everything from capitalism to foreign economics.
“Poverty, social justice, climate change, and what we call peaceful institutions and societies,” Archbishop Auza said. “These are also the priorities of the Catholic Church.”
Surveys show broad support among Americans for Pope Francis and his direction in leading the Catholic Church. A New York Times/CBS News poll found that 41 percent of Americans had a favorable view of Francis, compared with 8 percent of a negative view. The same poll also found that 63 percent of American Catholics approved of Francis, about 20 percentage points higher than his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.
Pope Francis will also address the headquarters of the United Nations in New York on Sept. 25, where he will meet with world leaders to discuss global issues in light of Catholic perspectives. He will celebrate Holy Mass Friday night at Madison Square Garden, then depart to Philadelphia for the weekend to attend the World Meeting of Families. (With reports from Momar G. Visaya / AJPress)
