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[h=4]A regal White House ceremony for the pope includes a hint of politics[/h]WASHINGTON<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— Pope Francis took the podium before<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a teeming crowd of politicians, luminaries and ordinary citizens at the White House and endorsed President Obama's efforts to cut air pollution and combat climate change.
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Pope Francis arrived in the U.S. and was greeted by cheering crowds and the Obama family. VPC
President Obama welcomes Pope Francis to the White House on Sept. 23, 2015.(Photo: Vincenzo Pinto, AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— Pope Francis took the podium before<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a teeming crowd of politicians, luminaries and ordinary citizens at the White House and endorsed President Obama's efforts to cut air pollution and combat climate change.
"Mr. President, I find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution," the pope said, speaking in halting English.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"Accepting the urgency,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation. When it comes<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to the care of our 'common home.'<span style="color: Red;">*</span>we are living at a critical moment of history."
Obama used his welcome of the pope to also make note of the pontiff's views on climate change.<span style="color: Red;">*</span><span style="color: Red;">*</span>"Holy Father, you remind us that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet – God’s<span style="color: Red;">*</span>magnificent gift to us," Obama said. "We support your call to all world leaders to support the communities most vulnerable<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to a changing climate and to come together to preserve our precious world for future generations"
This issue is a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>flashpoint of conflict between Obama and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Republicans in Congress, who have warned that Obama's plans could do lasting economic harm to the nation with little environmental benefit.
USA TODAY
Obama unveils blueprint to cut greenhouse gases
One lawmaker said last week that he would not attend the pope's Thursday speech in Congress because the pontiff is choosing to focus on climate change instead of issues like religious freedom and abortion.
While Congress has been battling for weeks weeks over federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the pope made no mention of abortion in his White House remarks.
His comments also appeared to endorse Obama's effort to re-establish relations with Cuba. "The efforts which were recently made to mend broken relationships and to open new doors to cooperation within our human family represent positive steps along the path of reconciliation, justice and freedom," Francis said. He was in Cuba just before his arrival in the U.S.
The pope also make a plea to end discrimination of all kinds. "American Catholics are committed to building a society which is truly<span style="color: Red;">*</span>tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust discrimination," he said. "With countless other people of good will, they are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their right to religious liberty."
Obama is the 11th consecutive president to meet with a pope, going back to Dwight Eisenhower’s meeting with Pope John XXIII on Dec. 6, 1959. But Pope Francis' trip is the first papal visit to Washington since 2008.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Thousands of guests<span style="color: Red;">*</span>gathered<span style="color: Red;">*</span>on the South Lawn of the White House for the papal welcome ceremony. Crowds began lining up around the White House complex well before 4 a.m. for the 9 a.m. ceremony.
USA TODAY
Once shunned, papal meetings with American presidents now the norm
About 11,000 people had tickets to the event on the White House grounds and thousands more gathered outside the barriers to watch.
The House and Senate are out of session Wednesday in recognition of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, but across the U.S. Capitol complex, staff are scrambling to prepare for Thursday's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>first-ever papal speech to a joint session of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Congress.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Many lawmakers set off early<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to join the crowds at the White House.
USA TODAY
Members of Congress respond to Pope's visit
After his meeting with the president Wednesday, Pope Francis will lead a parade around the Ellipse south of the White House.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>He then travels<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a few blocks north for a midday prayer<span style="color: Red;">*</span>with about 300 U.S. bishops at St. Matthews cathedral.
The event at St. Matthews is closed to the public. But <span style="color: Red;">*</span>Sharon Savinski, a native Washingtonian, is one of 50 lucky parishioners to have tickets for a spot outside. She said she is<span style="color: Red;">*</span>thrilled to get a closeup of Francis. "He is just an example of goodness <span style="color: Red;">*</span>He brings joy to life," she says.
Asked what she would say to the pope if she had a chance to meet him, Savinski leaned back and closed her eyes "I would thank him for his humanity," she said.
Later in the afternoon Pope Francis<span style="color: Red;">*</span>will celebrate a new saint with a canonization Mass for the Spanish missionary priest<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Junipero Serra at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
USA TODAY
Where is Pope Francis? A schedule of his U.S. visit
USA TODAY
Papal visit to bring blizzard of traffic to D.C., New York and Philadelphia
The federal government remains open during the pope's visit, but with much of the city on lockdown, federal employees in the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>area have been strongly encouraged to work from home or to take days off.
Two and a half years into a papacy made possible by the unexpected resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Francis has become wildly popular in the United States as his message of mercy has softened some of the church's more traditional doctrines on sin and salvation. Eighty-six percent of Catholics and 65% of non-Catholics view him favorably, according to a Washington Post-CNN poll last week, and he's popular with liberals and conservatives alike.
Contributing: Susan Miller
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