Obamas greet Pope Francis as pontiff begins historic U.S. trip

Luke Skywalker · Sep 22, 2015

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POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESPope Francis makes his way into D.C. in Fiat | 01:08The Pontiff arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before making his way into DC in an Italian Fiat Popemobile. (Sept 22) AP

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESPope Francis greeted by Obama family after landing | 00:51Pope Francis arrived in the U.S. and was greeted by cheering crowds and the Obama family. VPC

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESPope Francis Departs Cuba for U.S. | 01:26Pope Francis left Cuba on Tuesday for his first trip to the U.S., wrapping up a four-day visit to the communist island with an appeal to the people to rediscover their Catholic heritage and live a "revolution of tenderness." (Sept. 22) AP

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESSee the weirdest Pope memorabilia you can buy | 01:20Pope Francis is coming to America Tuesday, and some people are looking to cash in on his first visit to the U.S. Time

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESNavy ship bunks made available to papal pilgrims | 01:12Lodging is at a premium as Pope Francis comes to Philadelphia, but there's one place with plenty of vacancies that will provide a cool experience to boot. VPC

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESPriest inspired by Pope John Paul II knows power of papal visit | 01:33Rev. Peter Mussett didn't always want to be a priest. He was a "punk rock kid" when Pope John Paul II visited his hometown and changed the trajectory of his life years ago. As Pope Francis makes his first visit to the U.S., Mussett is praying for ot VPC

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESThe Pope is coming to America, and it's really expensive | 01:42Pope Francis' visit to the U.S. will be expensive. He will likely help local economies, but security costs and shipping delays are also anticipated.
Video provided by Newsy Newslook

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESLutheran mayor has no idea why he gets to see Pope Francis | 01:34A Minnesota mayor can't figure out why the White House sent him a personal invitation to see Pope Francis with President Obama, but he's not passing up the rare opportunity.

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESGet a sneak peek of Pope Francis' first visit to U.S. | 02:22Pope Francis will till tour many churches and the 9/11 memorial during his first visit to the U.S. VPC

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESThe Pope and Presidents, a history of meetings | 01:58Few relationships in U.S. political history have changed more over time than that between presidents and popes.
Once avoided, meetings wth popes are now obligatory for American presidents, the latest being the Sept. 23 sit-down at the White House b Wochit

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESThese kindergartners may know more about the Pope than you | 01:33Some kindergarteners spill some quirky facts about Pope Francis. VPC

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESThe Pope is visiting this historic Philadelphia church | 00:30Pope Francis' visit to the United States will include stops at four historic Catholic churches in D.C., New York City and Philadelphia. Here is a closer look at one of the churches he is visiting. VPC

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESPope Francis will visit these 4 U.S. churches | 02:08Pope Francis' visit to the United States will include stops at four historic Catholic churches in D.C., New York City and Philadelphia. VPC

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESCongress Prepares to Welcome Pope Francis | 02:37Congress faces a delicate balancing act as it prepares to receive Pope Francis, a pontiff who has weighed in on some of the biggest issues of the day, but has never fit neatly into one political ideology. (Sept. 21) AP

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESPope Francis: 'See you in Philadelphia.' | 00:22In a videotaped message released Monday by the Vatican, Pope Francis, speaking in English, personally invites pilgrims to join him in Pennsylvania. (Sept. 21) AP

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESPope Francis to visit Catholic Charities' clients | 00:59Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington serves dinner to the homeless. Pope Francis is scheduled to bless the food on Sept. 24, 2015. USA TODAY

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESPope visiting historic Catholic church in D.C. | 00:46Pope Francis' visit to the United States will include stops at four historic Catholic churches in D.C., New York City and Philadelphia. Here is a closer look at one of the churches he is visiting. VPC

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESPope visiting largest Catholic church in North America | 00:38Pope Francis' visit to the United States will include stops at four historic Catholic churches in D.C., New York City and Philadelphia. Here is a closer look at one of the churches he is visiting. VPC

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESCongress Prepares to Welcome Pope Francis | 02:38Congress faces a delicate balancing act as it prepares to receive Pope Francis, a pontiff who has weighed in on some of the biggest issues of the day, but has never fit neatly into one political ideology. (Sept. 21) AP

POPE FRANCIS' TRIP TO THE UNITED STATESPope visiting St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC | 00:31Pope Francis' visit to the United States will include stops at four historic Catholic churches in D.C., New York City and Philadelphia. Here is a closer look at one of the churches he is visiting. VPC

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Pope Francis arrives in the U.S. on Sept. 22, 2015, greeted by President Obama at Joint Base Andrews.(Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)

WASHINGTON — Pope Francis' gleaming white Alitalia plane —*colloquially*known as "Shepherd One"*— touched down at Joint Base Andrews Tuesday, as the pontiff began a*historic six-day, three-city visit that will have political, diplomatic and spiritual*ramifications.
Breaking from the usual protocol for a state visit, President Obama and Vice President Biden chose*to*greet the papal*plane at the Air Force base outside Washington before Francis departed in a hatchback Fiat to begin his*tightly scheduled, carefully choreographed and highly anticipated visit.
He has an ambitious schedule: The pontiff will visit the White House, meet with U.S. Catholic bishops and celebrate a new saint with a canonization Mass for the Spanish missionary priest Junipero Serra*on Wednesday. On Thursday, he'll be the first pope to address*a joint meeting of*Congress, and on Friday he'll address the nations of the world*at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly.
The World Meeting of Families, the primary reason for his visit, is likely*to draw more than a million people to Philadelphia on Saturday. That, the Vatican says, was the primary reason for his visit, with everything else scheduled around that
USA TODAY
With pope arriving, can Congress behave? Lawmakers fret about decorum

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.
But Francis'*views on abortion, immigration and climate change have also thrust him into political debates in the United States.
Speaking to reporters on the papal plane Tuesday, the pope acknowledged that his emphasis on economic issues has led to a perception that he's*"a little bit more left-leaning." But*rejected that characterization of his ideology.
"I am certain that I have never said anything beyond what is in the social doctrine of the church," he said. And if anyone doubts whether he's still Catholic, he joked that he's ready to recite the creed on request.
?His first-ever visit to*he United States*comes at pivotal moments for the nation, the church, and the world.?*Europe is in the grips of a refugee crisis in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, while the United States is embroiled in its own immigration debate. Congress will vote this week on a number of bills restricting abortion and defunding its largest provider, Planned Parenthood. Christians and other religious minorities are being persecuted in the Middle East, and global*climate talks are set to resume in Paris in two months.
Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said Francis has reached a point in his papacy when he feels most confident in his ability to deliver his message.
“I think that the pope feels to have now the experience and the moral authority to bring answers and questions to the most important assemblies of the world of today,” Lombardi said.
Bishop Christopher Coyne of Burlington, Vt. said he expects the pope to address those issues,*but couch them in positive terms:*Instead of lobbying Congress or the President directly on abortion,*immigration or the environment, he will likely use praise and encouragement to ask Americans to be more generous with its resources and respectful of life.
"We in the West tend to see everything through a political prism, and he tends to annoy both the left and the right at different times," Coyne said. "That's missing the point. They're trying to politicize Francis. He's Pope Francis; he's not Senator Francis."
Francis used a similar approach in Cuba Tuesday, co-opting the revolutionary language of the Castro regime in a more spiritual context. "We are asked to live the revolution of tenderness as Mary, our Mother of Charity, did," Francis said at a morning Mass at*Our Lady of Charity*shrine in Santiago de Cuba.
The*Cuban visit was no accident of scheduling. As the first Latin American pope, Francis made a conscious decision to enter the United States*through the south, via Cuba, a Spanish-speaking island nation for whom Francis worked behind-the-scenes to gain formal recognition from the United States after a 45-year break in relations.
After departing Cuba, the pope's plane circled over North Carolina several times*— apparently for scheduling reasons*— but was still 10 minutes early. He greeted Obama with a handshake, and the president responded with a short but*perceptible bow.
Also greeting the pope was a*delegation that included the extended Obama and Biden families,*an Air Force major general, the State Department's chief of protocol,*an ambassador, 10 bishops and five monsignors.*Hundreds of faithful*chanted "We love Francis, yes we do" in English and "Holy Father, bless your children" in Spanish as the pope arrived.
USA TODAY
Where is Pope Francis? A schedule of his U.S. visit

From the airport, Francis got into a black Fiat 500L*hatchback displaying the customary Popemobile license plate of SCV-1. "It was very easy to recognize where the pope is, because he's the smallest car in the motorcade," Lombardi said.
His destination: the*Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Northwest Washington, a relatively modest embassy across the street from the Vice President's residence at the Naval Observatory, where a hundred schoolchildren greeted him with Spanish chants.
Francis will begin the day Wednesday at the*White House.*As the Vatican head of state, he'll be greeted in a formal diplomatic arrival ceremony with military bands, formal speeches and a crowd of 15,000 before a*one-on-one meeting with Obama in the Oval Office.
USA TODAY
Once shunned, papal meetings with American presidents now the norm

But the White House meeting may be one of the least important of the visit, said*Stephen Schneck,*director of the*Institute for Policy Research and*Catholic Studies at the*Catholic University of America. His meetings with those at the margins of society*—prisoners in Philadelphia and clients of Catholic Charities in Washington*— are more central to his mission to the United States, he said.
"I'm glad*he's meeting with the president," Schneck said. "There*are important things to talk about. But he's not here to advance legislation on climate change. He's here to advance the Gospel."

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Obamas greet Pope Francis as pontiff begins historic U.S. trip

Luke Skywalker

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